In the first four months of the year, Taiwan's seasonally adjusted industrial production index decreased 0.7 percent compared to the first four months of the previous year.
In April this year, industrial output in the country's basic metal manufacturing decreased by 1.1 percent and output of metal product manufacturing fell by 1.8 percent, both compared with April 2012. In addition, the two sectors saw 5.1 percent and 1.8 percent decreases respectively on month-on-month basis. In the four months of 2013, a 2.4 percent year-on-year increase was recorded in Taiwan's basic metal manufacturing output, while the fabricated metal production index rose one percent compared to January-April 2012.
Meanwhile, in April production in Taiwan's machinery and equipment industry fell by 11 percent, output in the automotive industry decreased by 4.5 percent, while production in the Taiwanese construction sector increased by 5.5 percent, all compared to the same month of 2012.