Rise in factory output

Manufacturing output posted a quarter-on-quarter increase, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.

Manufacturing rose by 0.7% in the second quarter of the year compared with the first quarter. The largest upward contributions in manufacturing output were from the manufacture of basic pharmaceuticals products and pharmaceuticals preparations which rose by 8.3%; the manufacture of transport equipment, which rose by 1.7%; and the manufacture of electrical equipment, which rose by 4.8%.

Subsectors which showed a fall in output included other manufacturing and repair, which fell by 1.8%; the manufacture of basic metals and metal products, which fell by 1.3%; and the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products, which also fell by 1.3%.

Manufacturing output in the second quarter was down 0.6% on the same quarter a year ago.

However, to put a longer perspective on the figures, manufacturing output is 10% lower than the high reached in the first quarter of 2008.

Production output (manufacturing, mining and utilities) was up by 0.6% in the second quarter compared with the first, but down by 0.8% on the same quarter 2012.

The latest production index figure is 13.4% lower than that achieved in the first quarter of 2008.

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_322184.pdf