KUALA LUMPUR: The manufacturing industry operated at a lower capacity utilisation of 78.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2023 (2Q 2023) versus 79.0 per cent in the same period last year, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).
In a statement today, chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the decline was due to the decreases recorded in almost all sub-sectors, except for the manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products, as well as basic metals and fabricated metal products.
Nonetheless, he said six states' manufacturing capacity utilisation had surpassed the national rate of 78.2 per cent in 2Q 2023.
They are Terengganu (86.4 per cent), Selangor (82.0 per cent), Melaka (81.8 per cent), Johor (78.7 per cent), Kedah (78.6 per cent) and Negeri Sembilan (78.3 per cent), while other states recorded lower capacity rates than the national average, with Perlis continuing to record the lowest at 62.3 per cent.
On a quarterly basis, Mohd Uzir said the capacity utilisation of the manufacturing industry in 2Q 2023 contracted 1.6 percentage points, contributed by several factors, particularly low demand, insufficient supply of materials, repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment.
"The downturn in 2Q 2023 was reflected by the production of manufacturing output, indicated by the marginal growth of 0.1 per cent in the industrial production index compared to 3.4 per cent in 1Q 2023," he added. - Bernama
