In the Ohio Valley region, which is largely influenced by production of basic chemicals, plastics and synthetic rubber, coatings, and consumer products, chemical production fell by 0.2 percent in April, following a 0.1 percent gain in March. Compared to April 2011, production in the region was up by 1.7 percent, and was up 1.5 percent on a year-to-date basis.
In the Mid-Atlantic region, where pharmaceutical manufacturing is prominent, chemical production slipped by 0.3 percent in April, following a 0.6 percent decline in March. Mid-Atlantic chemical production was off 0.4 percent compared to April 2011, but remained up 0.1 percent on a year-to-date basis.
In the Southeast region, which is influenced heavily by production of basic chemicals, fibers, agricultural and other chemical products, chemical production fell by 0.3 percent in April, following a 0.4 percent decline during March. Southeast region chemical production was up 0.6 percent year-over-year, and was up 0.8 percent on a year-to-date basis.
In the Northeast region, which is influenced by pharmaceutical manufacturing and other specialty chemical manufacturing, chemical production fell by 0.2 percent in April, following a 0.4 percent decline during March. Compared to April 2011, Northeast region chemical production was up 0.6 percent, and was up 1.4 percent on a year-to-date basis.
In the West Coast region, chemical production slipped by 0.3 percent in April, following a 0.6 percent decline in March. Chemical production in the West Coast region was off 0.2 percent from last year, but remained ahead 0.3 percent on a year-to-date basis.
American Chemistry Council (ACC)