UK Manufacturers’ Sales by Product (PRODCOM): 2014 intermediate results and 2013 final results

First estimates of UK manufacturing sales by product (PRODCOM) with EU comparisons.

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Contact:
Email William Barnes

Release date:
17 December 2015

Next release:
To be announced

1. Main points

  • The value of UK manufacturers’ product sales reached £363.9 billion in 2014, a 2.6% increase on the 2013 estimate of £354.7 billion

  • UK manufacturers’ product sales have increased consistently since the 2008 to 2009 economic downturn, with average annual growth of 4.0% between 2010 and 2014

  • The food and motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers divisions made the largest contributions to manufacturers’ product sales in 2014, at £67.8 billion and £47.3 billion respectively

  • The manufacture of food products contributed 0.5 percentage points to manufacturers’ product sales growth in 2014, the largest contribution from a manufacturing division

  • The UK accounted for approximately 9.1% of total EU manufacturers’ product sales in 2014

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2. Your views matter

We continuously aim to improve this release, its associated commentary and other outputs. We would welcome any feedback you might have and, to help ensure our statistics remain relevant, would like to know how you make use of these estimates. Further information, including a list of new or revised outputs can be found in item 1 of the background notes.

Please provide comments via email: prodcompublications@ons.gov.uk or telephone William Barnes on +44 (0)1633 455711

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3. Overview

This statistical bulletin provides data on UK manufacturers’ product (PRODCOM) sales. PRODCOM data are published biannually, with this release presenting intermediate estimates for 2014 and final results for 2013.

European Union (EU) member states are required, under regulation, to carry out annual PRODCOM surveys and provide information on mining, quarrying and manufacturing activities defined in the nomenclature of economic activities (see background note 2) to enable comparisons and, where possible, produce a picture of emerging industry and product developments in a European context.

PRODCOM coverage of mining, quarrying and manufacturing activities follow the hierarchy illustrated in Figure 1, with this bulletin structured accordingly. Information is first presented by the industrial divisions (see background note 7) divided into industries, followed by individual products.

PRODCOM estimates can be interpreted in 2 ways: in terms of businesses classified to an industry and in terms of products corresponding to an industry. In this release, product information relate to products corresponding to an industry irrespective of which industry the business making the product is classified. On the other hand, all other published variables such as turnover refer to the activity of businesses classified to an industry.

These statistics are presented on a current price basis, which are prices as they were at the time of measurement and are therefore not adjusted for inflation. Due to an update of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), estimates prior to 2008 are not directly comparable with those after 2008 (see background note 2 for more information).

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4. UK manufacturers’ sales by product 2013

The value of UK manufacturers’ product sales in 2013 was £354.7 billion, a slight upward revision from the £354.5 billion published previously as part of the 2013 intermediate release in December 2014.

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5. UK manufacturers’ sales by product 2014

UK manufacturers’ sales were valued at £363.9 billion in 2014, up 2.6% compared with the 2013 estimate of £354.7 billion. The increase in the value of sales in 2014 marks the fifth annual increase since 2009, with the value of sales rising by 21.4% over the period in current prices at an average annual growth rate of 4.0% per year. However, care should be taken when comparing estimates before and after 2008 due to industry reclassifications.

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6. Results by division and industry

The UK manufacturers’ sales by product survey covers 25 industrial divisions (see background note 7).

The 5 largest divisions in terms of product sales accounted for over half (52.2%) of the value of UK manufacturers’ product sales in 2014, see Figure 3.

The 2 largest divisions in terms of sales value in the UK manufacturing industries were food and motor vehicles divisions, trailers and semi-trailers, which together accounted for slightly below a third (31.6%) of total UK manufacturer product sales in 2014.

The value of UK manufacturers’ product sales reached £363.9 billion, a 2.6% increase on the 2013 estimate of £354.7 billion. Table 1 presents the contribution to growth for a selection of divisions between 2013 and 2014.

