Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
In Poland, PRODCOM survey is a part of wider industrial product survey. It is carried out on the basis of Polish Act on Public Statistics (Act on Public Statistics) and the Programme of Statistical Surveys of Public Statistics which is determined annually by the Polish Council of Ministers. Beginning from reference year 2021 it is carried out in accordance with the Regulation (EU) No 2019/2152 of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics, and with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020. In earlier years is was carried out in accordance with the COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) N° 3924/91 on the Establishment of a Community Survey of Industrial Production. The list of products to be surveyed in 2023 production survey was established by EU implementing regulation 2022/2552.
The yearly survey on industrial production is based on PRODPOL nomenclature and is obligatory for all enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, having main or secondary activity within manufacturing (NACE Rev. 2 section C), mining and quarrying (NACE Rev. 2 section B) or recovery of sorted materials (NACE Rev. 2 class 38.32). Requested to report are also some important producers manufacturing industrial products listed in PRODPOL that have other registered activities, as well as manufacturers of pellets and briquettes, of pressed and agglomerated wood and vegetable waste and scrap, employing less than 10 persons.
From the reference year 2021, annually collected data include:
volume of actual (manufactured) production of goods,
volume and value of sold production of goods,
sold value of industrial services,
fee received by sub-contractor for manufacturing goods from materials provided by the principal,
volume of manufactured goods transferred by the sub-contractor to the principal.
Data on production under sub-contracting operations (fee received and volume) are collected in a section of the questionnaire separate from the section for reporting production of goods on own account.
For 2022 reference year, survey population consisted of approx. 37600 units. About 5500 headings were surveyed.
In addition to the yearly survey, monthly survey of a reduced set of headings is also conducted. Units that employ 50 persons or more are requested to participate in the monthly survey. Actual (manufactured) volume and volume of sold production of goods is surveyed (for certain products sold value is surveyed instead of volume).
3.2. Classification system
In Poland, data on production of industrial products are collected in accordance with PRODPOL nomenclature for annual survey), which can be considered extended version of PRODCOM List and is compatible with The Polish Classification of Goods and Services (PKWiU 2015). PKWiU 2015 corresponds to the Classification of Products by Activity (CPA 2.1). In PRODPOL some 8-digit PRODCOM headings are divided into 10- or 12-digit, more detailed codes. In addition to lowest-level codes, for most codes data on aggregates are required (e.g. 6-, 5- ,4- ,3-digit). Unlike in Prodcom, for certain products volume data are required in more than one unit of measure. Volume of actual (manufactured) production is required for all products for which reporting volume of sold production is required. Scope of surveyed products is broader than in PRODCOM: divisions: 05 “Coal and lignite”, 06 ”Crude petroleum and natural gas”, 09 “Mining support services” and 19 “Coke and refined petroleum products” of CPA are surveyed (in PRODCOM, divisions: 05, 06, 09 are out of scope and within division 19 only one heading is surveyed). For more information about classifications used in Polish public statistics please see Classifications.
The PRODPOL nomenclature is revised every year and compatibility with PRODCOM List for each reference year is maintained. PRODPOL is available in the Polish language only: Nomenklatury pochodne produktów (stat.gov.pl)
3.3. Coverage - sector
The yearly survey covers enterprises that, according to Polish Classification of Activities (PKD 2007) based on the NACE Rev.2, have principal or secondary activity classified under section B (Mining and quarrying) or C (Manufacturing) or in class 38.32. In addition, some important manufacturers of industrial products Listed in PRODPOL, with other registered activities (e.g. from construction or trading sectors) are also required to report. Manufacturers of pellets and briquettes, of pressed and agglomerated wood and vegetable waste and scrap (including briquettes of straw) are required to report even if they employ less than 10 persons.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The purpose of the statistics is to show, for each product in the PRODCOM List, how much has been produced in the reporting country during the reference period and what was the value of sold production. From the reference year 2021,presenting separately volume and value of production under subcontracting is also required. It follows that PRODCOM statistics show data on products (not on 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 as help in identifying the enterprises that should be surveyed in order to determine the volume and value of production of a certain product.
The PRODCOM List defines the products to be included in the survey. There are approx. 4000 headings to be surveyed in the List, majority of them are manufactured goods and a certain number of industrial services are also included. In addition, a dozen of headings refer to recovery of sorted secondary raw materials.
Value of sold production as published by Eurostat is expressed in thousands Euro (data on value of production in Poland is converted to Euro by Eurostat from national currency PLN).
Volume of production is expressed in units specified for each product. Not more than one unit is specified for each product in PRODCOM. Volume data are not required for services and for certain manufactured goods - mainly for headings covering various products having significantly different physical characteristics (e.g. unspecified parts of machinery and equipment).
