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The Industrial products survey (EIP) is an annual statistical operation carried out by the INE, in collaboration with Idescat in the area of Catalonia, to obtain precise and reliable information on a wide set of industrial products.

Up to and including the year 2020, the survey was based on Council Regulation (EEC) No 3924/91 on the establishment of a community industrial production survey and Commission Regulation (EC) No 912/2004, implementing said Council Regulation.

Since 2021, the survey has been governed by Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020.

In accordance with the collaboration agreement signed by the INE and Idescat, the latter has translated into Catalan a list of almost 4,000 products on which this operation is based.

Idescat also performs an annual exploitation of the survey in order to expand the results available for Catalonia.

  • In 2021 there was a break in series due to the implementation of the new European regulations and the results can be consulted in the section: "Available tables (from 2021)".
  • The results for 2008 to 2020 can be found in the section: "Historical series (2008–2020)."
  • The operations prior to 2008 used the 1993 Catalan Classification of Economic Activities (CCAE-93). The results for the years 2000 to 2007 can be consulted in the PDF entitled Estadística, producció i comptes de la indústria [Industrial Statistics, Production and Accounts ] (chapter 8). The complete series (1993–2007) was published in the book of the same title. For the 2008 survey and subsequent years, the CCAE-2009 classification is used.

The main objectives of the survey are:

  • To provide complete and recent information on the products in the industrial sector, offering the results in sufficient detail for the study of a wide range of products, the analysis of its markets and the evolution of chronological series.
  • To present information that is fully integrated with that corresponding with foreign trade data and that with other EU countries, thanks to the application of common methodologies.
  • To publish information on annual industrial production as quickly as possible, in approximately half a year, after the end of the year of reference of the data.

1. Statistical units

The unit of information or observation, to which the questionnaire data refers, is the industrial establishment or local unit, understood to be the total production unit of industrial goods and services, situated at a defined physical position and under the management of one single company.

The reporting unit, responsible for providing the data, is the legal unit, defined as the smallest legally autonomous unit operating one or more establishments.

2. Population scope

Up to and including the year 2020, the survey's target population consisted of the industrial establishments (irrespective of the main activity carried out by their parent company) responsible for 90% of the production in each class (4 digits) of the CCAE-2009.

For each of these classes, we survey the industrial establishments belonging to companies with 20 employees or more. For certain classes (more than 50%), moreover, industrial establishments are surveyed of companies with less than 20 employees.

From 2021, the target population was changed to consist of all industrial establishments, regardless of whether the legal unit's main activity is industrial or not, and without any size limit. As a result, the survey now covers 100% of production.

To find out more about the framework and sample design of the industrial product statistics, please consult the following methodological note from the INE (PDF).

3. Temporal scope

This is a continuous survey and its period refers to the natural year. When the production cycle does not correspond to a natural year, the information requested refers to production in the campaign that ended within the year to which the survey is referenced.

4. Geographical scope

The survey covers the entire Spanish state (including Ceuta and Melilla as of 2021) and is designed to be able to offer results at Autonomous Community level.

Since 2021, the survey only collects data on the production of establishments located within the national territory, as set out in the European regulations on structural business statistics (SBS). With the new sample design, the operation for Catalonia collects data from around 6,200 legal units, which report data on the production sold by approximately 6,800 industrial establishments located in Catalonia.

5. List of products

The information that forms the object of the survey is mainly defined, although it does not totally coincide, by the PRODCOM list of products, an acronym formed out of the French terms PRODuction COMmunautaire, and which consists of a list of industrial products and services harmonised with the European Union's Classification of foreign trade combined nomenclature. The European PRODCOM list includes mining industries and manufacturing industries (sections B and C of the CCAE-2009), but with some exceptions:

  • It does not contain divisions 05 (Mining of anthracite, coal and lignite), 06 (Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas), or 09 (Mining support service activities).
  • It does not include most of the industrial services identified in CPA 2008 as subcontracting operations.
  • Neither does it include the classes 0721 (Extraction of uranium and thorium ores), 0892 (Extraction of peat), 2446 (Processing of nuclear fuels) or 3040 (Manufacture of combat vehicles).

