In June, the use of installed capacity in the industry stood at 68.6%, This level was lower than that of the same month but last year, which was 69.5%, published this Wednesday, August 16, by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses of the Argentine Republic (Indec).
The sectors that present levels of utilization of installed capacity higher than the general level are petroleum refining (82.4%), basic metal industries (81.0%), paper and cardboard (77.4%), chemical substances and products (74.7%) and non-metallic mineral products (74.4% ).
Meanwhile, the sectoral blocks that are located below the general level are automotive industry (64.9%), textile products (64.4%), food products and beverages (64.2%), publishing and printing (61.2%), metalworking except automotive (60.1%), tobacco products (56.8%) and rubber and plastic products (55.4%).
“In June 2023, compared to the same month in 2022, the main negative incidence in the basic metal industries with a level of utilization of installed capacity of 81.0%, lower than that registered in the same month of the previous year (87.2 %)”, they said from INDEC.
According to data from the Argentine Chamber of Steel, crude steel production shows a year-on-year drop of 8.8% in the reference month.
According to the aforementioned Chamber, the lower production of steel is related to measures of force due to trade union conflicts and lower demand from the construction and agricultural machinery manufacturing sectors.
Non-metallic mineral products register a level of utilization of installed capacity of 74.4%, lower than that of the same month of 2022 (82.7%), mainly as a consequence of “the lower manufacture of cement, hollow bricks, plasterboard, and ceramic tile floors and tiles,” the report said.
According to data from the synthetic indicator of construction activity (ISAC), in June there were year-on-year falls of 2.1% in the internal consumption of cement, of 9.8% in the internal consumption of hollow bricks, of 3.2 % in the internal consumption of plasterboard and 13.5% in the internal consumption of ceramic floors and coverings.
Food and beverage products exhibit a level of utilization of installed capacity of 64.2%, lower than the one registered in June of the previous year (65.4%), mainly linked to the lower crushing of oilseeds.
In June 2023, compared to the same month in 2022, the main positive incidence is observed in the automotive industry with a level of utilization of installed capacity of 64.9%, higher than that of June 2022 (59.8%), related to the largest number of units manufactured by automotive terminals.
Oil refining shows, in June, a level of utilization of installed capacity of 82.4%, higher than that registered in the same month of the previous year (81.2%), based on the higher level of crude oil processing.
Source: Ambito
