Index of industrial production, December 2004

The production of capital goods rose by 3.1 per cent. A continuous growth in demand for new ships, as well as fitting of equipment, supports the increase of 4.4 per cent within transport equipment. These changes come from an industry with previous weak figures, and the activity level is expected to increase even more in 2005.There has also been an increase within fabricated metal products and machinery and equipment n.e.c.

Consumer goods

The manufacturing of durable consumer goods decreased from the third quarter to the fourth quarter in 2004. This is mainly due to a fall within the production of food products, especially meat and meat products. Even within the production of Norwegian furniture, a decline can be seen in the same period.

Intermediate and consumer goods in 2004

There has been an increase of 1.4 per cent in manufacturing from 2003 to 2004, according to figures adjusted for length of month. This is mainly due to the increase within intermediate and consumer goods. A growing demand for Norwegian non-ferrous metals, as well as the increase of the production capacity within this particular industry support growth within intermediate goods. The growth within Norwegian furniture among others, support the growth within consumer goods.

Capital goods in 2004

The production of Norwegian transport equipment experienced quite a decrease in 2004 when compared to the previous year. Oil platforms and modules, however, show only a minor decrease from 2003. This is mainly due to the expansion of Norwegian oil and gas fields.