Despite the bad situation, in the seasonally adjusted monthly comparison, activity grew 5.3%. A slight increase was also observed in the use of installed capacity compared to the previous month, which also remains at low values.
lthe manufacturing activity of SMEs fell 19% annually in May and accumulates a decline of 19.1% in the first five months of the year compared to the same period in 2023. The results show a weakening in demand and a deterioration in the financial situation, as reported by CAME .
In the comparison Seasonally adjusted monthly activity grew 5.3%. An increase of 0.2 percentage points was also observed in the use of installed capacity compared to the previous month, which also remains at low values (70.3%).
The companies valued the greater stability in the price of inputs in the fifth month of the year, but they showed their concern about the amounts that are being paid for the energy consumption and transportation, in a context of such low demand. Some producers maintained that they are having a bad time, but with the hope of a near rebound. As a consequence, 34.4% of the firms consulted were reducing operating expenses, while another group, represented at 19.9%, reduced working hours to make up for the lack of sales.
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CAME: the request of SMEs
The most important measures that SME industries expect is the tax reduction, which represents 33.9% of the responses, followed by stimulation of domestic demand with 14.7%. The adequacy of labor relations ranks third with 14.2%, underscoring the significance of simplifying regulations to facilitate business operations. This suggests that, in the current context, entrepreneurs prioritize direct interventions that can improve their competitiveness and operational efficiency, over more favorable financing options.
Likewise, the biggest challenges identified by entrepreneurs are lack of sales, representing 45.1% of the responses, and high production and logistics costs, which constitute 32.8%. These two factors stand out as the most considerable obstacles to the growth and stability of SMEs.
SME industry: sector-by-sector analysis
The six manufacturing sectors of the SME segment had strong declines in the annual comparison, with the most affected being “Paper and Printing” (-45.8%) and “Chemicals and plastics” (-23.9%). “Textiles and clothing”, which had been almost the only branch increasing until April, fell 4.3% annually in May.
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Source: Ambito
