Statistics Canada reported Thursday that manufacturing sales in the country rose 0.4 percent to $49.8 billion in September. The gain reflected higher production in the aerospace product and parts industry and increased sales of primary metals. Excluding the aerospace industry, total manufacturing sales decreased 0.7 percent.
Sales of durable goods increased 1.1 percent to $25.8 billion, while non-durable goods sales decreased 0.4 percent to $24.0 billion. Sales in the primary metal industry increased 3.7 percent to $3.9 billion in September, partly reflecting higher prices.
In the motor vehicle assembly industry, sales declined 3.6 percent to $4.6 billion. The decrease offset a portion of the gain in total manufacturing sales.
The motor vehicle industry has also shown modest gains relative to other industries in the manufacturing sector. Over the first nine months of 2012, the share of sales by motor vehicle manufacturers relative to total manufacturing was 9.1 percent, an increase from a low of 6.4 percent in 2009, but still well below the most recent peak of 15.5 percent in 1999.