Divisions reporting growth

Manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials

Wood and cork products; straw and plaiting materials (excluding furniture) was the fastest growing industrial division in 2014 in terms of manufacturers’ product sales, growing by 12.4% compared with 2013. The division’s total sales are estimated to have reached £6.9 billion in 2014, an increase of £756.0 million compared with 2013.

Although only accounting for a small proportion of its broader industrial division, the sales of products relating to sawmilling and planing of wood industry continues to report strong growth, rising by 9.6% in 2014. UK manufacturers’ sales of products within this industry have followed an upward trend since 2009, rising by 44.4% over the period.

Manufacture of motor vehicles; trailers and semi-trailers1

Manufacturers’ of motor vehicles; trailers and semi-trailers reported sales figures of £47.3 billion, making this the second highest division in terms of sales in 2014. This division is dominated by the manufacture of 2 products: motor vehicles with a petrol engine greater than 1,500cc, at £16.2 billion; and motor vehicles with a diesel engine between 1,500cc and 2,500cc, at £7.7 billion. These 2 products alone make up over half (50.4%) of the total sales for the division, and are discussed in more detail in the results by product section of this bulletin. The importance of the motor industry to the UK economy has recently been explored in an Economic Performance of the UK's Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Industry article published by us and increased investment, new production lines and doubling of export value have been cited by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the UK car industry’s trade body, as contributory factors for the growth in 2014.

Manufacture of food

The manufacture of food has traditionally been the largest division in terms of UK product sales. This continued to be the case in 2014, with almost one-fifth (18.6%) of total product sales accounted for by the division (£67.8 billion). While this is the same proportion as reported in 2013, sales once again increased, with annual growth of 2.7%.

There are 25 industries that make up the food division, ranging from relatively small industries such as the manufacture of starches at (£0.3 billion), to the 2 largest; the operation of dairies and cheesemaking (£7.9 billion) and the processing and preserving of meat (£6.6 billion).

Divisions reporting declines

Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations

The manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations division experienced the second largest decline in sales in 2014, falling by 9.7% compared with 2013. The drop in sales of over £0.6 billion in 2014 for "medicaments put up in measured doses for retail sale" accounted for half of the total £1.2 billion fall in the division’s total sales. However, the division remains important to the UK economy despite the decline, contributing just under 3.0% to total sales in 2014 (£10.9 billion of £369.3 billion).

Manufacture of basic metals

UK manufacturers’ sales of basic metals fell to £6.5 billion in 2014, down 4.1% compared with 2013. Part of the decline in sales can be attributed to rapidly falling sales from the production of precious metals industry. Manufacturers’ sales of precious metals have fallen 70.2% in the last 3 years, from £874.7 million in 2011 to £260.4 million in 2014. Additionally, the copper industry which had reported strong growth between 2009 and 2011 has seen sales reduce by 35.2%, from £727.0 million in 2011 to £471.4 million in 2014.

Notes for results by division and industry

  1. This division is excluded from Table 1 as the 2013 data is disclosive.
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7. Results by product

The UK manufacturers’ sales by product survey covers 3,805 products. Table 21 illustrates the top 15 products by sales value in the UK in 2014.

Main points:

  • nine of the top 15 products saw growth in UK manufacturers’ sales in 2014

  • three products retained the same ranking in the top 15 products as in 2013, with 4 products moving up the rankings and 8 falling

  • sales from the manufacture of motor vehicles with petrol engines above 1,500cc were the highest in terms of value in 2014 and almost double the second highest product, civil aircraft parts

  • manufacturers of soft drinks reported annual sales growth of £1.0 billion in 2014

  • manufacturers’ sales of whisky dropped for the first time in 5 years

This section examines a selection of product movements within certain industries of the UK’s manufacturing economy.

Motor vehicles

Some of the main motor vehicle products include:

  • motor vehicles with petrol engines greater than 1,500cc

  • motor vehicles with a petrol engine less than 1,500cc

  • motor vehicles with a diesel engine between 1,500cc and 2,500cc

In 2014, motor vehicles with petrol engines above 1,500cc was the leading product in terms of UK manufacturers’ sales worth £16.2 billion, up 17.9% from the 2013 estimate of £13.8 billion, see Table 2. However, while the sales value increased, the volume sold by UK manufacturers reduced by 7.7% since 2013.

