The recovery in Irish manufacturing is gathering pace according to the latest purchasing managers index published by NCB stockbrokers.
The indicator which is designed to provide a single-figure measure of the economic health of the manufacturing industry rose to 54.4, up from 53.7 in February, remaining above the critical 50.0 no-change mark for the seventh successive month.
Purchasing managers indicated a further marked improvement in Irish manufacturing business conditions in March, with the rate of improvement picking up slightly compared to the previous month.
Managers reported growth in new orders and the rate of increase in new business continued to gather pace.
The rate of growth of exports owas also marginally faster than a month earlier, with panel firms reporting higher sales in particular to clients in Asia and North America.