Manufacturing output 12 percent down in April

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Erratum:

A change has been made in the second paragraph and the graph below compared to the original publication. The figures for the machine industry sector have been removed from the message.
In April 2023, the average daily output of the Dutch manufacturing industry was 12.1 percent lower than in April 2022, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This is the largest decrease after April 2009. Output also contracted on an annual basis in the three preceding months of this year.

Average daily output manufacturing (volume)
 maandchange (year-on-year % change)
2019May-0.9
2019June-2.5
2019July0
2019August-1.7
2019September1.2
2019Oktober0.5
2019November-1.6
2019December-1.2
2020January1.7
2020February-0.5
2020March-1.4
2020April-10.5
2020May-11.7
2020June-9.1
2020July-4.3
2020August-3.4
2020September-5.8
2020October-3.5
2020November-2.3
2020December0.5
2021January1.1
2021February-1.9
2021March3
2021April12.9
2021May16.1
2021June17.6
2021July13.1
2021August8.6
2021September11.1
2021October9.6
2021November10.6
2021December12.9
2022January7.4
2022February10.9
2022March7.9
2022April13.8
2022May10.2
2022June5.8
2022July5.8
2022August6.1
2022September5.6
2022October3.9
2022November0.6
2022December0.6
2023January-2.5
2023February-2.4
2023March-3.7
2023April-12.1

Decrease in approximately three quarters of industries

Three quarters so all industries produced less than the same month in the previous year. Among the larger industries, the chemical industry recorded the sharpest decrease. The repair and installation of machinery recorded the largest increase.

Average daily output manufacturing (volume) by sector, April 2023
Categorychange (year-on-year % change)
Repair and installation of machinery7
Transport equipment3.1
Food products-3.8
Electrical and electronics-5
Metal products-7
Rubber and plastic products-15.7
Chemical-19.5
Manufacturing (total)-12.1
Altogether, the industries referred to in the above graph account for over 60 percent of the total manufacturing output

Output fell in April

A more accurate picture of short-term output developments is obtained when figures are adjusted for seasonal effects and the working-day pattern. After adjustments, manufacturing output fell by 3.0 percent between March and April.

Adjusted for seasonal and working-day effects, manufacturing output is seen to fluctuate significantly. In the spring of 2020, output declined rapidly and a low point was reached in May 2020. After that, output picked up again, until May 2022. The trend has reversed since then.

Seasonally adjusted average daily output manufacturing (volume)
yearmonthindex (2015=100)
2019May108.5
2019June107.3
2019July107.5
2019August107.8
2019September109.5
2019October109.7
2019November108.4
2019December106.5
2020January109
2020February108.4
2020March106
2020April97.4
2020May96.5
2020June99.4
2020July103.4
2020August104
2020September104.2
2020October106.2
2020November106.3
2020December107.1
2021January110.9
2021February106.8
2021March110
2021April110.3
2021May112.1
2021June115
2021July116.2
2021August113.6
2021September115.2
2021October116.6
2021November117.6
2021December120
2022January119
2022February118.9
2022March118.6
2022April126
2022May123.6
2022June121.7
2022July122.8
2022August120.7
2022September121.2
2022October120.7
2022November118.5
2022December119.8
2023January116.2
2023February116.3
2023March114.3
2023April110.9

Manufacturers less positive in May

Producer confidence among Dutch manufacturers was down in May 2023. This was largely because manufacturers were less positive about order positions.

Germany is an important market for the Dutch manufacturing industry. In April, German entrepreneurs showed slightly lower confidence on balance, according to the Business Climate Index of the IFO Institute. They were considerably more negative about their future business situation and also less positive about their current situation. The average daily output generated by the German manufacturing industry was up by 2.6 percent year on year in April, as reported by Destatis.