One of the success stories within the automotive industry in 2014 has been the increase in UK manufacturers’ sales of petrol vehicles under 1,500cc, which more than doubled from £0.9 billion to £1.8 billion between 2013 and 2014. This growth is also reflected in the volume sold, with just over 200,000 units coming off the production line in 2014, compared with 92,000 in 2013. There was also an increase in the sale of motor vehicles with petrol engines greater than 1,500cc of £2.5 billion, from £13.8 billion in 2013 to £16.2 billion in 2014.

Despite the success of some aspects of the automotive industries, falling sales were reported for other parts. UK manufacturers’ of motor vehicles with diesel engines between 1,500cc and 2,500cc reported sales had fallen to £7.7 billion in 2014, a 25.0% decline compared with 2013.

Aerospace and defence

Some of the main aerospace and defence products include:

  • parts for all types of aircraft, for civil use

  • manufacture of aircraft seats

  • manufacture, installation and repair of military aircraft and parts thereof

  • civil aircraft and engines repair and maintenance

  • manufacture, installation and repair of military vessels and parts thereof

Since 2013, UK manufacturers’ sales of parts of civil aircraft increased by almost £1.0 billion to £8.6 billion. This continues the upward trend observed in recent years, with value of sales growing by an average annual rate of 7.8% compared with 2008. Additionally, sales of aircraft seats more than doubled over the same time period, from £417 million to £882 million.

Sales from the repair and maintenance of civil aircraft and engines increased for the fourth year running, reaching £3.6 billion in 2014, up 3.0% compared with 2013.

UK manufacturers’ sales of aerospace and defence products that have seen a decrease relate to the military. The repair, installation and manufacture of military aircraft and parts saw sales in 2014 decline by 11.6% compared with 2013; while the repair, installation and manufacture of military vessels dropped from the top 10 products in 2013 to 12th place in 2014, reflecting a decline in sales over the period.

The changing shape of the UK aerospace industry is detailed in a 'What does the UK aerospace industry look like today?' report published by us. Further information on the manufacture, repair and maintenance of air and spacecraft and related machinery, as well as the manufacture of military fighting vehicles, can be found within the Division 30 and Division 33 sections of our Open Data and Excel reference tables respectively.

Beverages

Some of the main beverage products include:

  • waters, with added sugar, other sweetening matter or flavoured (soft drinks)

  • whisky

  • beer

UK manufacturers’ sales of soft drinks experienced the fastest growth among the top ranked 15 products with the highest sales value between 2013 and 2014, with a growth rate of 29.8%, as shown in Table 2. This represents a sales increase of £1.0 billion, with total soft drink sales of £4.5 billion in 2014. Soft drinks and flavoured waters are 1 of 3 beverages to appear consistently in the top 15 products with the highest sales value, since 2008, alongside beer and whisky.

UK manufacturers’ sales of whisky increased steadily between 2009 and 2013, from £2.2 billion to £3.1 billion. As highlighted in the winter-related products article published by us today, this growth has stalled, with sales falling by 1.6% amid reports of falling demand in the emerging markets.

Books and newspapers

Some of the main book and newspaper products include:

  • printing of books, brochures and leaflets

  • printing of newspapers appearing 4 times a week or more

  • newspapers appearing less than 4 times a week

UK manufacturers’ sales from the printing of books, brochures and leaflets increased in 2014 by 6.7% to £952.6 million. Overall, there has been positive average annual growth of 8.6% since 2008, despite the increased usage of e-books.

However, UK manufacturer sales from the printing of newspapers appearing 4 times a week or more have decreased by 13.7% since 2013 and by 69.1% between 2008 and 2014 to £137.6 million. Similarly, sales from newspapers appearing less than 4 times a week fell by 3.2% between 2013 and 2014 and by 57.3% between 2008 and 2014 to £134.0 million.

