Manufacturing sales edged up 0.2% in September to $58.5 billion, following a 0.5% decrease in August.

Sales increased in 8 of 21 industries, led by higher sales in the transportation equipment industry. However, these gains were largely offset by declines in the machinery and wood product industries.

Constant dollar sales edged down 0.1%, indicating a lower volume of goods sold.

Sales of transportation equipment increased 3.1% to $11.0 billion in September, following a 1.8% decline in August. The growth was mainly attributable to higher sales in the motor vehicle assembly (+6.1%) and motor vehicle parts (+1.9%) industries, reflecting a ramp up in production following motor vehicle assembly plant shutdowns in July and August. In constant dollars, sales volumes rose 4.8% in the motor vehicle assembly industry and 2.1% in the motor vehicle parts industry in September.