Manufacturing Production Index down 2.7% in August
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Thailand's overall Manufacturing Production Index in August contracted 2.7 per cent from the same month last year, amid improved outlook. The MPI expanded by 2.6 per cent over July.
The index for shipment of goods rose by 0.9 per cent, while the production utilisation capacity rate was 60.29 per cent.
Industries that contributed to the fall in the index were automobiles, oil refining, sugar, and garments and accessories, said Somchai Harnhirun, director-general of the Office of Industrial Economics.
The Thai vehicle-manufacturing sector contracted by 27.08 per cent from August last year, with declines in both domestic sales and exports. Exports to Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Central America and South America dropped 14.07 per cent year on year, Somchai said.
Meanwhile, the electrical-manufacturing sector expanded by 10.38 per cent over the same month last year. However, the outputs of split-type air-conditioning units and refrigerators dropped slightly (5.83 per cent) because of the transition from R22 refrigerant to the environmentally friendly R32 and R410a types.
Output of electronics of all types rose by 13.79 per cent, especially monolithic integrated circuits (up 39.6 per cent), other IC (10 per cent) and hard-disk drives (13.4 per cent), thanks to strong global demand, he said.
The demand for Thai iron and steel in August was 1.28 million tonnes, down by 24.7 per cent from the same month last year. Manufacturing output was 510,000 tonnes, down by 20.3 per cent. The value of steel exports was US$74.67 million (Bt2.421 billion), down by 25.71 per cent, while import value was $641.62 million, down by 27.69 per cent, he said.
As for the textiles and garments industry, outputs were lower than for August last year because of a drop in both local and foreign orders. Exports of textiles and garments also declined on weaker demand from Asian markets, Somchai said.
The foods industry contracted by 4.1 per cent year on year on lower outputs of raw materials such as tapioca and sugar amid the continuing weak domestic demand and sluggish global economy, he said.
