Manufacturing was one part of Saskatchewan’s economy that managed to set new records last year in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With gains approaching 40 per cent compared to the previous year, that was the strongest growth track in any province.
The year-end numbers on manufacturing were released this week by Statistics Canada showing players in Saskatchewan shipped products worth $1.7 billion for the month of December.
Chemical manufacturing saw the biggest gains – nearly doubling – followed by food manufacturing.
Nationally, manufacturers were among the best at navigating the challenges of a pandemic with overall sales improving about 16 per cent.
But one area that caught the attention of those who track this stuff was inventory levels – they were up sharply.
That is likely due to nearly completed products sitting in warehouses or factories while companies wait for one of two parts that were held up by supply chain interruptions.
Certainly, that is a story we’re hearing in Saskatchewan as customers are having to wait for delivery because factories are struggling to get components, such as microchips.
