Economy

‘Sharp’ decline in orders leads contraction in manufacturing sector

Irish manufacturing sector is outperforming eurozone average, but is lagging behind UK and US economies

Total new business fell to a 16-month low, according to the AIB S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index. Picture: Getty

A sharp fall in export sales has hit Irish manufacturing which suffered from a reduction in orders and output volumes in April.

Total new business fell to a 16-month low, according to the AIB S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). This combined with a dip in production levels, which dropped at the fastest rate in six months.

The headline AIB Manufacturing PMI is a single-figure indicator of performance in the manufacturing sector. Any figure ...