Each product is defined by reference to one or various articles from this foreign trade combined nomenclature which will facilitate comparison of industrial production data with that obtained by means of foreign trade statistics.

Each heading from the PRODCOM list is represented by an 8-digit code that admits the possibility of adding a ninth digit for the relevant specifications for each country. The PRODCOM list used for the EIP (which can be consulted on the Idescat website where it is called PRODCOM-EIP) consists of three headings with 10-digit codes. Apart from adding the ninth significant digit for certain typical products (such as olive oil), or for products that are researched in Spain and are not part of the European PRODCOM list (such as petroleum refinery and production of electrical energy), a tenth control digit has also been incorporated to avoid recording or transcription errors during treatment of the data.

The meaning of the first eight digits is the following: the first four coincide with the CCAE-2009 that coincides with the European Union economic activities statistical nomenclature (NACE Rev.2) which came into force in 2008. The first six digits make up the integration corresponding to the European Union's Classification of products by activities (CPA). The seventh and eight digits indicate the classification of each of the PRODCOM products within each CPA heading.

For the classes 1020 (Processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and shellfish), 1041 (Manufacture of oils and fats), 1051 (Preparation of milk and its derivatives) and 3511 (Production of electrical energy), the coincidence with CCAE-2009 only occurs with the first three digits, since in this classification these classes have been broken down with regard to NACE Rev 2.

In short, the Industrial products survey researches manufacturing industry and the production of electricity, gas, steam (sections C and D of CCAE-2009), except:

  • Processing of nuclear fuels (class 2446)
  • Manufacture of combat vehicles (class 3040)
  • Transport, distribution and trade of electrical energy and gas (classes 3512, 3513, 3514, 3522 and 3523)

The extractive industries (section B of CCAE-09) are studied by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade.

These are outside the scope of the survey:

  • Non-economic industrial activities, in other words, those that produce goods and services not destined for sale.
  • Repair activities of certain consumer goods.
  • Industrial activities carried out in establishments whose main activity is non-industrial.

No information on dairy products is available (group 105 of the CCAE-2009) for the peri-od prior to 2015, the year of reference, although they fall within the scope of the survey and have been researched.

Each year, any modifications, additions and removals applied to the PRODCOM list are recorded below the table for each product data sheet (see section 8 Tabulation).

6. Variables

Up to and including 2020, the survey variables were the quantity and value of the products being investigated.

As a general rule all products are measured in quantity and value. Nevertheless, for certain products, only information for the value of products is required. These headings are usually those that refer to repair, installation and maintenance services, parts and components and headings whose description covers very diverse products. In the tables, the quantity and unit of these products are left blank.

The value always refers to the commercialised product. The valuation criteria used to account for the value is the net sales average price. In other words, it includes the costs of packaging and excludes VAT and other taxes on consumption, discounts for clients and transport costs invoiced separately.

Quantities are measured with two different criteria:

  • For the majority of products quantities refer to production invoiced or sold coinciding therefore with the criteria to measure the value.
  • For a series of intermediate products, generally obtained from integrated processes, the quantity requested is total production total, i.e., that produced and destined for sale (sales + stocks), plus what is reused in the process.

Not all headings in the PRODCOM list refer to physical products. Also included are codes corresponding to perfecting operations, repair and maintenance as well as assembly work, all designated as industrial services. Said codes do not correspond to the nomenclature of foreign trade.

Perfecting or finishing is understood to be those operations that once they have been carried out, do not alter the form of the product such as dyeing, impregnation, printing, varnishing, nickeling, etc. Distinction is made between the perfecting of goods produced by the company (direct perfecting), the perfecting of purchased products (inhouse perfecting work) and perfecting as the subcontracting of products belonging to a third party (outsourced perfecting). Only the latter two are assigned in the finishing headings created for such a purpose. The finishing of products manufactured by the company itself is classified along with the product.

