Click here to Visit the RBI’s new website

publications

PDF document (235 kb)
Date : Feb 08, 2024
Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey on the Manufacturing sector for Q2:2023-24

Today, the Reserve Bank released the results of its 63rd round of the quarterly Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey (OBICUS) conducted during Q3:2023-24 covering 803 manufacturing companies. The survey1 provides a snapshot of demand conditions in India’s manufacturing sector during July-September 2023.

Highlights:

  • At the aggregate level, the capacity utilisation (CU) in the manufacturing sector increased to 74.0 per cent in Q2:2023-24 from 73.6 per cent in the previous quarter (Chart 1 and Table 1). The seasonally adjusted CU, however, declined to 74.5 per cent in Q2:2023-24 from its level of 75.4 per cent in the previous quarter.
Chart 1: Capacity Utilisation (CU) and De-trended Index of Industrial Production (IIP) Manufacturing
  • Manufacturers reported higher new orders in Q2:2023-24 as compared to the previous quarter as well as the corresponding quarter a year ago (Chart 2 and Table 2A).
Chart 2: Growth in New Orders
  • The raw material inventory (RMI) to sales ratio increased marginally in Q2:2023-24 from its level in the previous quarter while the finished goods inventory (FGI) to sales ratio remained stable (Chart 3 and Table 3A).
Chart 3: Inventories to Sales Ratios

Note- Please see the excel file for time series data.


ANNEX 1: Data Tables

Table 1: IIP*-Manufacturing and Capacity Utilisation
Quarter Number of responding companies Capacity Utilisation IIP-Manufacturing (Quarterly Average) De-trended Quarterly IIP-Manufacturing
Q2:2022-23 745 74.0 133.6 -1.8
Q3:2022-23 727 74.3 137.0 0.5
Q4:2022-23 705 76.3 143.5 6.0
Q1:2023-24 665 73.6 141.2 2.6
Q2:2023-24 752 74.0 142.6 3.0
*: Index of Industrial Production (Base: 2011-12)

Table 2A: Order Books Growth
Quarter Number of companies Q-o-Q Growth # (per cent) ** Y-o-Y Growth # (per cent)
Backlog Orders New Order Book Pending Orders Backlog Orders New Order Book Pending Orders
Q2:2022-23 265 4.6 -0.1 10.8 11.4 25.9 20.1
Q3:2022-23 277 1.8 0.5 3.9 14.7 8.4 18.4
Q4:2022-23 261 3.9 7.4 2.9 15.8 6.0 15.3
Q1:2023-24 244 -5.2 -1.3 -4.5 22.7 1.5 9.3
Q2:2023-24 245 3.1 3.5 5.6 24.1 7.3 15.7
#: Growth rates are calculated using three rounds common set of companies, namely, companies responded in the current quarter, one quarter ago and the same quarter a year ago.
**: Not seasonally adjusted.

Table 2B: Average Size of Order Books
Quarter Number of companies Average Amount (₹ Crores)
Backlog Orders New Order Book Pending Orders
Q2:2022-23 265 208.8 307.9 232.4
Q3:2022-23 277 205.0 212.2 213.1
Q4:2022-23 261 215.6 225.4 221.9
Q1:2023-24 244 212.0 236.2 201.2
Q2:2023-24 245 227.7 248.6 240.4

Table 3A: Inventory to Sales Ratios
Quarter Number of Companies Ratio (per cent) ##
Total Inventory / Sales Finished Goods Inventory / Sales Raw Material Inventory / Sales
Q2:2022-23 721 61.8 22.6 29.6
Q3:2022-23 675 60.6 21.9 30.0
Q4:2022-23 658 64.1 23.2 32.5
Q1:2023-24 622 63.0 24.8 29.3
Q2:2023-24 688 65.9 24.6 30.9
##: Weighted average of industry level ratios using GVA as weights

Table 3B: Average Sales and Inventories
Quarter Number of Companies Average Amount (₹ Crores)
Sales Total Inventory Finished Goods Inventory Work in progress Inventory Raw Material Inventory
Q2:2022-23 721 1285.8 508.2 217.6 73.2 217.4
Q3:2022-23 675 1106.7 519.9 195.5 67.1 257.4
Q4:2022-23 658 1172.2 546.6 225.4 62.7 258.5
Q1:2023-24 622 1163.1 534.3 226.9 62.8 244.5
Q2:2023-24 688 1091.7 608.1 226.7 120.4 261.0

Note: 1. The computations of order book growths and inventory to sales ratios are based on methodology given in the RBI press release dated October 8, 2021 (link: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=20650) and not on the basis of averages given in the above tables.

2. The estimates of inventory of raw materials (including stores and spares, loose tools and stock-in-trade) are arrived at by netting out finished goods inventory and work-in-progress inventory from total inventory. The survey has also started collecting direct data on raw material inventory, which will be included in the regular survey results once the reporting coverage of the new item is satisfactory.


1 The survey responses are voluntary and the results reflect the views of the respondents, which are not necessarily shared by the Reserve Bank. Results of the previous survey round were released on the Bank’s website on October 06, 2023.


Top