15 March, 1999

Inquiries: Mr Ari Mikkelä +358 9 1734 2480, Mr Rami Peltola +358 9 1734 3615, Mr Kari Rautio +358 9 1734 2479
Director in charge: Mr Ilkka Hyppönen

Industrial output up by 7.6 per cent in January

According to Statistics Finland, industrial output as calculated per working day went up by 7.6 per cent in the year to January. The growth was attributable to the electrical industry where output increased by 55 per cent in January. Output grew in all main sectors of the electrical industry, but growth of output was most pronounced in the manufacture of communication equipment. If the volume index of industrial output was calculated without the electrical industry, output would have been down by one per cent from the year before.

In January, output in the forest industry went down by only one per cent from last year's January, whereas in December, output in the forest industry contracted by 12 per cent from the previous year. Output in the forest industry decreased in December because of stoppages.

Output in the metal industry increased by more than a fifth from January 1998 to January 1999. Of the metal industry sectors, besides the electrical industry, the manufacture of machinery and equipment and vehicles also went up slightly. In contrast, the manufacture of base metals and metal products decreased by 5 per cent. Output in energy and water supply grew by 3 per cent from January 1998. Output in the chemical industry contracted by 5 per cent in the year to January.

The manufacture of textiles and clothing decreased by 10 per cent from the year before. Output in both the construction materials industry and the food industry went down by 4 per cent from last year's January.

January capacity utilisation rate in manufacturing was 85 per cent, which is four percentage points lower than in January 1998. In the pulp and paper industry, the capacity rate was 93 per cent, in the metal industry 88 per cent and in the chemical industry 73 per cent. In the chemical industry, the capacity rate fell by 9 percentage points from January 1998.

Source: Volume Index of Industrial Output 1999, January. Statistics Finland