Statistics Belgium

Economy unit

North Gate Boulevard du Roi Albert II 16, 1000 Bruxelles

The PRODCOM inquiry is conducted by Statistics Belgium. This is a monthly survey of the value and volume of products produced by industrial enterprises in Belgium and sold during the reference year. It is carried out in compliance with EU Council Regulation on the Establishment of a Community Survey of Industrial Production (N°3924/91).

The PRODCOM survey provides information on PRODuction of the European COMmunity and is compiled from data received from Belgian manufacturers.

The survey sample is approximately 3700 legal units and 4000 local units, covering 228 industries, derived from sub-sector, and 2170 products.

Available data include:

By product:

• value and volume of product sales for own account
• value and volume of products under sub-contracted operations if the principal is in a foreign country (the value represents fee received for the sub-contracting operation)
• actual production

 By principal activity (Nace 4 digits) of local unit:

• value of sub-contracting (fee received) if the principal is in Belgium
• sold value of foreign products (if the sub-contractor is in a foreign country)
• value of commercial delivery
• value of industrial processes and services not included in the Prodcom list

In the PRODCOM classification products are grouped by the NACE Rev.2, 4-digits industrial sectors, in which they are primarily produced (i.e. characteristics products).

Nace Rev.2 is the EU system for classifying economic activities.

The value and volume data shown for a product, therefore, includes not only the production by enterprises classified to the NACE sector where it is primarily produced but also its subsidiary production by enterprises classified to the other Nace Rev.2 sectors.

Classification of Products

The PRODCOM list is divided into "Classes" corresponding to the classes of NACE Rev.2. Within the individual classes, the headings of the list are set out in ascending order of their PRODCOM codes. PRODCOM uses an eight-digit product code of the form XX.XX.XX.YY.

The first four digits of the code correspond to the 4-digit classes of NACE Rev.2. The first six digits are the Community Classification of Products by Activity (CPA) codes. The CPA provides a detailed listing of the characteristic products for each 4-digit NACE Rev.2 economic activity. The last two digits provide a more detailed breakdown of the CPA classes into PRODCOM products headings.

There is a direct link between the PRODCOM classification and the EU foreign trade Combined Nomenclature (CN). Each PRODCOM 8-digit heading covers one or more CN 8-digit headings.

To view the national classification, please see the following link : https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/propos-de-statbel/methodologie/classifications/prodcom

To view the different classification, please see the following link : https://showvoc.op.europa.eu/#/datasets= and search the nomenclature in the search module at the top left.

The survey covers local units of industrial enterprises, which are wholly or primarily engaged in industrial production and industrial services in the Mining, Quarrying, and Manufacturing industries,
  i)  with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 or more in the previous reference year;
  ii) with an industrial secondary activity with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 n the previous reference year.

Under the Belgian Prodcom survey, the NACE classification  are covered as follows:

•  from NACE REV.2 : sections B and C, comprising sections 07-33, but excepting 09, 19, 1011 and slaughterhouse part of 1051
•  from NACE REV.1.1 : sections C, D and E, but excepting 1551 and slaughterhouse part of 1511.

Belgian Prodcom survey is a cut-off sample survey.

The purpose of the statistics is to report, for each product in the Prodcom List, how much has been produced in the reporting country during the reference period.

This means that Prodcom statistics relate to products (not to activities) and are therefore not strictly comparable with activity-based statistics such as Structural Business Statistics. The NACE codes on which Prodcom codes are based merely serve to identify the enterprises that should be surveyed in order to determine the amount of production of the product.

The products: the Prodcom List defines the products to be included in the survey. There are approximatly 4000 headings representing manufactured products and some industrial services.

The value and the volume of production: the value is expressed in Euro. The volume is expressed in a unit specific for each product.

The value and the volume of production represent

• value and volume of product sales for own account
• value and volume of products under sub-contracted operations if the principal is in a foreign country (the value represents fee received for the sub-contracting operation)

By product:

• value and volume of product sales for own account
• value and volume of products under sub-contracted operations if the principal is in a foreign country (the value represents fee received for the sub-contracting operation)

The volume unit: the measurement unit, such as kilograms, square meters etc. used to indicate the volume of goods produced.

