SINGAPORE (Nov 26): Singapore’s factory output rose marginally in October from the same month last year, driven by the biomedical sector, where production is typically volatile.

Industrial production last month inched up 0.2% as a 22.5% surge in biomedical output offset a contraction in the electronics sector, according to data released today by the Economic Development Board.

Electronics output shrank 6.1%, with production of computer peripherals notably lower, down 31%.

Excluding biomedical manufacturing, overall industrial output in October declined 4.3%.

“We expect further downside risks in the electronics manufacturing cluster as external demand conditions seem to point to cyclical weakness over the next few months,” UOB economists Francis Tan and Jimmy Koh said in a note today.

Compared to September this year, last month’s total manufacturing output rose 2.6%, also supported by the biomedical sector. Excluding biomedical contributions, overall output fell 3.4%.

For the other sectors, chemicals and precision engineering production rose in October, while output from general manufacturing and transport engineering declined.