16 May 2011, 17:55  Canada: Manufacturing sales increase

Manufacturing sales increased 1.9% (+$877 million) in March to $47.5 billion, following a 1.8% decline in February. The transportation equipment industry (+6.3%) accounted for just over half of the gain. Sales also rose in the machinery and paper industries. Higher sales were reported in 15 of 21 industries, representing 80.0% of total manufacturing. Constant dollar manufacturing sales rose 1.9% in March. Despite the decline in February, manufacturing sales in the first quarter increased 4.0% compared with the last three months of 2010. Sales for the first quarter ($141.6 billion) were also the highest since the third quarter of 2008 ($154.9 billion), before the economic downturn began. Including the first quarter of 2011, sales have advanced for seven consecutive quarters. In the aerospace product and parts industry, production rose 20.6% to $1.4 billion. Sales in the motor vehicle industry advanced 4.1%, as a result of increases reported by most auto assembly plants. Sales in the motor vehicle industry have risen in 8 of the past 12 months. Sales were up 4.2% in the machinery industry to $2.7 billion. Since their most recent low of $2.1 billion in October 2009, sales have advanced in 14 of 17 months. This advance partly reflects rising sales in the agricultural, construction and mining machinery industry. Sales also increased in the paper (+4.0%), food (+0.8%), furniture and related product (+5.7%) and computer and electronic product (+3.9%) industries. In March, nine provinces posted higher sales compared with February, led by Quebec and Alberta.
In Quebec, sales advanced 2.0% to $11.6 billion. The increase was caused by higher production in the aerospace product and parts industry (+31.1%). An 11.9% decline in the chemical industry, stemming from lower sales in the pharmaceutical and medicine industry, partly offset the gain. Sales increased 3.7% in Alberta to $5.7 billion in March. The increase largely reflected a 6.2% rise in the chemical industry and a price-driven 3.6% advance in petroleum and coal products. A 7.9% increase in the machinery industry, largely stemming from higher sales of agricultural, construction and mining machinery, also contributed to the gain.
Sales increases in Newfoundland and Labrador (+25.8%) and Nova Scotia (+10.4%) reflected gains in non-durable goods industries in both provinces. Sales edged up 0.1% to $21.4 billion in Ontario, led by a 4.7% increase in the motor vehicle industry. The machinery, furniture, computer and electronic product and printing industries also contributed to the increase. However, declines of 10.1% in the petroleum and coal products industry and 21.8% in the miscellaneous manufacturing industry offset almost all of the gains.

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