Production type: either Sold Production (the value and volume of the product sold by the enterprise) or Total Production (the volume of all production of the product, including both the proportion that is sold and the proportion that is retained by the enterprise for adding to stocks, using in further processing etc.).

From 2006 onwards, for those products where Total Production is required, Sold Production by value and volume must be reported as well.

Value of sub-contracting (fee received) if the principal is in Belgium. This variable is available at principal activity (Nace 4-digits).

Sold value of foreign products: sold value of products if principal is in Belgium and sub-contractor is in foreign country. Products in this cases are not produced in national territory and thus, principal must complete the sold value for foreign products. This variable is available at principal activity (Nace 4-digits).

Value of commercial delivery: sold value of product bought and sold in the state

Value of industrial processes and services: value of industrial processes and services not included in the Prodcom list

The reporting unit is the local unit.

The observation unit is the local unit.

Results are not compiled at enterprise level because we have no information to neutralize flows between local units belonging to the same enterprise.

Sold production is only given by the local unitmade the sale. Total production is only given by the local unit what made this production.

The survey population is made up of all industrial enterprises in NACE07-33 (excluding 09, 19, 1011 and slaughterhouse part of 1051) :

• with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 in the previous reference year;
• with an industrial secondary activity with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 or more in the previous reference year.

 All of the 3 regions of Belgium are covered (possibility of calculate regional results but for the moment, there are some problems with confidentiality).

The period observed is one month.

Belgian industrial products statistics date back to 1994.

Electronically monthly and annual data from 2010 are available at https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/themes/entreprises/production-industrielle#figures

Other data are available on demand.

Not applicable.

For volumes: units of measure are specific to each commodity code - for a comprehensive enumeration, please see the Prodcom list at https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/propos-de-statbel/methodologie/classifications/prodcom

For values: data are collected and stored in thousands of euros.

The month at which data are referring to.

Annual results are calculated on the basis of monthly data.

Year 2022 is the reference year.

This survey is carried out in compliance with following regulations:

At EU level:

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197, EUR-Lex - 32020R1197 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)
• Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/32019R2152

At National level:

• Loi du 4 juillet 1962 relative à la statistique publique
• The Royal Decree of 28 January 1994 published in the Belgian Monitor of 15 February 1994, amended by the Royal Decree of 20 february 2008 published in the Belgian Monitor of 10 March 2008, amended by the Royal Decree of 15 January 2015 published in the Belgian Monitor of 02 February 2015.

The reporting unit is obliged to provide the data.

Not applicable.

The Statistical law of Belgium is the law of July 4, 1962, amended by the law of March 22, 2006.

These laws are available on : http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&cn=1962070430&table_name=loi

This law stipulates that the national institute of statistics can only publish aggregate and anonymous results.

If a national data was previously indicated to Eurostat as being confidential, this should not be subsequently disseminate in any other public documents.

Release dates are announced in advance for the whole calendaristic year.

Direct link: https://statbel.fgov.be/en/calendar

(to access from the main page www.statbel.fgov.be: choose your language and,  click on the link "Release schedule calendar")

First provisional results are sent to Eurostat at T+6. These results are revised at T+12 and will be definitive at T+24.

Monthly national publication.

Prodcom data are submitted annually to Eurostat and also published annually in our website.

Articles related to Prodcom results are published on www.statbel.fgov.be

Data from 2004 to 2007 are available on pdf format and it can be provided on request.

Data from 2008 and 2009 are available on request.

Data (value of sold production) and data (volume of sold production) from 2010 are available on xls format at https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/themes/entreprises/production-industrielle#figures

Not available.

Not available.

The data are transmitted to Eurostat.

Data are also distributed to the national and international users on the 8 digits codes level and for the special request also on aggregated levels like 6,4,2 level.

For users, the main documentation is the Prodcom Manual. This is available on https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/themes/indicateurs-conjoncturels/production/production-dans-lindustrie#documents under the label 'Métadonnées.

In addition, some information can be found in a metadata document available at https://statbel.fgov.be/fr/themes/entreprises/production-industrielle#documents

A number of internal papers and notes exists on methodological aspects and on description of the statistical production process.

There is no user document available regarding the quality management.

Prodcom is published with a high level of details, its accuracy therefore depends on data being checked in several ways.

