Highlights

• On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, Singapore manufacturing output decreased by 1.6% in May 2009. Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output fell 0.5% in May over April 2009.
• On a year-on-year basis, manufacturing output increased 2.0% in May 2009. Output contracted 17.7% if biomedical manufacturing was excluded.

(I) Total Manufacturing Performance
1.  Manufacturing output contracted by 1.6% in May 2009 on a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis. Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output fell 0.5%. On a year-on-year basis, manufacturing output rose 2.0% in May 2009. Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output contracted 17.7%. On a three-month moving average basis, total manufacturing output in May 2009 fell 12.3% compared to the corresponding period last year. Cumulative output in the first five months of 2009 contracted by 15.1% compared to the same period in 2008.

(II) Performance by cluster
2. The output in the biomedical manufacturing cluster expanded by 120.4% year-on-year in May 2009. The pharmaceuticals segment saw its output jumped 138.6%, due partly to higher production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and the low production level in May last year. For the first five months of the year, cumulative output of the biomedical manufacturing cluster rose by 4.6% compared to the same period in 2008.  

3.  The output of the transport engineering cluster shrank 8.1% in May 2009 compared with the same month last year. The marine & offshore engineering segment recorded 12.2% decline in output due to the mix of projects and their various stages of completion. The land segment’s output decreased by 33.3% due to lower export demand from Europe. Cumulative output of the cluster expanded 5.2% for the first five months of the year compared to the same period in 2008.

4.  Output for the general manufacturing industries contracted by 8.8% year-on-year in May 2009. Demand for products in the printing and food, beverage & tobacco segments remained weak, contracting 24.5% and 4.3% respectively in May. Cumulative output in the first five months of 2009 shrank 10.6% compared to the same period in 2008.  

5.  Output of the chemicals cluster declined by 17.0% year-on-year in May 2009 as all segments recorded lower production. Petroleum refineries’ throughput contracted 18.0% on the back of weak refining margins. The petrochemicals segment contracted 24.5% in May due to maintenance shutdowns and lower demand. Overall, the chemicals cluster contracted 21.4% on a year-to-date basis. 

6.  The electronics cluster recorded a decline of 22.3% in terms of year-on-year output in May 2009. Output for the semiconductors and other electronic modules & components segments slid in May, contracting 14.8% and 19.5% respectively. Meanwhile, computer peripherals, data storage and infocomms & consumer electronics segments registered year-on-year declines of 29.2%, 33.9% and 41.5% respectively in the month of May. For the first five months of 2009, the electronics cluster contracted 32.0% compared to the same period in 2008. 

7.  The output of the precision engineering cluster shrank 23.6% in May 2009 compared to a year ago. Output for the precision modules & components segment shrank 22.0% in May. Output of the machinery & systems segment also registered a 25.4% drop as equipment makers continued to be affected by sluggish export orders. The cluster’s output from January to May 2009 was 27.2% lower than the level produced in the same period last year.  

8.  The next monthly manufacturing performance media release will be issued on 24th July 2009.

Editors’ Note: 
Updates on Monthly Manufacturing Output are available on
http://www.news.gov.sg and http://www.sedb.com

For media enquiries, please contact 
Mr Alex Tan 
(Tel: 68326284 / Handphone: 98410392 / Email: alex_tan@edb.gov.sg)

For further information, please contact 
Mr Chong Tse Ming 
(Tel 68326677 / Handphone : 91484194 / Email: quin_chong@edb.gov.sg)