From the reference year 2021, there are three variables representing production: Sold Production (the value and volume of the product sold by the unit within reference period), Production Under Sub-contracted Operations (fee received and volume manufactured within reference period) and Actual Production (the volume of product manufactured within reference period, including both the part that is sold and the part that is retained by the enterprise for adding to stocks, using in further processing etc.).
3.5. Statistical unit
In Poland, in the survey of production of industrial products, legal unit is considered a good proxy for kind of activity unit and is used as observation unit and as reporting unit.
3.6. Statistical population
Target population of the Polish survey includes units employing 10 and more persons and having primary or secondary activities classified to sections B (Mining and quarrying) or C (Manufacturing) or to class 38.32 (Recovery of sorted materials) of PKD 2007 (equiv. to NACE Rev. 2). In addition, important manufacturers of industrial products listed in PRODPOL and having registered activities outside B and C sections are required to participate. Manufacturers of pellets and briquettes, of pressed and agglomerated wood and vegetable waste and scrap (including briquettes of straw) are required to report even if they employ less than 10 persons. PRODCOM requires surveying at least the units employing 20 and more persons. The frame for identifying units for the target population is the Statistical Business Register (BJS) supported by the National Official Business Register (REGON).
3.7. Reference area
PRODCOM statistics is available on national level of the Republic of Poland (no regional breakdown).
3.8. Coverage - Time
The reference period for PRODCOM is currently one calendar year; from 2003 to 2005, in addition to yearly surveys, monthly data on steel production were collected.
PRODCOM statistics on industrial production in Poland are available from reference year 2002 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
For volume: unit of measure is specific to each heading for which volume data is required by PRODCOM. Data on industrial production are transmitted to Eurostat in units of measure as specified in the PRODCOM List.
In the national survey however, for some headings volume data in more than one unit of measurement are required, in order to provide more complete information about quantity of production. Also, volume given in additional unit of measurement provides another tool to assess plausibility of reported data (e.g. unit weight of a product may be calculated and any outlier may indicate erroneous volume data). Units of measure used in national survey for reference year 2023 are available at: Prodpol 2023 (in the Polish language only).
For value: From reference year 2021 value is transmitted in thousands of Polish zloty (PLN); for previous reference years value was transmitted in PLN. In the Polish survey value data are collected and stored as rounded to hundreds of PLN. Data published by Eurostat are converted into EUR.
The latest data available are from the calendar year 2023/
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The survey is carried out in compliance with the following regulations:
at national level: the legal basis of the Statistics Poland responsibility for collection, processing and dissemination of statistics is the Act on Public Statistics of 29th June 1995, with subsequent amendments. Information on the survey is given in the Programme of Statistical surveys of Public Statistics - annual regulation of the Council of Ministers (available only in Polish). Source of PRODCOM data is the yearly survey of production of industrial products on questionnaire P-01, item 1.46.04 of the Programme.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable at Member States level.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
At European level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24, Article 20) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
At national level, all statistics collecting and publishing by Statistics Poland are governed by the Act on Public Statistics. This Law establishes the statistical independence of Statistics Poland. The issue of confidentiality is explained in art. 10, 38 and 38A of the Law on Public Statistics. Statistics Poland cannot publish, or otherwise make available to any individual or organization, statistics that would allow the identification of data for any individual person or entity (exclusion for financial sector entities is provided). There is, however, possibility to publish data regarding business entities of the national economy - if a person authorised to represent the entity concerned has consented to publishing specific data characterising the economic and financial results of this entity.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Poland is applying the principle of active confidentiality. Confidential data are treated in accordance with confidentiality policy. Basically, data cells containing data from less than 3 enterprises are suppressed from publication; similarly, if there is a dominating enterprise (having a share of more than 75%), data cells are suppressed (two criteria for primary confidentiality). In addition to that, data that do not fulfil the above criteria may be flagged as confidential in order to prevent deducting confidential information (secondary confidentiality). In order to reduce the number of confidential cells, action to obtain consent from statistical units to publishing of data has been carried out and considerable part of data cells that would otherwise be confidential, have been disclosed based on obtained consents. The consents are valid till revoked by the unit.
Of 2023 reference year data submitted, 57,0% are confidential. The rate of confidentiality is significantly higher for variables related to subcontracting than for production on own account - apparently because of smaller number of units involved.