Moreover, Prodcom is produced in close cooperation with the STS manufacturing indices, enabling cross-checks against each other.

For each step of the production chain, the data are controlled.

For the electronic questionnaire, there are automatic checks. Error messages appear in the screen allowing the respondent to correct his data.

In our database, checks are made based on VAT data, based on the evolution of unit price and based on the past of the respondent.

During the routine calculation, checks are made on the aggregate data and microdata are controlled.

Before publication, data are validated by our validation service.

The main users of PRODCOM data can be presented in different goups, namely:

 EXTERNAL/ INTERNATIONAL (OUTSIDE NSI), like:

  Institutions at European level:

• Eurostat: Prodcom provides statistics on the production of manufactured goods (Regulation ECC n°3924/91 and regulation EC n°912/2004); some Prodcom data are used for the European environmental economic accounts (Regulation EU n°691/2011)

  Multi-national organizations:

• United Nations: for the Industrial Commodity Statistics Questionnaire
• FAO: for statistics on production for some agricultural and food products 

EXTERNAL/ NATIONAL (OUTSIDE NSI), like:

  Institutions at national level - governmental

• Ministry of Economy: establishment of Prodcom statistics by Statistics Belgium

  Institutions at national level - non-governamental

• National Bank: establishment of national accounts
• Trade associations: to have results concerning their sector
• Media (the main channel of statistics to the general public)
• Researchers and students at international or national level: some information are asked on certains products (ex: chocolate)
• etc ... 

INTERNAL (inside NSI), like:

• National Bank: establishment of national accounts
• Environmental statistics
• Industrial output prices: Prodcom data are used for the weighting pattern
• Industrial production: Prodcom is the principal source of data for the calculation of these indices

No user satisfaction survey has been done for this statistics.

All requested data provided.

The survey sample is selected from business register (DBRIS).

The survey covers local units of industrial enterprises, which are wholly or primarily engaged in industrial production and industrial services in the Mining, Quarrying, and Manufacturing industries, i)  with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 or more in the previous reference year; ii) with an industrial secondary activity with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 or more in the previous reference year.

If a company matches the selection criteria, a pre-survey is conducted to identify this company production local units.

According to the results of the pre-inquiry nace of the company can be changed in the registry.

Belgian Prodcom survey is a cut-off sample survey.

• Three months after the reference period, the response rate is then approximately 95%.

• For about 0.5% of local units, there are estimations.

• The non reponse rate (NRR) = Not available
• Non respondents are re-contacted to ensure a response is received later on.  Non-response is treated using several imputation techniques, depending on specific cases. If the correlation between data and VAT data is good then VAT data are used to estimate the turnover. Then this value is divided between all products codes which are relevant in the current period.

If the correlation between data and VAT is not good then the past of the respondent unit or the data for the other respondent units are used.

In the case of respondents, estimates for missing volumes have been made in certain cases by using the average unit price from the respondent companies.

The survey is done as a cut-off-sample, all units above a threshold are included.

There is no grossing up for units below the threshold. It is therefore not relevant to calculate sampling error.

There are several types of errors :

•  a respondent may give incorrect data;
•  the form/questionnaire may lead to the recording of wrong values;
•  error in manual entries for paper questionnaires;
•  in imputation, using ratios from responding enterprises to impute for non-respondents may have an effect on data quality but this is not quantifiable.

For each step of the production chain, the data are controlled.

For the electronic questionnaire, there are automatic checks. Error messages appear in the screen allowing the respondent to correct his data.

In our database, checks are made based on VAT data, based on the evolution of unit price and based on the past of the respondent.

During the routine calculation, checks are made on the aggregate data and microdata are controlled.

Before publication, data are validated by our validation service.

Impact of Covid19 on PRODCOM data collection and accuracy

There is no impact for 2022 reference year. 

• Response rate: between 90 and 100%
• Unit non-response: not available
• Imputation rate: not available

Provisional monthly data are published on the national website, 2 months after the reference month.

Monthly data for the reference year are revised in June when the prodcom annual data are sent to Eurostat. Once annual PRODCOM data has been validated by Eurostat, data is uploaded onto Eurostat’s website and also on Belgian website.

Data are recalcuated in T+12 and are considered as definitive in T+24.

