Manufacturing sales rose above forecasts in September: StatsCan

Manufacturing sales rose 2.1% to $53.0 billion in September, rebounding from a sharp drop the previous month.

According to figures from Statistics Canada, September’s growth was much stronger than the 1.1% gain that economists had estimated, and was due primarily to higher sales in the transportation equipment industry.

StatsCan says it was the eighth gain in nine months, and comes after a 3.5% decline in August.

“Production in the aerospace product and parts industry rose 22.0% to $1.9 billion in September,” StatsCan said. “The gain was the largest since September 2012 and partly reflected an appreciation of the US dollar relative to the Canadian dollar.”

In the motor vehicle industry, StatsCan’s report said, sales rose 4.8% to $4.8 billion in September. “The increase reflected some plants returning to normal production levels following partial shutdowns in August,” StatsCan said. “Motor vehicle parts sales also rose in September, up 7.5% to $2.2 billion, the seventh increase in nine months.”

Manufacturing sales rose in eight provinces in September, led by Quebec and Ontario. “In Quebec, sales advanced 6.8% to $12.9 billion, the sixth rise in nine months,” StatsCan said. “With this advance, the sales level for the province was the highest since July 2008..sales in Ontario rose 2.3% to $24.5 billion in September. The increase was mostly due to higher sales of transportation equipment. In particular, motor vehicle sales rose 4.6% and motor vehicle parts sales were up 7.7%.”

Alberta manufacturing sales increased 1.0% to $6.7 billion in September, StatsCan continued, while sales rose 1.9% in British Columbia to $3.7 billion. “Lower sales in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick offset a portion of the gains in September,” StatsCan said. “In Newfoundland and Labrador, sales were down 47.7% to $315 million. While this decrease is relatively large, it is important to note that manufacturing sales for Newfoundland and Labrador are volatile compared with the other provinces. New Brunswick’s manufacturing sector posted a decrease of 9.3% to $1.5 billion in September. For both provinces, lower non-durable goods sales were responsible for the declines.”