Repair and maintenance work are classified in the corresponding codes and their value corresponds to invoiced repair and maintenance costs. Repair and maintenance costs that revise the nature of large repairs and transform the product to a large extent (changing nearly all the parts of a machine, changing the design of a piece of jewellery, fur etc.) are considered production and are classified in the corresponding product codes instead of as repairs.

Although there is a general rule by which repair and maintenance services as long as they are linked to the manufacture of industrial equipment are included in the industrial sector, there are exceptions to this rule in cases of:

  • Repair of motorcars and mopeds (classes 4520–4540)
  • Repair of computers, personal effects and household items (division 95)

Assembly or installation is considered to be the assembly of various elements in just one product or various products in order to form a more complex installation. If the same company also manufactures the assembled products, the assembly is coded together with the manufactured product in the corresponding product code. When the company that assembles is different from the manufacturer, the assembly value is coded in the PRODCOM codes established for this purpose. The value of the assembly service includes invoiced assembly expenses plus the cost of the materials necessary to carry out the service and excludes the value of the assembled products not manufactured by the company responsible for carrying out the assembly.

As well as quantity and value, the table that shows the manufactured products that are not under statistical secrecy by value of their sales, includes a column that indicates the position occupied by each product in descending order. This information also appears in the file for each manufactured product, which shows the historic series of results for the product.

When any information is not available, the symbol ":" has been used to show this.

From 2021 onwards, in-house production and production carried out as a subcontractor are studied separately for each product.

The data published from 2021 onwards refer to the value of in-house production sales in millions of euros.

In-house production

In-house production is considered to have taken place in an industrial establishment during the reference year if it produced products that were sold directly to the market by in-house means or provided in-house industrial services for third parties.

For most products, information on both quantity and value is required. However, for some products, only information on value is required. These headings generally include those relating to repair, installation and maintenance services, parts and components, and other headings covering a wide variety of products. In the tables, the quantities and units of these products are left blank.

For some products, information on the re-usage of manufactured products (in quantity) and the amount of production destined for stock is also requested.

Value always refers to marketed production. The valuation criterion used to establish value is the average net selling price, i.e. including packaging and packing costs but excluding VAT and other excise duties, discounts to customers and separately invoiced transport costs.

Quantities are measured using two different criteria:

  • For most products, the quantity refers to the production invoiced or sold, thus coinciding with the criterion for measuring value.
  • However, for some intermediate products, usually obtained in integrated processes, the total production is requested, i.e. the output produced and intended for sale (sales + stock) plus the quantity reused in the same process.
  • Lastly, for products in the Electrical energy, gas, steam and air conditioning branch, quantity refers to the in-house production sold plus the amount reused in the production process.

Production carried out as a subcontractor

As stated in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020, production is deemed to have been carried out as a subcontractor in an industrial establishment during the reporting period if the requirements set out in the CPA guidelines for this type of operation are met. In other words, production has been carried out as a subcontractor if payments have been received in the reference year from subcontracting companies in return for the production carried out in the industrial establishment where the subcontracting companies have provided the raw materials used for the production of a particular product. Subcontracting companies may provide a small number of inputs for the completion of this work.

For most products, information on the quantity produced as a subcontractor and payments received is required; for others, only payments received are requested.

Payments received for production carried out as a subcontractor include packing and packaging costs but exclude VAT and other excise duties, discounts to customers and transport costs invoiced separately.

Data on subcontracted production are requested for all products except those considered to be industrial services.

7. Surveys and sectorisation

Since 2021, customised questionnaires covering a selection of products have been sent to each industrial establishment.

If the industrial establishment provided information the previous year, the questionnaire only requests information on the products for which information was previously provided. For these products, the data for the study year is requested. If, in addition, the establishment manufactures products that do not appear in the list, they are also requested to provide information on those products.

If there is no previous information on the industrial establishment, the customised questionnaire contains a list of products related to its activity that, according to the data obtained from the last year's survey, are most produced by the industrial establishments in the same activity sector. In this case, they are also requested to provide information on products they have manufactured that do not appear in the aforementioned list.

The information is collected via INE's institutional collection system, IRIA. The questionnaire is completed almost exclusively (over 90%) via the Internet.

