According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa, in May this year the country's manufacturing output rose by 2.2 percent compared to the same month of 2012, while the seasonally adjusted manufacturing production for the three months ended May 2013 is estimated to have increased by 0.9 percent compared to the previous three months.
The year-on-year increase in May this year was mainly due to the 11 percent increase in the production of basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery and the 6.7 percent increase in the production of motor vehicles, parts and accessories and ‘other' transport equipment. The production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa increased by 25.5 percent year on year in May, while the seasonally adjusted production index of basic iron and steel products saw an increase of 10.5 percent compared to April.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of manufactured products (at current prices) in May increased by 2.8 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 8.8 billion ($896 million), while the actual sales value of basic iron and steel products rose 6.9 percent year on year.