Production costs for Italy's metals and metal products sector saw an increase in March this year, according to the latest data issued by the Italian National Statistics Institute (ISTAT). The production cost index for the sector in March rose to 134 points, up from 132.8 points in February.
In March 2007, there was a 10.3 percent increase in production costs in the metals and metal products sector compared to March 2006. In 2006 the sector's production costs had seen an 11.7 percent year on year rise.
Looking at Italian industry as a whole, production costs in March 2007 saw a 0.4 percent rise compared to the previous month, and an increase of 3.8 percent compared to March 2006. The most significant industrial production cost increases in March were seen in electrical energy, gas and water (up 11 percent) and in wood and wood products (up 5.8 percent).