Currently, there are no problem with the punctuality.

Annual data are sent to Eurostat before the end of June. 

Not available

An extensive revision of NACE in 2007 has resulted in changes to PRODCOM estimates for the 2008 survey onwards.

Every fifth year, there is a revision of the HS (Harmonized System) which will result also in more significant changes to CN and Prodcom. The latest major revision was in 2012. Revision in NACE will also affect Prodcom.

For STS manufacturing indices based on Prodcom data, data from 1995-2007 have been backcasted to NACE rev.2.

Since Belgium collected and published own and sc before 2021, there is no break.

Consistency checks are done with monthly industrial production and VAT data.

When there are differences, these cases are further scrutinised and corrected if necessary.

There is no problem of internal incoherence.

Burden on respondents

The prodcom survey was simplified in 2008.

Cost associated with the collection and production of the industrial production index

~10 persons for ~15.000 hours/year

Data transmitted at the end of June are provisional (T+6). Data will be recalculated in T+12 and will be definitive in T+24.

Corrections are made regularly on prodcom data. These corrections are made on data of current year, year-1 and year-2.

The survey sample is selected from business register (DBRIS).

The survey covers local units of industrial enterprises, which are wholly or primarily engaged in industrial production and industrial services in the Mining, Quarrying, and Manufacturing industries :

• with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 or more in the previous reference year;
• with an industrial secondary activity with 20 persons employed or with a turnover of EUR 5.000.000 or more in the previous reference year.

A pre-inquiry is performed to determine the production local units of these enterprises.

Belgian Prodcom survey is a cut-off sample survey.

Prodcom survey in Belgium is a monthly survey. Annual data are calculated based on the monthly data.

Data are collected through web application based on XBRL and through paper questionnaires.

Web application

This web application is available at https://statbel.statdata.be/enquetes/index.html?lang=EN

Information about this application and instructions for users are available on https://statbel.fgov.be/sites/default/files/files/metadata/Conjunctuurindicatoren/4.8%20Productie%20in%20de%20industrie/Manuel_2017_fr.pdf

XBRL is an electronic language that has been specially developed for the exchange of business economic information through the internet.

XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is an open standard based on XML (Extensible Markup Language) for the electronic collection and transfer of business economic data through the internet. The idea of the XBRL language is to identify each concept and add it to a 'taxonomy', which is similar to a dictionary.

These concepts, brought together in a structured way, can be recognised, processed and represented in diffirent ways, depending on the intended use.

The transmitted data is directly controlled by the system, the feedback is instantaneous.

Paper questionnaires

Responses of paper questionnaires are introduced in the operational system by an agent of our data collect center.

Checks are carried out at the time of data collection and throughout the production of results. These are also validated by another service before distribution.

The web application performs automatic validation of reported data. If data are very different from those reported by the same company for the last period, the respondent will be prompted to check data again and to provide an explanation for the change.

Data (web and paper) are introduced in the operating system. In this operating system, there are some checks based on the VAT data, based on the variation of the data. Collected data are then daily transferred from the operating system in a datawarehouse. An error reporting with several information (included months for the different survey, included estimations) is sent to all users of DWH tables every day.  

Then, a SAS program allows to check the variation of the different variables for a statistical unit and allows to identify problems. If a problem is detected, the collect center is contacted. In function of the response of our collect center, the declaration is maintained, re-estimated or removed for the index calculation. Comparisons with VAT data are also made in this case.

Final tables containing results are then checked by our validation service: format, content, missing informations, layout of press release, etc.

If results appear abnormal, the validation service contacts the responsible for verification.

Non-response is treated using several imputation techniques, depending on specific cases. If the correlation between data and VAT data is good then VAT data are used to estimate the turnover. Then this value is divided between all products codes which are relevant in the current period.

If the correlation between data and VAT is not good then the past of the respondent unit or the data for the other respondent units are used.

The Prodcom survey is a census consequently grossing and weighting techniques are not used.

Results are aggregated to PRODCOM code level using sas codes. The confidentiality is also treated by semi-automatic sas procedures.

SAS codes allowing also to create the txt file that will be sent to Eurostat.

Some verification checks are made in this code.

At national level, data are published monthly. These data are not including seasonally adjusted series.

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