In August 2012, the industrial output grew 1.5% against the immediately previous month, in the seasonally adjusted series, the third positive result in a row in that type of comparison, accumulating a growth of 2.3% in this period.  In relation to the same month a year ago, the industry decreased by 2.0%, the twelfth consecutive negative rate in this kind of comparison, but the least intense since last December (-1.3%).  In the accumulated index in the eight months of 2012, there was a contraction of 3.4% over the same period in the previous year. The annual rate, which is the accumulated indicator of the last twelve months, after retracting 2.9% in August 2012, went on a downward trend started in October 2010 (11.8%) and registered the sharpest negative result since January 2010 (-5.0%). The complete publication of the survey can be accessed at www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/industria/pimpfbr/.

In August, 20 of the 27 segments post rises in the output

The 1.5% advance seen in the industry overall between July and August had a generalized profile f growth, reaching most (20) of the 27 segments surveyed, with a highlight to the sector of motor vehicles (3.3%), leveraged, mostly, by the increase in the production of automobiles.  It is worth mentioning that this activity recorded the third consecutive positive rate, accumulating in this period an expansion of 9.3%.

Other positive contributions to the industry overall came from food products (2.1%), tobacco (35.0%),  petroleum refinement and alcohol production (2.5%); other chemical products (1.9%), pharmaceutical products (3.1%) and electronic material and communication equipment and apparatus (5.9%) It is worth highlighting that, except for the two last activities, which registered negative rates in the previous month, the remaining sectors had already posted positive results in last July: 2.4%, 8.1%, 0.7% and 2.0%, respectively. Conversely, among the activities that increased production, the most important contributions to the overall average were registered by machinery and equipment (-2.6%), which eliminated part of the 5.0% expansion accumulated in the July/March period this year.

Among the categories of use, still considering the comparison with the immediately previous month, durable consumer goods (2.6%) recorded the sharpest advance in August 2012, the third consecutive positive result in this kind of contrast, accumulating in this period a gain of 9.4%. The segments intermediate goods (2.0%) and semi- and non-durable consumer goods (1,2%)  also recorded positive rates this month, with the former increasing the growth intensity after registering a 0.8% advance last July, and the latter reversing the negative change of 0.3% observed in the previous month. The sector of capital goods recorded an increase of 0.3% in August, the third month in a row of growth in the output, accumulating a rise of 2.5% in the period.

Quarterly Moving Average grows 0.8%

In the seasonally adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the industry overall posted a growth of 0.8% in the quarter ended in August against the previous month, and interrupted the prevailing negative behavior seen since August 2011. It is worth highlighting that this month’s positive result was the most significant since April 2010 (1.2%). 

Among the categories of use, in relation to the movement of this index on margin, the durable consumer goods (3,0%) signaled the most significant expansion and accelerated the pace over the indexes of May (0.3%), June (0.9%) and July (1.5%).  The sector of semi and non-durable consumer goods (0.9%) also marked a gain above the national average, and interrupted the downward trend started last March. The segments of capital goods (0.8%) and of intermediate goods (0.6%) also presented positive rates this month, the former keeping the upward trend initiated in March, and the latter reversing three months of consecutive negative rates.

In comparison to August 2011, industrial output falls 2.0%

In comparison with the same month last year, the industrial output receded 2.0% in August 2012, with a dissemination of negative rates, since most (16) of the 27 sectors surveyed recorded an output reduction.

The sector of motor vehicles, which contracted 11.2%, exerted the major negative influence in the formation of the industry average, influenced by the output downfall of approximately 79% of the products surveyed in the sector. The highlights were the lower production of: trucks, tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, trucks, diesel engines for trucks and buses, car parts and chassis with engines for buses and trucks.  Other relevant negative contributions on the national overall came from the sectors of machinery and equipment (-6.6%), publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-11.5%), electronic material and communication equipment and apparatus (-12.6%), basic metals (-5.5%) and food products (-2.1%)

On the other hand, in the comparison with August 2011, among the 11 sectors that posted an increase in the output, the main influences were exerted by the sectors of other chemical products (8.9%), petroleum refinement and alcohol production (7.1%), other transportation equipment (7.2%), pharmaceutical products (4.6%) and beverages (4.7%), especially reinforced by the items herbicides and pesticides for agricultural purposes, in the first sector; motor gasoline, diesel fuel and other oil fuels, in the second; airplanes in the third; medicines, in the fourth; and syrup preparations for beverages, beer and draft beer, in the last.