Our Internet Access - Household and Individuals 2014 data shows that over half of adults used the internet to read or download newspapers and magazines in 2014.

Other selected products

In 2014, UK manufacturers have also reported notable sales growth with the following products:

  • beauty, make-up and skin care preparations – sales increased for the second year running, from £713.5 million to £722.0 million; while this is a comparatively small increase, the product has seen growth of 62.3% since 2008

  • manicure or pedicure preparations – sales have increased every year since 2008, with almost 3 times the value of sales reported in 2008, at £42.7 million in 2014

  • women's and girls' sweatshirts, pullovers and cardigans – sales almost doubled from £32.4 million to £59.4 million between 2013 and 2014

Declining sales have however been reported by UK manufacturers of the following products:

  • photosensitive semiconductor cells (solar cells) – sales declined by 72.0%, from £292.7 million to £81.8 million between 2013 and 2014

  • leather, of bovine animals, without hair, whole – sales of leather in 2014 were more than a third lower than sales in 2013, falling from £102.9 million in 2013 to £32.8 million in 2014

  • transmission apparatus for radio-broadcasting and television, without reception apparatus – since 2008, sales have declined by 83.7% from £412.4 million to £67.2 million

Notes for results by product

  1. Products ranked in the top 15 are excluded if the data are disclosive and therefore may reveal company responses; however, the impact of excluding such data is limited.
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8. EU PRODCOM data

The PRODCOM survey on production of manufactured goods is carried out annually by EU member states, under EU regulation, to enable comparison and, where possible, produce a picture of emerging developments in an industry or product in a European context.

Provisional data for 2014, the most recent estimates with comparable EU data, shows that manufacturers’ product sales in the EU was worth an estimated EUR 5,1 billion. The UK accounted for approximately 9.1% to total EU manufacturers’ product sales in 2014.

Figure 4 shows the share of top 20 products by value of sold production in the EU, as a percentage of the EU28 total sales. There were 4 products that have a share representing more than 1.0% of the total sales value; 5 of the UK’s top 10 products fall within the EU leading products. These products are: motor vehicles with petrol engines greater than 1,500cc; parts for civil aircraft; motor vehicles with diesel or semi diesel engines between 1,500cc and 2,500cc; medicaments excluding antibiotics, hormones, steroids, alkaloids and vitamins; and beer.

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.Background notes

  1. What’s new

    • A user engagement survey was carried out in autumn 2015 with the view to find out how users utilise our main outputs, and views on the quality of the publications. The main findings and the outcome are summarised in the user engagement report and will be used to improve our products and services and develop the way we engage with users.
    • A user interpretation manual was published in December 2014 to aid the interpretation of PRODCOM estimates. It explains the variables used in the survey and illustrates how the estimates can be used. The manual has been revised to include detailed guidance when using open data tables.
    • PRODCOM Open Data reference tables have been restructured to improve user experience. The Open Data tool was introduced in December 2014 and is consistent with our policy to make data more accessible and available in a user friendly format. Other benefits of Open Data format can be found on the PRODCOM news page. Users are encouraged to view the open data reference tables online as well as download the dataset as a csv file.
    • PRODCOM excel reference tables were reformatted in December 2014 and now includes 2008 and 2009 data. Industry totals and related time series are shown in the reference tables.
    • A document showing the annual changes to the PRODCOM product list from 2011 to 2014 is now available to users.
    • PRODCOM data and metadata deposited at the Virtual Microdata Laboratory (VML) were improved in July 2015. Users are encouraged to apply to the VML to access the microdata.
  2. UK manufacturers’ sales by product (PRODCOM) survey

    The acronym PRODCOM is from the French ‘PRODuction COMmunautaire’ (Community Production). In the UK, these were formally known as the Products of the European Community (PRODCOM) Survey. In 2014, a sample of approximately 21,500 UK businesses was selected for the survey from our Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR). A total of 234 four-digit manufacturing industries are covered and data collected on 3,800 products as specified in a PRODCOM list. Every business is classified to a specific manufacturing industry but can manufacture a variety of products depending on its diversity. Visit the PRODCOM web pages for more in-depth information about the survey, plus the latest news on survey changes and developments.

