Resilient car and aerospace demand bolsters French manufacturing sector

France’s manufacturing sector expanded in February, slightly beating initial estimates, helped by solid demand in the cars and aerospace sectors, S&P Global reported this week.

The HCOB final France Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for February slipped to 50.1 points from a 43-month high of 51.2 in January.

Nevertheless, it remained above the 50.0 points level indicating growth, and the final February manufacturing PMI beat the flash PMI reading of 49.9 points.

S&P Global said foreign orders in the manufacturing sector had fallen, although factory output had increased and manufacturing companies had a more confident outlook.

“As long as incoming orders in France’s manufacturing sector remain in decline, it is premature to declare the downturn in the sector as over. That said, the index for order books is only marginally below the expansion threshold, and significantly better than the average level recorded from 2023 to 2025,” said Hamburg Commercial Bank AG junior economist Jonas Feldhusen.

“Confidence among manufacturers appears to be improving. This is partly driven by expectations of rising demand from the public sector,” he added.