According to Statistics Canada, Canadian manufacturing sales rose 1.4 percent to $57.1 billion in March. Higher sales at primary metal; aerospace product and parts; fabricated metal product; and the other transportation equipment industries were mostly responsible for the increase.
Overall, sales were up in 13 of 21 industries, representing 72 percent of the Canadian manufacturing sector.
In volume terms, manufacturing sales rose 0.6 percent. The primary metal and aerospace product and parts industries post the largest gains
Primary metal sales rose 4.2 percent to $4.4 billion in March following a 4.4 percent increase in February. While the growth in sales in dollar terms was widespread, the iron and steel mills and ferro-alloy as well as the alumina and aluminum production and processing industries posted the largest sales gain in March.
Sales were also up in the fabricated metal product (+4.6 percent), other transportation equipment (+37.4 percent) and wood product (+3.7 percent) industries.
These increases were partially offset by declines in the motor vehicle (-2.0 percent), machinery (-1.7 percent) and computer and electronic product (-3.4 percent) industries.
Inventory levels increased 0.7 percent to $79.3 billion in March. This was the sixth consecutive increase in inventories, with 6 of 21 industries posting higher levels. The gains were attributable to the transportation equipment (+3.5 percent), chemical (+5.9 percent) and plastic and rubber products (+5.3 percent) industries.
The inventory-to-sales ratio declined from 1.40 in February to 1.39 in March. The inventory-to-sales ratio measures the time, in months, that would be required to exhaust inventories if sales were to continue at their current pace.
Unfilled orders rose 1.5 percent in March to $88.6 billion, a second consecutive monthly increase. The advance reflected a gain in the aerospace product and parts industry, up 2.4 percent to $47.1 billion, representing more than half of total unfilled orders.
New orders fell 0.7 percent to $58.5 billion, following a 7.4 percent increase in February. The decline in March was mainly the result of lower new orders in the aerospace product and parts; machinery; and the motor vehicle industries.