Chart of the Day: Check out the uptick in September's manufacturing output

It grew 6.7% YoY.

Singapore saw a surprise uptick in manufacturing output in September, jumping 6.7% YoY. This was mainly attribtued to strong biomedical manufacturing cluster, which soar 22.2% in the said month.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceuticals segment expanded 26.9% due to higher production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and biological products, while the medical technology segment grew 9.6% with higher export demand for medical instruments. Cumulatively, the biomedical manufacturing cluster’s output rose 8.2% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2015.

The electronics cluster’s output also increased, reflecting an expansion of 15.9%. The semiconductors segment grew 34.8%, but this was partially offset by declines in the rest of the electronic segments. On a year-to date basis, output of the electronics cluster expanded 9.8% compared to the same period a year ago.

For the general manufacturing industries, their output grew 5.6%. The food, beverages & tobacco segment grew 30.7% while the miscellaneous industries and printing segments contracted 7.7% and 22.3% respectively. The printing segment declined due to weak demand for commercial printing while the miscellaneous industries segment reported lower output of fibreglass products, wooden furniture & fixtures and construction related materials