    A PRODCOM Glossary of terms can be used to interpret the technical descriptions and abbreviations used throughout the report.

    Data collected by the Annual Minerals Raised Inquiry (AMRI) on mineral extraction are used in the PRODCOM survey to avoid duplication and to reduce the burden on business. AMRI collects data for England, Scotland and Wales, for 25 products within the Nomenclature of European Economic Activities (NACE) divisions 0811, 0812 and 0893. Northern Ireland data is collected by PRODCOM for the same divisions

    An extensive revision of NACE in 2007 led to a revision of the UK Standard Industrial Classification (UK SIC), bringing both of the classifications in line. This resulted in changes to PRODCOM estimates for the 2008 survey onwards. All PRODCOM industry sectors now align exactly to the NACE classification. PRODCOM reports for data pre-2008 are available on request from prodcompublications@ons.gov.uk.

    We investigated the possibility of creating a back series, prior to 2008 and total UK Manufacturers’ product sales prior to 2008 have now been published. However due to the industry reclassification in 2008, there may be comparability issues between the pre and post-2008 estimates. This is due to the differences in sample and which businesses were in scope of the survey. For example, the definition of manufacturing under SIC 2007 is different to the definition under SIC 2003. Some activities that were previously defined to be manufacturing are no longer defined as manufacturing under the new classification and vice versa. So, the series are discontinuous

    The estimates in the accompanying reference tables are presented by manufacturing "Division" divided into "Industries", followed by product aggregates and then individual products. The PRODCOM list, which is set by the European Commission, contains a comprehensive breakdown of industries. The structure of the PRODCOM codes are derived from various classification systems. An example of the hierarchy of the published data is as follows:

    Although products are classified under an industry classification, businesses outside these industry classifications can produce these products. In the same vein, businesses within an industry classification can manufacture products outside the industry. Each business can therefore span a variety of products depending on its diversity.

  3. PRODCOM quality information

    A Quality and Methodology Information Report (262.6 Kb Pdf) (QMI) can be found on our website. The aims of the QMI report are to provide users with a greater understanding of our statistics, their quality and the methods that are used to create them.

    A report on PRODCOM EU methodology is also available from the Eurostat website. Eurostat also produce an annual PRODCOM Quality Report containing comprehensive quality information based on the latest data received from all EU members.

    Information that is available to users for each PRODCOM Commodity Code include:

    • an estimate of standard error
    • standard error as a percentage of the published value (the coefficient of variation)
    • number of businesses providing data at the product level
    • total employment of businesses providing data for the product

    Standard errors are an estimate of the sampling error, which arises because an estimate is based on a survey rather than a population census. It is a measure of the precision of the estimate. A low standard error therefore indicates a more precise estimate. To aid comparison and interpretation, the standard error is also expressed as a percentage of the product’s estimated total sales. This quantity is sometimes called the coefficient of variation and it allows the standard errors to be put into context.

    Standard error estimates are available for most product level value estimates. The latest data are available in the accompanying publication tables. Further information on PRODCOM standard errors and coefficient of variation is available in the PRODCOM technical report.

  4. Uses of the data

    The European Commission and national governments need data to monitor industry and markets and to develop their corresponding policies. To meet these requirements, Eurostat and member states have developed the PRODCOM system and disseminate data which allows international comparisons between all Member States and other countries. The enterprises benefit from data provided by the PRODCOM system which allow them to evaluate markets and opportunities for development.

    By combining PRODCOM with overseas trade data, users can derive various other statistics. For example: the trade balance, the UK net supply to the market and unit prices for production, imports and exports; all at the product level. Caution should be taken when combining PRODCOM data with HMRC data for reasons outlined in Background Note 8.

    A summary of the users and uses of PRODCOM Statistics is given in the PRODCOM technical report. Some of the known users of PRODCOM statistics are:

    • the European Commission
    • the national governments and their national authorities (that is, public institutions, central and local administrations)
    • businesses and trade associations
    • the research institutions and students
    • the media

    There are numerous other users who use the data to produce various analyses and to inform policy decisions. Some specific examples are provided below.

