Development of production in the manufacturing industry – reporting month April 2024

According to the Federal Statistical Office, production in the manufacturing industry in April, adjusted for price, calendar and seasonal effects, was almost stagnant, with a decline of 0.1% compared to the previous month. It had already fallen slightly in March after the previous significant increases (-0.4%). While construction output fell again in April, this time by a substantial 2.1% (March: -1.0%), industrial output was up slightly, by 0.2% (March: -0.2%). Following the previous declines, energy production rose by a noticeable 1.6% (March: -1.5%).

Within industry, a weaker trend was observed in several sectors in April: while production in the important automotive/automotive parts sector expanded strongly at +4.2%, it was curbed in the case of chemical products ( 1.8%), pharmaceutical products (-1.6%), electrical equipment ( 0.8%), metal products (-1.0%) and mechanical engineering (-0.5%). In April, production in the particularly energy-intensive industrial sectors was also down by 0.9% compared with the previous month.

In the less volatile two-month comparison, however, production continued to expand in industry (+0.6%), in capital goods producers (+1.2%) and particularly in energy-intensive sectors (+1.5%). In the construction industry, on the other hand, the favourable weather at the beginning of the year dampened the usual seasonal recovery, resulting in a decline of 0.5% in the two-month comparison.

Despite the recent dip in order and production data, the latest improvement in sentiment among companies, purchasing managers and financial experts, as well as the increasing impetus from foreign trade, support the expectation of a gradual recovery in economic output over the course of the year.