Turkish industrial capacity usage down 0.5 pct in April

By Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ANKARA (AA) - The capacity utilization rate of Turkey’s manufacturing industry held at 77.3 percent in April, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) announced on Tuesday.

The bank reported that the capacity utilization rate (CUR) recorded a slight down this month -- 0.5 percentage point --, compared with 77.8 percent in March.

Among over 30 sectors, leather and related products manufacturers saw the lowest CUR in April -- 58.6 percent -- while paper and paper product sector manufacturers used 87.2 percent of their capacity, which was the highest level, CBRT said.

On the main industrial groupings side, the highest capacity usage was seen in investment goods with 80.9 percent while the lowest was seen in food and beverages, standing at 72 percent.

The CUR figures are based on the responses given to the CBRT business tendency survey by local units operating in the manufacturing industry.

According to the Central Bank, over 2,100 companies responded to the survey in April, and the monthly data does not reflect the bank’s views or predictions.

In 2017, the average capacity usage in the manufacturing industry was 78.5 percent. Over the past five years, the highest CUR was seen last November with 79.9 percent, and the lowest was seen at 73.5 percent in February 2013.