For Catalonia, the information obtained from the questionnaires and used by the INE is distributed across 60 branches which, for reasons of coherence and comparability, are aggregated into the 25 divisions of the CCAE-2009. The correspondence between these sectorisations and the CCAE-2009 is shown below:

Divisions and branches of economic activity
Divisions and branches CCAE-2009
(*) Not including classes 2446, 3040, 3512–3514, 3522 and 3523
n.e.c.: Not elsewhere classified.
Food products 10
Meat and meat products 101
Processed and preserved fish, crustaceans and shellfish 102
Processed and preserved fruit and vegetables 103
Oils and vegetable and animal fats 104
Milk, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products 105
Milled products, starch, dough and pastries 106, 1071, 1072
Sugar, cocoa, chocolate and confectionary 1081, 1082
Food products n.e.c. 1073, 1083–1086, 1089
Animal food 109
Beverages 11
Beverages 11
Tobacco products 12
Tobacco products 12
Textile 13
Dressmaking and textiles 131, 132
Textile finishing services 133
Other textiles 139, 143
Wearing apparel 14
Wearing apparel, except knitted apparel 141, 142
Knitted apparel 143
Leather and footwear 15
Leather and fur, prepared, tanned or finished 1511
Leather articles and footwear 1512, 152
Wood and cork, except furniture 16
Sawn and planed wood and wood prepared for industrial use 161
Wood, cork and basket making 162
Paper 17
Pulp, paper and card 171
Paper and card articles 172
Printing and recording services 18
Printing and recording services 18
Coke and refined petroleum products 19
Coke and refined petroleum products 19
Chemical products 20
Inorganic basic chemicals, dyes and pigments 2011–2013
Other basic organic chemical products 2014
Fertilisers, pesticides and other agro-chemical products 2015, 202
Plastic and synthetic rubber in primary forms 2016, 2017
Paints, varnishes, printer inks and mastics 203
Soaps, detergents, perfumes and cosmetic products 204
Other chemical products and artificial and synthetic fibres 205, 206
Pharmaceutical products 21
Pharmaceutical products 21
Rubber products and plastic materials 22
Rubber products 221
Plastic products 222
Other non-metal minerals products 23
Glass and glass products 231
Ceramic products and terracotta for construction 232–234
Cement, lime and gypsum and concrete, lime and cement products 235, 236
Ornamental stones and for construction and other non metal mineral products 237, 239
Metallurgy product and basic iron, steel and iron-alloy 24 (*)
Basic products, tubes, pipes and similar of steel and iron 241–243
Precious metals and other non ferrous metals; cast irons 2441–2445, 245
Metallic products except and machinery and equipment 25
Metal construction elements; large tanks and steam generators 251–253
Forging and stamping of metals; powder metallurgy and treatment of metals 255, 256
Knife making and cutlery articles, ironmongery articles 257
Arms and munitions and other metal products 254, 259
Computer, electronic and optical products 26
Computer and electronic products 261–264
Instruments for measuring and optics and photography and electromedical equipment 265–268
Electrical equipment 27
Electric machinery and materials, except domestic appliances 271–274, 279
Domestic appliances 275
Machinery and equipment n.e.c. 28
General use machinery, except portable electrical tools 281, 2821–2823, 2825, 2829
Power tools 2824, 284
Agriculture and forestry machines 283
Other machinery for specific purposes 289
Motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers 29
Motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers 29
Other transport equipment 30 (*)
Other transport equipmentc 301–303, 309
Furniture 31
Furniture 31
Other manufactured goods 32
Jewellery articles, musical instruments, sports equipment and toys 321–324
Instruments and supplies for medicine and dentistry 325
Manufactured articles n.e.c. 329
Repair and installation of machinery and equipment 33
Repair and installation of machinery and equipment 33
Electrical, gas, steam energy and air conditioning 35 (*)
Electric, gas, steam energy and air conditioning 3515–3519, 3521, 353

Up to and including 2020, multiple questionnaires were used, as to facilitate the collection of the information targeted by the survey, the industrial production content was divided into 81 sectors, the data on two of which were collected by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade (extraction of metallic and non-metallic minerals) while the INE collected the information on the remaining sectors.

