The sector’s turnover decreased by 5.7% in September year over year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE). This marks a moderation from August, where the annual decline stood at 6.2%, a shift observed in the latest data release. In September, the downturn affected several categories, with energy and capital goods also slipping while non-durable consumer goods showed a modest rise.
Beyond the broad trend, the fall in turnover was driven by declines in intermediate goods and durable consumer goods. Energy shipments dropped by 10.1%, and capital goods by 0.3%. In contrast, non-durable consumer goods posted a positive change of 0.8% compared with September of the previous year. These sectoral movements highlight the mixed performance within industrial activity [INE].
Looking at segments with notable gains, the strongest increases occurred in railway, aviation and space construction, and combat vehicles, which rose by 57.8%. Other bright spots included electronic components manufacturing, up 11.3%, and the tobacco industry, up 11.2% year over year [INE].
On the downside, the largest annual declines were recorded in the manufacture of motorcycles, bicycles, disabled vehicles and other transportation means (-35%), household appliance production (-24.7%), and metallurgy (-20.4%) [INE].
When calendar effects and seasonality are accounted for, turnover fell by 2.3% in September versus the same month a year earlier and registered an improvement of nearly four percentage points compared with August’s seasonally adjusted figures [INE].
Sales rose 1.2% month over month
Seasonally adjusted data for the September-to-August period show a 1.2% increase in industry sales, marking the largest monthly gain since May. This monthly upturn contributed to three consecutive months of improved performance across the sector’s billing activity [INE].
Four sectors posted positive sales rates in September, with energy advancing 5.3% and intermediate goods 2.4%. Durable consumer goods did not experience a material change during the month, remaining largely flat [INE].
In the seasonally adjusted series, the segments with the strongest month-on-month gains included the manufacturing of other transportation materials (+10.2%), coke and oil refining (+5.2%), and pharmaceutical products (+4.7%). The largest monthly declines occurred in motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (-3.6%), electrical materials and equipment (-3.2%), and machinery and equipment (-2.9%) [INE].
Sales fell across 12 autonomous communities
Industrial turnover rose in five autonomous communities during September, while twelve regions posted year-over-year declines. Madrid led gains at 4.7%, followed by Navarra at 4.2% and the Basque Country at 4.0%. The most pronounced decreases occurred in Galicia (-18.3%), Aragon (-17.3%), and Cantabria (-14.9%), reflecting divergent regional trends within the national industrial landscape [INE].