Manufacturing output almost 5 percent up in September

Growth in almost half of industries

In September, almost half of all manufacturing industries saw their output increase on an annual basis. The highest growth among the larger industries was achieved by the machinery industry. Output in the transport equipment industry also grew substantially again. In September 2021, however, a number of factories in this industry were forced to halt production temporarily because of a chip shortage.

Output at high level

A more accurate picture of short-term output developments is obtained when figures are adjusted for seasonal effects and the working-day pattern. After adjustments, an increase of 0.5 percent is seen in manufacturing output from August to September.

Adjusted for seasonal and working-day effects, manufacturing output is seen to fluctuate significantly. In the spring of 2020, output declined rapidly and a low point was reached in May 2020. After that, output picked up again.

Producer confidence hardly changed

Producer confidence hardly changed in October 2022. Dutch manufacturers were somewhat less positive about their order positions than in the previous month.

Germany is an important market for the Dutch manufacturing industry. In October, German producer confidence according to the Business Climate Index of the IFO Institute deteriorated further; companies were more pessimistic about the coming months. In September, the average daily output generated by the German manufacturing industry increased by over 4 percent year on year, as reported by Destatis.