Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Preliminary figures released by the Central Statistics Office on Tuesday, November 15, indicate that Ireland’s seasonally adjusted trade surplus will fall to €3.7 billion in September 2016, from €4.6 billion in August.

The value of goods exported in September 2016 rose by 6% to over €10 billion compared to the previous year, largely driven by a 128% increase in exports of electrical equipment as well as increases in medical, pharmaceutical and organic chemical exports. The EU remains Ireland’s largest market, accounting for 52% of the exports and 63% of imports during September 2016.

Imports during September 2015 also rose compared to the previous year, up 3% to €5.9 billion. While imports of organic chemicals and transport equipment rose rapidly during this period, imports of industrial machinery dropped by 43%.

The preliminary report on good exports and imports for October 2016 are expected to be published no later than the 22^nd of December.