Manufacturing output in the Republic rose 3.3 per cent on-year in July, boosted by a spike in the biomedical sector, says the Economic Development Board (EDB).
Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output decreased 2.2 per cent from a year ago, the EDB said. On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, manufacturing output rose 2.7 per cent, but declined 0.8 per cent when biomedical manufacturing was excluded.
On a year-on-year basis, the biomedical manufacturing cluster’s output increased 28.5 per cent in July. Robust export demand for medical instruments and supplies led the medical technology segment to record output growth of 30.8 per cent. The pharmaceuticals segment expanded 28 per cent, mainly due to a different mix of active pharmaceutical ingredients being produced.
Output for the chemicals cluster rose 9.2 per cent, propped up by the petrochemicals segment which grew 12.1 per cent, partly due to maintenance shut down in some plants a year ago. The specialties segment expanded 11.7 per cent on the back of higher output in additives and industrial gases.
The precision engineering cluster’s output grew 4.4 per cent year-on-year in July, supported by the machinery and systems segment which expanded 10.9 per cent with higher demand for semiconductor-related equipment and mechanical engineering work.
Output for the electronics cluster fell 2.9 per cent year-on-year, with the other electronic modules and components segment and computer peripherals segment growing 20.2 per cent and 1.4 per cent, respectively. However, this was outweighed by declines in other segments, such as the semiconductor segment which saw its output fall 1.6 per cent.
The general manufacturing industries cluster’s output fell 5.9 per cent in July, with all segments registering declines. The food, beverages and tobacco segment fell 1.8 per cent, while the miscellaneous industries segment contracted 7.7 per cent.
Output for the transport engineering cluster fell 9.9 per cent, dragged down by the marine and offshore engineering segment and the aerospace segment, which contracted 9 per cent and 16.2 per cent, respectively.
SOURCE: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/singapore-manufacturing/1330604.html
