63% of the SMEs consulted described the current situation of their company as good or very good (against 62% in April). In turn, 63% of the companies in the sample worked with positive results (against 61% in April), 29% with zero results and 8% with negative results.
Regarding expectations for the next two months, 9% of the industries responded that they expect their production to rise (1 point less than in April), 2% expect it to decrease (3 points better compared to April) and 89 % to remain unchanged.
Sector Analysis
In May, the industrial branch linked to the manufacture of metal products, machinery, equipment and transport material had the best performance, with an annual increase of 6.9%. In contrast, the Wood and furniture item suffered an annual fall of 0.8%.
Food and drinks. In this item, annual production remained unchanged, but rose 0.3% compared to the previous month. The sector worked with 71.9% of installed capacity, 3.9 points above April. The results of the month were determined by some production difficulties due to constant increases in the prices of raw materials and delays of up to three months in the delivery of some inputs. Companies that use flour as inputs for their production pointed out that, although prices have stabilized, the increase in recent weeks has not been fully transferred to the sale price because demand is very sensitive. Other problems expressed by the entrepreneurs consulted were: the increase in freight rates, the difficulty in obtaining glass containers and the lack of fuel. In any case, 59% of the surveyed companies in the sector assessed that their current situation is between good and very good.
Clothing and textiles. Annual production rose 1.8% in May and fell 2.4% in the monthly comparison. Production orders were maintained in the first three weeks of the month, with a positive impact in the last due to the proximity of Father’s Day. The return of events, celebrations, face-to-face meetings, office work and also tourist trips continue to activate the demand for clothing.
wood and furniture. Production fell 0.8% annually in May and rose 6.8% monthly. The companies worked with 76.3% of their installations, 3.5 percentage points above April. A higher demand was noted in relation to March and April. The sector has demand, but little production capacity due to lack of inputs (for example, imported wood plates, glue or nails).
Metallic, machinery, equipment and transport material. Production rose 6.9% annually in May and fell 4.2% monthly. Investments in agriculture, construction and industry in general drove the sector. The machinery and equipment branch was favored by the problems of importing articles and by the good investment dynamics of the national industry. In May, the item worked with 67.1% of installed capacity, 2.7 percentage points below April.
Chemicals and plastics. Production rose 3.7% annually in May and 6.4% monthly. The use of installed capacity remained at 70.5%, the same as in April. All the industries consulted evaluated that the current situation of their company is good. Demand was more active in the month, mainly related to the production of plastic containers for sectors such as poultry, beverages, construction and agriculture in general.
Paper, cardboard, editing and printing. Production rose 2.1% annually in May and 3% monthly. However, the use of installed capacity fell 5.3 percentage points (65.2%). The sector continued to be affected by problems in obtaining inputs such as paper, chemicals and inks and by price increases. The demand is maintained, but businessmen are uncertain about the limits of purchasing power in the face of inflation in products that are not essential.
Source: Ambito
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