    EU anti-dumping cases: EU PRODCOM survey data are regularly used in matters relating to EU anti-dumping cases providing vital product information for scrutiny during formal investigations.

    Environmental statistics: Increasingly the data are used in analysis relating to environmental statistics such as our review of measuring the environmental goods and services sector (107.2 Kb Pdf) which utilises PRODCOM data in an aim to identifying potential "green" products.

    UK National Accounts: PRODCOM outputs are required as part of the National Accounts Supply Table, an integral part of the annual Supply and Use Tables balancing process which is used to reconcile the 3 approaches to measuring Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Income (GNI).

    Producer Prices: The PRODCOM Survey data identifies businesses that make particular products, and therefore are used to create a sampling frame for our Producer Prices Index.

    Further details on uses of the data are available from the PRODCOM technical report.

  5. Revisions

    Provisional survey estimates are published 6 months after the end of the reference period, intermediate estimates 12 months after the end of the reference period and a final set of estimates 24 months after the reference period.

    PRODCOM estimates are revised in line with our Revisions Policy. Users of this release are advised to read this policy before using the data for research or policy related purposes.

    Planned revisions usually arise from either the receipt of additional data or the correction of errors to existing data by businesses responding to the PRODCOM survey. Those of notable magnitude are explained. All other revisions will be regarded as unplanned and will be dealt with by non-standard releases. All revisions will be released in compliance with the same principles as other new information.

    Tables 3 and 4 outline the extent of the revisions, for the total value of UK manufacturers’ product sales, for the last 4 years of data.

  6. Response rates

    These intermediate estimates are based on a response rate of 84.5%. Late and revised returns are included in the intermediate and final estimates, which explain the higher response rates for past years.

  7. General information

    PRODCOM is based on a list of products known as the PRODCOM list, which comprises about 3,805 manufacturing products and some services.

    The PRODCOM list provides definitions to the product codes and is updated annually to allow for the addition and deletion of products as the market evolves. A document that specifies the annual changes to the codes is available through the VML and can be sent directly to users, upon request from prodcompublications@ons.gov.uk.

    Product information is collected from the following industrial divisions:

    Industry classification 2410, 2432 and 2433 are collected by the Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau (ISSB). The data are supplied to Eurostat, but are marked as confidential and not published. They are not included in the overall UK manufacturers’ product sales figures.

    Data for Division 58 - Publishing is collected but not published as part of this bulletin. These data are not a requirement of the EU and are collected to ensure complete coverage of products in (and therefore the quality of estimates in) Division 18 - Printing. Data for Division 58 are available on request from prodcompublications@ons.gov.uk.

  8. Data strengths and limitations

    PRODCOM provides a comprehensive picture of industrial production in the UK. The reference tables associated with this release provide estimates of value, volume, and unit values (value per unit of volume) for each product group, where possible. In the releases published up to June 2013 provisional estimates, estimates of Intra and Extra EU Imports and Exports were also reported alongside estimates of PRODCOM sales. These data are collected by HMRC, and were matched with the PRODCOM codes and included within the PRODCOM tables for the benefit of demonstrating the UK trade balance, and UK Net Supply by product.

    Due to comparability issues between the HMRC trade and PRODCOM data, and following discussion with users, we ceased to include the trade data in PRODCOM releases from the 2013 Intermediate publication in December 2014. Users who require the trade data may obtain it directly from the HMRC website but should consider the comparability issues between the 2 data sources when drawing comparisons as summarised below. A review of the trade data published alongside PRODCOM will be undertaken with the view to reintroduce it if it is possible to improve comparability. Updates of progress will be available on the PRODCOM News page.

    The HMRC data are collected using the Combined Nomenclature (CN), a different coding frame to PRODCOM. The PRODCOM Quality and Methods Information (262.6 Kb Pdf) (QMI) report provides a diagram (on page 3) to demonstrate the links between the PRODCOM list and the CN, which then links up to the Harmonised System (HS) codes at a world-wide level.