8.1. Release calendar
Statistical information of various kinds is published by Statistics Poland in accordance with an approved release calendar. Data on yearly production of selected industrial products are published by Statistics Poland in July. Data on production of the year 2023 (and previous years) were published on Statistics Poland's website on July 31, 2024. PRODCOM data are transmitted for publication to Eurostat at T + 6, then first revision at T + 12 and then revision at T + 18. Additional, unscheduled revisions may happen, if required because of significant corrections of data.
8.2. Release calendar access
The Statistics Poland's release calendar of publications is available on Statistics Poland website.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Public statistics in Poland provide to everyone equal and simultaneous access to the statistical information, especially access to major figures and indicators (Article 14 point 2 of the Act on Public Statistics). Data are released simultaneously to all users and announcements are available on Statistics Poland website.
PRODCOM data are submitted annually to Eurostat and published by Eurostat annually. Data on selected products surveyed monthly at national level are published by Statistics Poland monthly.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Information about new publications containing data on industrial products is placed on Statistics Poland website, in “News” section (along with other news): Statistics Poland website.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Selected annual data on industrial production are released in the following publications of Statistics Poland:
Prodcom data are presented, in addition to other data, in the knowledge database of Statistics Poland. PRODCOM Data from reference year 2010 onwards are available.
Eurostat disseminates PRODCOM value/quantity of total sold production along with trade data (export, import) in the database DS-056120 and manufactured (total) production DS-056121 database.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Selected data annually submitted to: Eurostat (PRODCOM), UN Statistical Division (Industrial Commodity Survey), USGS (Minerals questionnaire), FAO.
Data on production are distributed on special request at aggregated levels.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Documentation on methodology of the Polish survey is available on the website of Statistics Poland. The following information can be found:
Quality reports on yearly survey for internal use are prepared annually.
General documents on quality of statistics are available on the website Quality in statistics.
11.1. Quality assurance
The legal basis of the quality measurement and assessment is the internal Regulation No 35 of Statistics Poland President of 28th December 2011. The quality assessment of statistical surveys is conducted according to an annual quality plan for the official statistics which is in line with the internal Regulation.
Procedures and rules applied in quality assessment and monitoring are based on the ESS Quality Standards, i.e. the ESS Quality Declaration, recommendations of the ESS Leadership Expert Group on Quality (LEG) and the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP).
Quality reports are prepared annually. Reports include analysis of problems and proposals for quality improvement that are subsequently implemented. Measures taken to improve quality in the current survey are also presented. Quality reviews are done when modifications in methodology are made, the latest was done in 2013.
Very important activity in quality assurance of PRODCOM is data validation. In PRODCOM, very detailed information is collected on manufactured products and in some cases providing data on high level of detail may be difficult for respondents. Therefore, collected data are checked in multiple ways, automatically as well as by experts of public statistics. Another way to assure quality of PRODCOM data is providing support to respondents on correct classification of their products.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
As PRODCOM survey requires very detailed information about products, it is crucial to eliminate measurement errors (resulting from incorrect classification, wrong unit of measurement, typing errors etc.) as far as possible. The main quality assurance activity for Prodcom is the data validation, see 18.4. concept. Information systems used for collecting and processing survey data provide large number of plausibility checks that detect dubious or outlying data. If data that are obviously wrong are detected in the questionnaire, it is not possible to submit the questionnaire unless errors of this kind have been removed. In case questionable (but not necessarily wrong) data are detected, explanation by the reporting unit is required. National survey nomenclature, unlike PRODCOM List, requires volume data in more than one physical unit for numerous headings, and this provides additional possibility to detect measurement (reporting) errors – by comparing volume data given in two physical units (e.g. examining unit weight of a certain product).
Statistics Poland is working to further improve quality by improving the web-questionnaire and associated explanatory notes, and also by improving data validation procedures. Data reported for each heading in the questionnaire are subject to large number of logical and arithmetical checks. Comparisons with previous year's data and with other respndents' data are made. However, various automated tests cannot fully eliminate a significant source of errors in PRODCOM reporting, namely classification of products under incorrect code. Errors of this kind are in large part detected during review of submitted data by experts of public statistics.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main users of PRODCOM data are as follows:
international users (Eurostat, UN, OECD, FAO, USGS),
national users, outside public statistics – ministries and other governmental bodies, manufacturing companies, trade associations, media, research institutions, students, researchers, interested individuals,
users within public statistics of Poland – in national accounts, agriculture statistics, price statistics, balance of raw materials etc.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
No user satisfaction survey has been done exclusively for PRODCOM statistic. However, Statistics Poland has feedback information about statistics from contacts with governmental agencies, trade associations and other users.