Among the categories of use, still comparing with the same month a year ago, the sector of capital goods (-13.0%) marked the most notable reduction in August 2012, pushed by the negative result in the greatest part of its subsectors, with a highlight to the drop of 13.1%, recorded by capital goods for transportation equipment, still very influenced by the lower production of trucks, tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers and chassis with engines for buses and trucks.  It is worth mentioning the negative rates seen in capital goods for miscellaneous use (-9.9%), for construction (-39.0%), industrial purposes (-9.3%) and for electricity (-5.0%), whereas the subsector of agricultural capital goods, with a 0.4% change in August  2012, marked the only positive result in this category of use in the monthly index.

Still contrasting with August 2011, the segments of intermediate goods (-0.5%) and of semi and non-durable consumer goods (-0.3%) also had negative rates, but quite less sharper than the industry’s average (-2.0%). In the first sector, the negative result was pushed at a great extent by the contractions in the output of products related to the activities of motor vehicles (-15.0%), basic metals (-5.5%), food products (-3.0%), textiles (-3.4%), mining and quarrying industries (-1.2%) and paper, pulp and paper products (-1.3%), whereas the positive influences were registered by other chemical products (9.0%), petroleum refinement and alcohol production (5.5%), rubber and plastic (1.6%), fabricated metal products (1.3%) and non-metallic minerals (0.1%).  

The industrial output reduction in the sector of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-0.3%) was mostly influenced by the negative results from the semi-durable goods (-7.1%), other non-durable goods (-1.3%) and food and beverages for domestic use (-0.6%), pushed principally by the drops in the production of CDs and leather tennis shoes, in the first group; books, cigarettes, medicines and magazines, in the second; and  concentrated orange juice and frozen poultry and frozen chicken giblets, in the last. On the other hand, the subsector of fuels (9.6%) registered the only positive impact on this category of use, leveraged by a greater production of motor gasoline and alcohol.

The production of durable consumer goods (0.1%) was the only positive rate in August 2012 in contrast with the same month a year ago, and interrupted 11 consecutive months of negative rates in this kind of comparison, being mostly influenced by the greater production of automobiles (6.5%), house appliances of the “white line” (14.6%) and of furniture articles (10.0%). In this category of use, the main negative impacts are due to a lower production of motorcycles (18.0%) and of cell phones (-22.5%) and house appliances of the “brown line” (-1.7%).

Index accumulated in 2012 declines 3.4%

In the accumulated index for the first eight months of 2012, over the same period in the previous year, the retraction was of 3.4% for the industry overall, mainly due to the negative results in all categories of use and in 18 of the 27 sectors, 48 of the 76 subsectors and 57.5% of the 755 products surveyed.

Among the activities, the production of motor vehicles, presenting a drop of 16.3%, remained with the major negative influence over the general index, reinforced mainly by the reduction in the production of the majority of the products surveyed in the sector (approximately 85%). The highlights were the lowest production of trucks, tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, automobiles, chassis with engine for buses and trucks, car parts and vehicles for the transportation of goods and diesel engine for buses and trucks.  It is also worth mentioning the negative contribution from electronic material and communication equipment and apparatus (-16.9%), food products (-2.7%), basic metals (-4.6%), electrical machinery and apparatus (-8.4%), machinery and equipment (-3.1%), publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-5.5%), office machinery and computer equipment (-11.1%), tobacco (-16.6%), apparel and accessories (-12.8%) and rubber and plastic (-3.7%).  On the other hand, among the nine activities that posted an increase in the output, the main influences on the industry overall were exerted by the sectors of other chemical products (4.5%), petroleum refinement and alcohol production (4.1%) and other transportation equipment (7.2%).

Among the categories of use, the nature of the results for January-August 2012 confirmed the least dynamic outputs for capital goods (-12.2%) and durable consumer goods (-7.3%), especially influenced by the lowest production of capital goods for transportation (trucks, tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, chassis with engine for trucks and buses and vehicles for the transportation of goods), in the first group; and of automobiles, cell phones and motorcycles, in the second. The production of intermediate goods saw a drop of 2.1% in the accumulated index for the first eight months of 2012, while semi- and non-durable consumer goods registered a slightly positive change of 0.4%.