A different questionnaire was designed for each sector, grouping together products belonging to economic activities with a series of common characteristics.

In addition to including the products 'typically' produced by establishments in the same activity sector, the questionnaires included other so-called 'atypical' products to account for the possible production of secondary products derived from the main activity in the same establishment.

The establishments had to be coded according to the CCAE corresponding to their primary activity, defined as that which provides the most significant added value, and if this information was unavailable, that which generates the highest production value or employs the most people.

For the 2008–2020 series, the information for Catalonia obtained from the 79 questionnaires is distributed into 57 branches, which, in turn, are aggregated into 16 groupings. The correspondence between these sectorisations and the CCAE-2009 is shown below:

Economic activity groups
Groups and branches CCAE-2009
(*) Not including classes 2446, 3040, 3512–3514, 3522 and 3523
n.e.c.: Not elsewhere classified.
Food, beverages and tobacco 10–12
Meat and meat products 101
Processed and preserved fish, crustaceans and shellfish 102
Processed and preserved fruit and vegetables 103
Oils and vegetable and animal fats 104
Milk, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products 105
Milled products, starch, dough and pastries 106, 1071, 1072
Sugar, cocoa, chocolate and confectionary 1081, 1082
Food products n.e.c. 1073, 1083–1086, 1089
Animal food 109
Beverages and tobacco 11, 12
Textiles and dressmaking 13, 14
Dressmaking and textiles 131, 132
Textile finishing services 133
Other textile products and knitwear 139, 143
Garments other than knitwear 141, 142
Leather and footwear 15
Leather and fur, prepared, tanned or finished 1511
Leather articles and footwear 1512, 152
Wood and cork, except furniture 16
Sawn and planed wood and wood prepared for industrial use 161
Wood, cork and basket making 162
Paper, graphic arts and reproduction of recorded supports 17, 18
Pulp, paper and card 171
Paper and card articles 172
Graphic arts and reproduction on recorded supports 18
Oil refining, chemical and pharmaceutics products 19–21
Oil refinery, basic inorganic chemical products, colorants and pigments 19, 2011–2013
Other basic organic chemical products 2014
Fertilisers, pesticides and other agro-chemical products 2015, 202
Plastic and synthetic rubber in primary forms 2016, 2017
Paints, varnishes, printer inks and mastics 203
Soaps, detergents, perfumes and cosmetic products 204
Other chemical products and artificial and synthetic fibres 205, 206
Pharmaceutics products 21
Rubber products and plastic materials 22
Rubber products 221
Plastic products 222
Other non-metal minerals products 23
Glass and glass products 231
Ceramic products and terracotta for construction 232–234
Cement, lime and gypsum and concrete, lime and cement products 235, 236
Ornamental stones and for construction and other non metal mineral products 237, 239
Metallurgy product and basic iron, steel and iron-alloy 24 (*)
Basic products, tubes, pipes and similar of steel and iron 241–243
Precious metals and other non ferrous metals; cast irons 2441–2445, 245
Metallic products except and machinery and equipment 25
Metal construction elements; large tanks and steam generators 251–253
Forging and stamping of metals; powder metallurgy and treatment of metals 255, 256
Knife making and cutlery articles, ironmongery articles 257
Arms and munitions and other metal products 254, 259
Computer and electronic equipment and electrical materials 26, 27
Computer and electronic products 261–264
Instruments for measuring and optics and photography and electromedical equipment 265–268
Electric machinery and materials, except domestic appliances 271–274, 279
Domestic appliances 275
Machinery and equipment n.e.c. 28
General use machinery, except portable electrical tools 281, 2821–2823, 2825, 2829
Power tools 2824, 284
Agriculture and forestry machines 283
Other machinery for specific purposes 289
Transport materials 29, 30 (*)
Motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers 29
Boats and ships, locomotors, airships and other transport materials 301–303, 309
Furniture and other manufactured products 31, 32
Furniture 31
Jewellery articles, musical instruments, sports equipment and toys 321–324
Instruments and supplies for medicine and dentistry 325
Manufactured articles n.e.c. 329
Repair and installation of machinery and equipment 33
Reparation and installation of machinery and equipment 33
Electrical, gas, steam energy and air conditioning 35 (*)
Electric, gas, steam energy and air conditioning 3515–3519, 3521, 353

