Singapore manufacturing output inches up 0.4% in June

Factory output inched up just 0.4 per cent in June over last year, dragged down by weak performance in the electronics and transport engineering clusters. -- PHOTO: ST FILE
Factory output inched up just 0.4 per cent in June over last year, dragged down by weak performance in the electronics and transport engineering clusters. -- PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Factory output inched up just 0.4 per cent in June over last year, dragged down by weak performance in the electronics and transport engineering clusters.

Electronics production fell 4.8 per cent in June over the same month last year, statistics released on Friday by the Economic Development Board (EDB) showed.

The infocomms and consumer electronics segment posted gains, but these were outweighed by declines in other segments.

Output from the transport engineering cluster dipped 0.4 per cent over last year, owing to a decline in the aerospace segment as a result of fewer repair jobs from commercial airlines.

Factory output numbers were kept afloat by growth in the chemicals, precision engineering and biomedical manufacturing clusters.

Chemicals production rose 10.5 per cent in June over the same month last year, boosted by strong growth in the petrochemicals segment. This was partly attributed to a low base in June last year when some plants were shut down for maintenance, EDB said.

Output of the precision engineering cluster grew 4.8 per cent, while biomedical production rose 1.6 per cent.

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