According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in November last year South Africa’s manufacturing output decreased by 3.5 percent compared to the same month of 2019.
In November, the production of basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery decreased by 3.9 percent on year-on-year basis. In the given month, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa declined by 23.7 percent, while the production of structural metal products was up by 4.3 percent, both compared to the same month of 2019. In November last year, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa was down by 7.3 percent, while the production of structural metal products in South Africa rose by 10.0 percent, both on month-on-month basis.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of basic iron and steel products (at current prices) in November last year increased by 4.5 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 9.06 billion ($587.93 million).