Industrial output grew by 1.6 per cent in February from January

According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 1.6 per cent higher in February than in January. In January industrial output went down by 1.9 per cent from December. Seasonally adjusted output grew last in November when output rose by 1.1 per cent from October.

Seasonally adjusted change in the volume of whole industrial output from the previous month, %

Output fell by 7.2 per cent in February from the year before

Compared to last year's February, seasonally adjusted industrial output went down by 7.2 per cent. Industrial output declined in February in nearly all of the main industries from the year before. Output in the metal industry fell by close on 11 per cent. Within the metal industry, output in the electrical industry declined by almost 16 per cent. In the chemical industry output decreased by 7 per cent. In the wood and paper industry output fell by only 0.1 per in February.

Seasonally adjusted change in the volume of industrial output 2/2001 - 2/2002, %

Capacity utilisation rate in manufacturing was over 81 per cent in February, which is good 3 percentage points lower than in February 2001. In the pulp and paper industry, capacity utilisation rate was 91 per cent, in the metal industry 81 per cent and in the chemical industry close on 77 per cent. Capacity utilisation rate in other manufacturing was 75 per cent.

Revised data for February will be published on 30 April 2002 at 8 am in connection with the industrial output data for March. Because of the method used, seasonally adjusted figures for previous months may change even if the original figures did not get revised.

Source: Volume Index of Industrial Output 2002, February, preliminary. Statistics Finland
StatFin statistical service at: statfin.stat.fi