Taiwan's industrial production index in March this year fell by 3.3 percent as compared to March 2012 after falling by a revised 11.6 percent year on year in February, and was up 23.8 percent month on month, according to the country's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). However, the country's seasonally adjusted industrial production index in March fell 2.6 percent compared to February, and was down 1.9 percent compared to the same month of 2012.
In the first quarter of the year, Taiwan's seasonally adjusted industrial production index increased 1.7 percent compared to the first three months of the previous year.
In March this year, industrial output in the country's basic metal manufacturing increased by 0.65 percent and output of metal product manufacturing rose by 0.7 percent, both compared with March 2012. In addition, the two sectors saw 22.4 percent and 38.2 percent increases respectively on month-on-month basis. In the first quarter of 2013, a 2.9 percent year-on-year increase was recorded in Taiwan's basic metal manufacturing output, while the fabricated metal production index rose 3.5 percent compared to January-March 2012.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter production in Taiwan's machinery and equipment industry fell by 11.5 percent, output in the automotive industry decreased by five percent, while production in the Taiwanese construction sector increased by 12 percent, all compared to the same period of 2012.