12.3. Completeness
All industrial production data specified in PRODCOM List are collected and transmitted to Eurostat, with the exception of a few headings related to weapons production which are not disseminated. In the national survey, scope of products covered is broader than required by PRODCOM - products related to NACE Rev. 2 div. 05, 06, 09, not present in PRODCOM, are covered in PRODPOL. Also, representation of products classified within div. 19 is much more complete in PRODPOL than in PRODCOM (value of the only product defined in PRODCOM List within div. 19 constitutes about 0,06% of the value reported for all products in div. 19 in the national survey).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The Statistical Business Register (BJS) supported by the National Official Business Register (REGON) is the source for maintaining the frame of PRODCOM survey. Basically, more units are obliged to participate in the survey than required by PRODCOM. Units to be included in the survey are generated by a cut-off threshold (10 or more persons employed; exception - manufacturers of pellets and briquettes, of pressed and agglomerated wood and vegetable waste and scrap are required to respond even if they employ less than 10 persons) and have their principal or secondary activity classified to sections B or C of NACE Rev.2, or to class 38.32. In addition, important manufacturers of industrial products listed in PRODPOL and having registered activities outside B and C sections are also required to participate in the survey. Unit non-response has obviously negative impact on accuracy of survey data and results in lower totals. Major sources of errors in submitted data are: incorrect classification of products, volume data in wrong unit of measurement and various incidental errors, like typing errors. It should also be kept in mind that not all reporting units have records of production volume in measurement unit required by PRODCOM; if required volume data are not available, reporters put zero or leave the related field blank or try to estimate the volume - and the estimation may be or may not be reliable. In order to improve accuracy, submitted data are automatically checked by built-in procedures of digital questionnaire and data processing software and are also reviewed by experts. Missing data of reporters considered to have significant impact on totals are imputed, if reliable data for the imputation exist.
13.2. Sampling error
There are no sampling errors in PRODCOM survey in Poland as it is a full-coverage survey, with cut-off threshold (basically, units employing 10 and more persons are surveyed).
13.3. Non-sampling error
Typical errors are as follows:
mistakes in classification – assigning products to wrong headings,
volume data provided in wrong unit of measurement,
incidental errors in reporting
non-response.
Mistakes in classification are often detected by experts – by checking reported products with available information on the statistical unit (producer’s website, etc.). In wrong classification cases, automated data checks may show, e.g. unusual unit price or shift to a different product in comparison to the reporting unit’s previous year data. Wrong unit of measure may lead to outliers in unit price and sometimes to unusual rise or drop of production volume/value year to year, easily detected in automated data checks.
In case of unit non–response, statistical office contacts the statistical unit in order to obtain the missing data. Unit response rate in 2023 survey was 58.9%. This is the rate of units that responded, at least partially, in the survey, to units registered as active and obliged to respond. It is not certain, however, how many units that are registered as active and do not report in the survey, in fact produce products listed in the survey nomenclature.
In certain cases, reporting units cannot give full required data on a certain product, e.g. if they do not keep record of production volume in the physical unit required by PRODCOM, and a particular item of data is missing from unit’s report (item non-response). Item non-response rates for the variables in 2023 reference year survey are as follows:
sold production value 0.0%
sold production volume 1.4%
actual production 1.0%
production under subcontracting value 0,0%
production under subcontracting volume 0,9%
In case required data cannot be obtained from the reporting unit or the data obtained is obviously not reliable, imputation is made based on available data. Data from other questionnaires of the unit (previous year production, financial questionnaire - if available) are considered best sources of data for imputation. Latest available precise information on imputation rate is for for 2022 reference year survey. We consider that no factors occurred that could significantly change the rates for the 2023 year survey:
sold production value 1.8%
sold production volume 0.8%
actual production 0.3%
production under subcontracting value 1.0%
production under subcontracting volume 1.2%
Coverage errors are non-sampling errors: undercoverage, overcoverage and multiple listing.
Undercoverage occurs if there are target population units that are not covered by the survey (e.g. enterprises having industrial production but not surveyed). All units that fulfil the criteria of participation in the PRODCOM survey (primary or secondary activities related to industrial production/secondary raw materials, number of employed persons) are informed and requested to respond. In this sense, there is no under-coverage. However, it may happen that a unit that does not fulfil the criteria (e.g. has no registered activities in industrial production), in fact produces products surveyed in PRODCOM (incidentally). Then, there are activity classification errors.
Overcoverage is if units exist in the frame which do not belong to the target population. In Poland, all units that formally fulfil the criteria of participation in the survey are informed and requested to respond. Units having primary, at least, one secondary activity registered related to surveyed production are required to participate. Considerable number of them, however do not conduct industrial production. Activity classification errors also exist.
