In April 2012, the seasonally adjusted index of industrial production recorded negative change of 0.2% over the immediately previous month, the second positive consecutive result in this type of comparison, having accumulated decrease of 0.7% in this period.  Compared to the figure of the same month in the previous year, the industrial sector also recorded decrease in production (-2.9%), the eighth consecutive negative rate in this type of comparison.  As a result, the index accumulated in the first four months of the year recorded decrease of 2.8%, with the same pace of decrease as in the end of the first quarter of the year. The annualized rate, the indicator accumulated in the last twelve months, decreased by 1.1% in April 2012 and has remained on a downward trend since October 2010 (11.8%).

The quarterly moving average index recorded slight change of 0.2%, the first positive rate of this indicator since July last year.

The complete publication is available at

www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/industria/pimpfbr/default.shtm.

The industrial sector recorded, once more, the lowest pace of production, presenting its second consecutive result in comparison with the immediately previous month:  -0.5% in March and -0.2% in April. Also considering the seasonally adjusted series, the quarterly moving average index, despite recording in April 2012 its first positive rate since July 2011, kept the reduced dynamism that has characterized the industrial production since April last year.

In comparisons with similar periods of the previous year, the industrial sector remained recording negative results, and the April index faced reduction of output for the eighth consecutive month; the index accumulated in the first four quarters of the year had a faster pace of decrease versus the figure of the last four months of 2011 (-2.8% and -1.8%, respectively). Among the categories of use, also compared with the same period in the previous year, capital goods, which changed from -1.1% in the last quarter of 2011 to -9.8% in the first four months of 2012, recorded the biggest decrease of pace between the two periods; on the contrary, the segment of durable consumer goods (from -9.5% to -10.3%) had the biggest pace of decrease between the two periods.  The sector of intermediate goods, having changed from -0.5% to -1.5%, recorded the lowest levels of dynamism between the two periods, but with decreases below the average of industry, whereas the segment of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (0.7%) had the only positive rate in the first four months of 2012, and inverted the decrease of 1.3% observed in Q4 last year.

Among the 27 subsectors surveyed, 13 recorded decrease from March to April

In the formation of the rate of industrial activity (-0.2%) from March to April, 13 of the 27 subsectors surveyed recorded output decrease. The main negative impacts over the total of industry came from food products (-3.7%) and pharmaceuticals (-8.5%), with the former having reverses the positive rate of March, and the latter having accumulated loss of 11.4% in production in two consecutive months. It is worth mentioning the negative pressures from the sectors of medical and optical products, appliances and equipment and others (-11.6%), beverages (-1.6%), non-metallic minerals (-1.4%), other chemical products (-0.6%), rubber and plastic (-1.2%) and fabricated metal products (-1.1%). On the other hand, among the activities which recorded advances in production this month, the most relevant performances to the overall result of industry were recorded by publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (6.7%), which returned part of the decrease of 7.7% of last March, and motor vehicles (2.4%), which accumulated expansion of 27.4% in three months of consecutive positive rates, and eliminated part of the loss of 30.3% observed last January. Other highlights were the contributions from office machinery and computer equipment (5.9%), petroleum refining and alcohol production (1.3%), electronic material and communication equipment and apparatus (3.8%) and cellulose, paper and paper products (1.3%).

Among the categories of use, still considering the comparison with the immediately previous month, semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (-0.5%) pointed to negative rates in April 2012, with the former having accumulated decrease of 2.4% in two consecutive months of decrease in production, and the latter having eliminated part of the increase of 3.1% recorded in March. The sector of intermediate goods (0.0%) was stable in relation to the result of the immediately previous month, after recording expansion last March, whereas the segment of capital goods (1.9%) increased for the third consecutive month and accumulated 10.9 in the period, thus recovering part of the loss of 15.9% recorded last January.

Quarterly moving average changed by 0.1%

Also in the series with seasonal adjustment, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the total of industry showed slight change of 0.2% in the quarter which ended in April, compared to the immediately previous month, after recording a predominantly negative behavior since August last year.  Among the categories of use, also in relation to the movement of this index, the positive highlight was the output of capital goods, which recorded increase of 3.5% in the month, and reversed three consecutive months of negative rates.

Industrial production decreased by 2.9% compared to that of April 2011

Compared to the same month in the previous year, industrial production recorded decrease of 2.9% in April 2012, after the decrease of last March (-1.9%).  It is worth mentioning that in the last two months there was one more business day than in the previous year: March (22 business days in 2012 x 21 days in 2011) and April (20 x 19). In April this year, the negative rates reached the four categories of use, 14 of the 27 subsectors, 46 of the 76 subsectors and 55% of the 755 products surveyed.

Among the subsectors, motor vehicles, which decreased by 10.5%, accounted for the main negative contribution to the formation of the overall average of industry, being mainly affected by the decrease in the output of approximately 75% of the products investigated in the sector, the main highlights being tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, vehicles for the transportation of goods, automobiles and chassis with engines for buses and trucks.  

Other relevant negative contributions about the national total came from pharmaceuticals (-18.2%), electronic material and communication equipment and apparatus (-16.6%), food products (-3.1%), basic metals (-4.7%), tobacco (-20.6%), fabricated metal products (-5.7%), textiles (-7.7%), rubber and plastic (-4.9%) and apparel and accessories (-11.9%).  In terms of products, the highlights of these subsectors were, respectively, medicines; mobile telephones, telephone switching apparatus and television sets; crystallized sugar and frozen meat and offal of poultry; carbon steel ingots, blocks, rod and plates; processed tobacco; screws, hooks, nuts and other iron and steel artifacts and shavers; cotton thread and textiles; pieces and accessories for the car industry and tires; and dresses, pants and cotton shirts.