8. Tabulation

The results of Idescat's statistical operations using the data collected by the Industrial Product Survey (EIP) from establishments in Catalonia are presented in four different tables. The results for the last year published remain provisional until the results for the following year are issued, at which time they are updated and become definitive. The tables are as follows:

From 2021 onwards:

  • A table showing the total product sales for each of the 25 CCAE-2009 divisions and the 60 branches into which the productive field being investigated has been subdivided. Clicking on a division brings up the results for each of its branches and clicking on a branch brings up the table described below.
  • A table for each branch, listing all its manufactured products. Each product's name and PRODCOM-EIP code (to 6 digits) are shown, along with the value (in thousands of euros) and quantity (in the corresponding unit) of its sales. If this information cannot be published for reasons of statistical secrecy (when fewer than 4 companies manufacture the product) or due to poor statistical reliability, only the code and product name are shown. Clicking on each of the products brings up its historical results.
  • A table showing all the manufactured products that are not subject to statistical secrecy or poor statistical reliability. This table shows, in order of sales value, the 50 products with the highest number of sales. A bar at the bottom of the table allows groups of 50 products to be added. You can change the order (descending or ascending) or the sorting variable itself, as you can also sort by code and include groups of 50 products sorted by code and shown in the chosen order.
  • A table generated by the search engine showing a group of products whose name or PRODCOM code contains the sequence of characters or numbers entered in the search engine window. When a product is selected from the list of results, the product data sheet is displayed, consisting of the historical results series: value, quantity and unit of production sold and position in the sales ranking.

It also offers the possibility of downloading an annual Excel file with an exhaustive list of all the products surveyed by the EIP (to 6 digits of the PRODCOM-EIP), including those subject to statistical secrecy, those with poor statistical reliability and those not produced in the reference year.

From 2021 onwards, the data published refers to the value of in-house production sales in millions of euros, but for reasons of statistical reliability, only the products up to 6 digits of the PRODCOM-EIP code are shown.

Up to and including 2020:

  • A table of totals for the sale of products manufactured in each of the 16 groups and 56 branches into which the researched area of production is grouped. Clicking on a group shows the results for the branches and clicking on the branch shows the table described next.
  • A table for each branch that shows all of the manufactured products. For each product is shown the name, the PRODCOM-EIP code (to 10 digits), the value (in thousands of euros) and the quantity (in the corresponding unit) of the sold production. If for reasons of statistical secrecy (when the number of companies manufacturing the product is lower than 4), this information cannot be published, we only show the code and name of the product. Where a more aggregate level (8 or 6 digits of the PRODCOM-EIP) contains a sufficient number of producer companies, the value and quantity of two or more products are added that at a more disaggregated level would have been subject to statistical secrecy. This table offers the historical series of results for each of the products, when they are clicked on.
  • A table showing all of the manufactured products that are not subjected to statistical secrecy. This table shows, ordered by value of their sales, the 50 products with the greatest sold production. A bar at the bottom of the table can be used to incorporate groups of 50 products. It is possible to change the order (descending or ascending) or the actual variable used to order, as it is also possible to order by code and to include groups of 50 products ordered by codes in the selected order.
  • A table generated by the search engine using the set of products that in their name or PRODCOM code is a sequence of characters or numbers as entered in the search window. Once a product is chosen from the list of results, the product file appears that consists of the historical series of results for this product: value, quantity and unit of the production sold and position in the ranking of sales.

Finally, for each of the years available there is the possibility of downloading an Excel file with a comprehensive list of all of the products researched by the EIP (at 10, 8 and 6 digits of the PRODCOM-EIP), including those that are subject to statistical secrecy and those not manufactured in the year of reference.