According to Statistics Canada, manufacturing sales declined 1.5 percent to $51.1 billion in September, following a 0.6 percent decrease in August. Lower sales in the motor vehicle assembly and the petroleum and coal product industries were responsible for the decline.
In the motor vehicle assembly industry, sales fell 10.3 percent to $5.0 billion in September following four months of gains. In August, sales had reached $5.6 billion, their highest level since March 2007. The decline in September mostly reflected lower numbers of vehicles produced. In contrast to the motor vehicle assembly industry, sales in the motor vehicle parts industry edged down 0.1 percent in September.
Sales in the petroleum and coal product industry were down 7.1 percent to $4.8 billion in September, the fourth consecutive decline.
Higher sales in the machinery and primary metal industries offset some of the declines. In the machinery industry, sales rose 9.6 percent to $2.9 billion as a result of widespread gains. Primary metal sales were up 4.3 percent, also as a result of numerous gains.
Manufacturing inventories were down 0.4 percent to $73.0 billion in September. Inventory levels decreased 4.2 percent in the petroleum and coal product industry and 2.6 percent in the primary metal industry. Inventories of machinery (-2.0 percent) also declined. Inventory levels rose in the aerospace product and parts (+1.4 percent) and motor vehicle assembly (+5.7 percent) industries.
Unfilled orders decreased 0.7 percent to $96.1 billion in September, as a result of a 0.9 percent decline in the transportation equipment industry.
New orders decreased 2.8 percent, mostly as a result of declines in the transportation equipment industry.