On the other hand, also in comparison with April 2011, among the twelve subsectors which recorded positive rates, the main impacts were those of petroleum refining and alcohol production (6.0%), office machinery and computer equipment (14.4%) and cellulose, paper and paper products (3.9%), mainly due to the production of gasoline ad diesel, in the first, and parts and accessories for data processing machinery and computers, in the second, and cellulose, in the last one.

Among the categories of use, also in comparison with the same month in the previous year, durable consumer goods (-6.1%) and capital goods (-4.1%) recorded the highest rates in April 2012, both indicating the eighth month of consecutive negative results in this type of comparison. In the first segment, the performance of this month was mostly affected by the reduced production of mobile telephones (-20.3%), automobiles (-2.7%), household appliances of the “brown type” (-8.4%) and motorcycles (-19.2%). 

In this category of use, the main positive impacts came from the increased production of household appliances of the “white type” (9.0%) and furniture (14.7%). The sector of capital goods, which also recorded decrease above the national average (-2.9%) had its result influenced by the loss observed in capital goods for transportation equipment (-9.8%), also very influenced by the reduced output of tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, vehicles for the transportation of goods, automobiles and chassis with engines for buses and trucks. It is also worth mentioning the decreases observed in capital goods for construction (-12.8%) and for electricity (-3.0%), whereas the subsectors of capital goods for industrial use (1.9%), for mixed use (1.9%) and for agriculture (1.0%) presented positive results in April 2012.

Also considering the comparison with April 2011, the segments of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (-1.1%) and intermediate goods (-2.0%) recorded decrease in production, with the former interrupting a sequence of three months with positive result, and the latter recording its second consecutive negative result in this type of comparison.  The first segment was negatively affected by the decreases observed in other non-durable goods (-2.5%), semi-durable goods (-6.4%) and food products and beverages for domestic use (-1.2%), explained, to a great extent, by the lower production of the items veterinary medicines and vaccines, in the first subsector, dresses, leather sneakers and synthetic footwear for domestic use in the second, and meat and offal of poultry and beef, in the last one. On the other hand, fuels (9.5%) accounted for the most significant impact in this category of use, being affected by the bigger production of automotive gasoline. In the sector of intermediate goods, the decrease observed in April 2012 presented negative results for the products associated to the activities of basic metals (-4.7%), motor vehicles (-9.2%), textiles (-8.3%), food products (-4.7%), rubber and plastic (-5,3%), metal products (- 3,8%) and non-metallic minerals (-1.8%), whereas positive contributions were observed in petroleum refining and alcohol production (4,3%), other chemical products (2,7%), cellulose, paper and paper products (2.9%) and mining and quarrying industry (0.4%). In this category of use, it is also worth mentioning the results that came from the groups of inputs for civil construction (3.7%), which represented the tenth consecutive positive rate, and packages (-3.5%), which recorded the fourth consecutive decrease in this type of comparison.

Index accumulated in the first four months decreased by 2.8%

In the index accumulated in the first four months of 2012, versus the same period in the previous year, there was decrease of 2.8%, with negative rates in most of (14) the 27 subsectors and in three of the four categories of use surveyed.  The subsector of motor vehicles, with decrease of 17.9%, remained as the major negative influence on the formation of the general index, being affected by the reduced production of most of the products surveyed in the sector, with automobiles, trucks, trailer and semi-trailer tractor-trucks, vehicles for the transportation of goods and chassis with engines for buses and trucks as the main highlights. It is also worth mentioning the negative contributions from electronic material and communication equipment and apparatus (-14.0%), electric machinery and apparatus (-9.3%), basic metals (-4.0%), pharmaceuticals (-5.1%), rubber and plastic (-5.3%), textiles (-7.6%), metal products (-4.7%) and apparel and accessories (-13.5%). In these activities, the highlights were, respectively, the reduced production of the items mobile telephones and telephone switching; non-stop electric feeding equipment and transformers; carbon steel ingots, blocks, rod and plates; cotton textiles and thread; screws, hooks, nuts and other iron and steel artifacts; and dresses, pants and cotton shirts. On the other hand, among the 12 subsectors which recorded increase of output, the main contributions to the total result of industry came from other chemical products (4.8%), petroleum refining and alcohol production (4.7%), other transportation equipment (5.2%) and toiletries, soaps and cleaning products, affected by the bigger production of herbicides for use in agriculture, in the first subsector; automotive gasoline, in the second; airplanes in the third, and soaps or detergents for domestic or industrial use, eau de cologne and beauty creams, in the last one.

Among the categories of use, the profile of results for the first four months of 2012 confirmed the lowest dynamism for durable consumer goods (-10.3%) and capital goods (-9.8%), mainly affected by the smaller production of automobiles, in the former group, and capital goods for transportation (trucks), in the latter. The sector of intermediate goods (-1.1%) pointed to a somewhat less significant decrease than the average of industry (-2.8%), whereas the segment of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods, with expansion of 0.7%, accounted for the only positive result of the index accumulated in the first four months of the year.