    For some products, the PRODCOM and trade data collect different units of volume (for example number of items and kilograms). In these cases the volumes and unit values (for example £ per item/kilogram) are not comparable.

    More details on the inconsistencies between PRODCOM and the HMRC Trade Statistics are given in the QMI report. Differences with other surveys collecting information on similar topics are also highlighted in the PRODCOM QMI (262.6 Kb Pdf) and technical reports. For example, PRODCOM focuses on products, and the Annual Business Survey (ABS) focuses on activities. The total value of product sales for businesses in an industry may be different to the turnover reported by ABS for the same industry group. Enterprises may carry out other activities besides production that contribute to its turnover.

    All estimates of the value of sales are presented at current prices, meaning that they have not been adjusted for inflation; this is important to bear in mind when comparing value changes over time.

  9. Definitions of symbols used

    The sum of constituent items in tables may not always agree exactly with the totals shown due to rounding.

    The following symbols are used in the excel reference tables:

    S - Suppressed as disclosive.
    S\ - Suppressed as disclosive but included in the aggregated for UK Manufacturer Sales of “Other” products aggregated for UK in the Sales and Turnover table
    N/A - Data not available.
    E - Data has low response, and therefore a high level of estimation, which may impact on the quality of the estimate

    The following symbols are used in the open data tables:

    • : Data not available
    • C Data is confidential and therefore suppressed
    • 0.00 Data not collected
  10. Disclosure

    We are required to maximise access to data, while safeguarding the confidentiality of individual business data. We are bound by the Statistics and Registration Services Act 2007 and the National Statistics Code of Practice to ensure data is kept confidential.

    An initial review of the disclosure control method used by PRODCOM confirmed that it is in line with the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Disclosure Control Policy. Unfortunately, the detailed level of estimates often leads to PRODCOM estimates being suppressed. This is because there are either a small number of producers, or there is a dominant producer and the risk of disclosing the sales figures for an individual business is high.

    There is already a process in place to write to businesses and ask permission to publish PRODCOM estimates where there is a risk that their data is disclosed. We are currently carrying out a further review of the disclosure control methods for PRODCOM to improve the utility of the estimates while maintaining confidentiality.

  11. National Statistics

    The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

    Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics:

    • meet identified user needs
    • are well explained and readily accessible
    • are produced according to sound methods
    • are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest

    Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed.

  12. Social media

    Follow us on Twitter and receive up to date information about our statistics. Like us on Facebook.

  13. Government Statistical Service (GSS) Business Statistics

    To find out about other official business statistics, and choose the right data for your needs, use the GSS Business Statistics Interactive User Guide. By selecting your topics of interest, the tool will pinpoint publications that should be of interest to you, and provide you with links to more detailed information and the relevant statistical releases. It also offers guidance on which statistics are appropriate for different uses.

  14. Discussing ONS Business Statistics Online

    There is a Business and Trade Statistics community on the StatsUserNet website. StatsUserNet is the Royal Statistical Society’s interactive site for users of official statistics. The community objectives are to promote dialogue and share information between users and producers of official business and trade statistics about the structure, content and performance of businesses within the UK. Anyone can join the discussions by registering via either of the links above.

  15. ONS theme pages

    Statistics are available on the ONS web pages categorised by themes, subject areas, topics and sub-topics. If you are interested in statistics on a particular issue, navigating through the categories will identify all the statistics available that relate to the selected theme, topic or sub-topic.

    For business themed short stories and articles please visit the Business and Energy theme page

  16. Special Events

    We have published commentary, analysis and policy on "Special events" which may affect statistical outputs. For full details visit the Special events page on our website.

  17. Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available by visiting www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/code-of-practice/index.html or from the Media Relations Office email: media.relations@ons.gov.uk

    These National Statistics are produced to high professional standards and released according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

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Contact details for this Statistical bulletin

William Barnes
prodcompublications@ons.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1633 455711