KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's manufacturing industry operated at a capacity utilization rate of 82.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, up 1 percentage point from a year earlier, official data showed on Wednesday.
All manufacturing sub-sectors recorded utilization rates above 80 percent during the quarter, with the electrical and electronics segment posting the highest level at 83.1 percent, an increase of 2.6 percentage points year on year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement.
This was followed by the food, beverages and tobacco sub-sector, which rose 1.8 percentage points to 81.3 percent.
On a quarterly basis, overall manufacturing capacity utilization slipped 0.5 percentage points.
Export-oriented industries saw capacity utilization increase 1.4 percentage points year on year to 82 percent. ■
