S'pore factory output up 6.3%

S'pore factory output up 6.3%

SINGAPORE: Singapore's manufacturing output expanded for the
second straight month with an annual 6.3 percent rise in
September, bolstered by strong performances in key industry
clusters, the government said on Monday.

Last month's manufacturing figures were within but at the
lower end of the 5.50-15.40 percent growth predicted by
economists who were polled by financial news agency AFX-Asia.

The Economic Development Board (EDB) said in a statement the
September reflected "higher output from the electronics, bio-
medicals, chemicals and precision engineering clusters."

Output from electronics, the mainstay of the manufacturing
sector, increased 11.5 percent from a year ago due largely to a
strong 42.1 percent jump in the semiconductor industry.

Biomedicals was up 11 percent, chemicals rose 8.1 percent and
precision engineering registered a 4.1 percent increase in
output.

Growth from the four key industry segments helped negate a 9.1
percent decline in transport and a 1.2 percent contraction in the
general manufacturing industries.

For the year to September, total manufacturing output was 0.5
percent higher from a year ago, the EDB said.

The manufacturing sector is a key pillar of the local economy,
contributing almost a quarter to Singapore's gross domestic
product and the monthly production report card is among the
indicators followed closely by economists.