Manufacturing reined back in early 2011

Whether it is a trend or stutter remains to be seen, but manufacturing growth has slowed, according to official figures.

Manufacturing output was 1.1% higher in the three months to February compared with the previous three-month period. That’s slightly down on the revised figure of 1.2% for the three months ending January, but it still represents the sixteenth consecutive rise in output, the rises running back to November 2009.

The best performing sub-sector was engineering and allied industries where output was 4.5% up on the previous three-month period.

The index of manufacturing was up by 5.3% on the same three-month period a year earlier.

The more volatile monthly figures show manufacturing output was flat over the last months but 4.9% higher than February 2010.

Output increased in eight of the 13 manufacturing sub-sectors and fell in five sub-sectors: the largest increases in output were in the transport equipment industries which rose by 13.5% and the machinery and equipment industries which rose by 12.9%.

Output of the production industries (manufacturing, utilities and mining) has been growing at a slower rate than manufacturing. However, it rose by 0.8% in the three months to February compared with the previous three-month period, and it was up by 3.4% on the same three-month period a year ago.

www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iop0411.pdf