Industry capacity down, states report<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The country's metal, machinery, electronics and
\nmultifarious companies operated at only 58 percent of their total
\nproduction capacity in the first four months of the year, the
\nMinistry of Industry and Trade said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
A ministry report said the figure was far below the precrisis
\nlevel of 76 percent, although it was better than the average
\nproduction level of 48 percent in 1998.<\/p>\n
\"The country's prolonged economic crisis has hit most of the
\ncompanies involved in the metal, machinery and electronics-
\nrelated industries. This has forced them to use only half of
\ntheir production capacity,\" it said.<\/p>\n
The highest utilized production level from January to April
\nwas recorded by the textile industry (70 percent), followed by
\nelectronics (61 percent), machinery (51 percent), metal (49
\npercent) and transportation equipment (44 percent).<\/p>\n
In 1998, the local textile industry operated at 66 percent of
\nproduction capacity, electronics 56 percent, metal 40 percent,
\nmachinery 37 percent and the transportation industry 50 percent.<\/p>\n
Before the crisis hit the country in July 1997, the utilized
\nproduction level of the local textile industry was 82 percent,
\nmachinery 75 percent, metal and electronics 70 percent and
\ntransportation 50 percent.<\/p>\n
Despite the poor performance, exports of goods produced by
\nmetal, machinery, electronics and multifarious industries
\nrecorded an increase of 4.7 percent to US$13.67 billion in 1998,
\ncompared to $13 billion in 1997.<\/p>\n
Exports of metal products rose 38.5 percent to $1.65 billion
\nlast year, while exports of machinery increased 8.4 percent to
\n$765.8 million in 1998.<\/p>\n
Exports of transportation equipment, including cars, surged 59
\npercent to $1.12 billion while textile exports increased 0.3
\npercent to $7.32 billion last year.<\/p>\n
However, exports of electronics goods fell 10.2 percent to
\n$2.38 billion in 1998.<\/p>\n
Imports of goods related to metal, machinery, electronics and
\nmultifarious industries dropped 36.26 percent to $14.7 billion in
\n1998 from $23 billion in 1997.<\/p>\n
Hardest hit was the transportation industry, with imports
\ntumbling 51.5 percent to $2.66 billion in 1998. (gis)<\/p>",
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