Factory output slows at beginning of 2015

Manufacturing output appears to be faltering in the early months of 2015, official figures suggest.

Factory output was up by just 0.1% compared with the previous three-month period. That was down on the 0.3% rise in the three-month period ending January 2015, which was revised down from 0.4%.

There were increases in output of 2.6% in the electrical equipment sub-sector and 2.5% in chemical and chemical products. However, there was a contraction of 5.4% in machinery and equipment not classified elsewhere and 1.6% in other manufacturing and repair.

Manufacturing output was up by 1.8% on the same three-month period a year ago — down from the 2.5% growth in January on a year earlier.

The more volatile monthly figures showed growth of 0.4% in February on the previous month.

The wider measure of industrial output (manufacturing, mining and utilities) saw a contraction of 0.2% in the three months to February, but 0.7% growth on the same period a year earlier.

In the three months to February, production and manufacturing were 10.4% and 4.9% respectively below their figures reached in the pre-downturn GDP peak of the first quarter of 2008.

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_400895.pdf