KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's manufacturing industry achieved a capacity utilization rate of 82.4 percent in the third quarter of 2024, official data showed Wednesday.
The capacity utilization rate increased by 3 percentage points compared to 79.4 percent in the same quarter of the preceding year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement.
Three sub-sectors posted with the highest rate of capacity utilization in this quarter, recorded by the transport equipment and other manufacturers (84.1 percent), non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products (83.6 percent), and textiles, wearing apparel, leather and footwear (83 percent).
In comparison with the previous quarter, the capacity utilization of the manufacturing industry rose by 0.3 percentage points.
According to the DOSM, factors such as low demand, insufficient supply of materials, and the repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment remained as the main constraints to achieve full capacity utilization. ■
