According to the preliminary data released by Statistics
South Africa (SSA), in March this year
South Africa's manufacturing output increased by 3.8 percent compared to the same month of 2014. In the January-April period,
South Africa's manufacturing output increased by 0.4 percent year on year.
The reasons for the year-on-year increase in manufacturing output in March included the 13.3 percent increase in the motor vehicles, parts and accessories and other transport equipment division, the 8.2 percent rise in the food and beverages sector and the 5.5 percent increase in petroleum, chemical products, rubber and plastic products. Within the manufacturing industry, in March the
production of basic iron and steel products in
South Africa increased by 9.3 percent, while the
production of structural metal products rose by 3.6 percent, both on year-on-year basis. As compared with February, in March this year the
production of basic iron and steel products in
South Africa decreased by 3.1 percent and
production of structural metal products fell by 10.9 percent.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of manufactured products (at current prices) in March this year increased by 13 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 11.07 billion ($1.01 billion), while the actual sales value of basic iron and steel products rose by 13 percent year on year.