15 December 2000
Inquiries: Mr Rami Peltola +358 9 1734 3615, Mr Kari
Rautio +358 9 1734 2479
Director in charge: Mr Ilkka Hyppönen
Industrial output reached a record growth of 18.3 per cent from the previous year in October
According to Statistics Finland, industrial output as calculated per working day attained a record growth of 18.3 per cent in the year to October. In the January to October period, output increased by 10.8 per cent from the year before. In Finland growth figures have last been higher than this over 20 years ago. Most of the growth is attributable to as high increase as 74 per cent in the manufacture of electrical equipment. Without electrical equipment, growth in industrial output was just 3.2 per cent. This internationally high growth is partly explained by the modest growth figures achieved in the reference period, i.e. last year's October.
Output in the metal industry went up by almost 39 per cent compared to October 1999. Output growth continued in several of the main branches of the metal industry. The manufacture of machinery and equipment increased by almost 10 per cent and processing of metals by 3.5 per cent.
In October output in the wood and paper industry grew by over 5 per cent and in the chemical industry by good 4 per cent. Output in other manufacturing industry went up by 3 per cent. Energy supply fell by good 5 per cent in October, primarily because some of domestic production was replaced by exports of energy.
Capacity utilisation rate in manufacturing was almost 91 per cent in October. In the pulp and paper industry, capacity utilisation rate was as high as 98 per cent, in the metal industry good 93 per cent and in the chemical industry 82 per cent. Capacity utilisation rate in other manufacturing was nearly 82 per cent.
Source: Volume Index of Industrial Output 2000, October. Statistics Finland