UK factory output increased in July thanks to a surge in the plastics and transport equipment sectors, according to data released yesterday.
Production output was up 2.2% on the year, marking a 13th consecutive month of growth for the industry.
However, industry output remains below pre-crash peaks, with manufacturing still 7.6% below the record output levels of early 2008.
And the wider production industries – including manufacturing as well as sectors like mining and waste disposal – remain 11.3 per cent below the highs of 2008.
Lee Hopley, chief economist at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said the “weakness in overseas markets remains a drag”.
She added: “This could make sustaining growth more challenging going forward and it is therefore critical that efforts are maintained to keep growth on track in manufacturing and across the whole economy in the remaining months of this parliament.”
