According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in April this year South Africa's manufacturing output increased by 4.6 percent compared to the same month of 2018.
In April, the production of basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery increased by 9.4 percent on year-on-year basis. In the given month, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa increased by 8.4 percent, while the production of structural metal products was up by 14 percent, when compared to the same month of 2018. In April this year, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa increased by 4.4 percent, while the production of structural metal products in South Africa was up by 10 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 April this year fell by 16.1 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 10.62 billion ($712.43 million).