According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in October this year South Africa's manufacturing output increased by three percent compared to the same month of 2017.
In October, the production of basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery increased by 3.2 percent on year-on-year basis. In the given month, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa rose by 1.2 percent, while the production of structural metal products was up by 3.7 percent, when compared to the same month of the previous year. In October this year, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa decreased by three percent, while the production of structural metal products in South Africa was down by 0.3 percent, both on month-on-month basis.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of manufactured products (at current prices) in October this year fell by 8.6 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 11.46 billion ($802 million).