Multiple-listing does not exist, each reporting unit identified by REGON number is listed only one time.
14.1. Timeliness
PRODCOM data are submitted to Eurostat 6 months after the end of reference year - according to Eurostat's requirements.
In Poland, annual publication on industrial production based on survey on P-01 questionnaire is released in July following the reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
The statistics are usually transmitted to Eurostat and published by Statistics Poland without delay in relation to the scheduled date.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The geographical comparability is given fully on the national level. The results of PRODCOM are comparable to those of the European Union states.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparability of data over time requires stability of definitions. As definitions of PRODCOM headings depend on Combined Nomenclature CN and CPA classification (thus, also on HS harmonized commodity description system and coding, and on NACE classification of economic activities), comparability of PRODCOM data over time is mainly influenced by revisions of NACE, updates of CPA, revisions of HS (usually every 5 years, reflected in CN) and on annual modifications of CN.
An extensive revision of NACE in 2007 has resulted in changes to scope of products covered by particular PRODCOM headings and to numbering, from the 2008 survey onwards, affecting data comparability; some time series were broken. Eurostat publishes past data collected under NACE Rev. 1.1 (1995 -2007) that can be converted, according to the current NACE Rev. 2.
The latest update of CPA (CPA 2.1) broke a certain number of time series (2016/2015). It also resulted in re-numbering of some headings - which made monitoring of affected products more difficult for users, even if time series were not, in fact, broken.
The latest revision of HS that affected PRODCOM 2023 was in 2022.
Starting from reference year 2021, with the entry into force of European Business Statistics regulation, significant change occurred in collecting and publishing data related to production under sub-contracted operations. New variable has been added for collecting and publishing: volume of such production and fee received by the subcontractor. Under this regulation, production under sub-contracted operations is clearly separated from production on own account and should be reported (and published) separately. New variable is disseminated starting from 2021 reference year with some impact on time series of sold production.
Concerning Covid-19 pandemic: basically, the pandemic has no impact on comparability of 2023 data with previous years' data. However, for the 2021 (and following years) production survey certain Covid-related products have been separated from more general headings in the PRODCOM nomenclature.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
PRODCOM data can be compared to external trade data, with some limitations. Because CN headings are used as building blocks for majority of PRODCOM headings, product definitions used in PRODCOM and in external trade statistics are coherent to considerable extent. However, there are also differences, e.g. physical volume units are different in PRODCOM and in CN for certain products, also valuation may be different (transport cost is included in external trade statistics). A simplified declaration procedure for the export of complete industrial plants and classification in PRODCOM of certain products based on their production process, without link to CN, further limit the comparability of PRODCOM and external trade data. Certain PRODCOM headings refer to parts of CN headings, not to full range of goods covered by CN headings. Finally, PRODCOM heading representing services have no equivalents in CN headings. In validation of submitted data on production of industrial products, comparison of PRODCOM and international trade data is useful in checking dubious data reported on production, on micro level. PRODCOM and external trade data can be used for calculating apparent consumption, defined as production + imports - exports.
Value data of PRODCOM aggregates could be compared to a certain extent with SBS and STS data. However, there are methodological differences between these statistics and therefore coherence is not complete. Such comparisons are not conducted systematically.
15.4. Coherence - internal
There are no internal incoherencies in PRODCOM data. The same concepts and methods are used to collect, process, imput and validate all PRODCOM data in Poland. The Polish survey nomenclature PRODPOL is compatible with the PRODCOM List.
For reference year 2023 survey of production of industrial products on P-01 questionnaire, average time to fill out the questionnaire was 40 minutes, average time to prepare the data for survey – 140 minutes. Cost for public statistics was 4 731 693 PLN. The numbers include time and cost of providing data for PRODCOM as well as time and cost of providing data exclusively for domestic needs and not intended to be converted to PRODCOM codes.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Statistics Poland revises published figures in accordance with the Revision Policy for Statistics. The common procedures and principles of the Revision Policy are for some statistics supplemented by a specific revision practice. Annual data on industrial product production may be revised three times a year for a period of four years after the end of the reporting year. In exceptional cases, the data may be subject to revision over a longer period of time - due to the specificity of the industrial products survey related to difficulties in classifying some products in the relevant PKWiU/PRODPOL headings.
17.2. Data revision - practice
PRODCOM data are transmitted to Eurostat at T + 6, then first revision at T + 12 and then revision at T + 18. Unplanned revisions and data transmissions may happen, e.g. if significant changes to PRODCOM data have been made due to corrections of important respondents' reports.
In scheduled transmissions following end of June transmission, typical data corrections are included. If errors in product survey reports are detected after scheduled transmission of data that have significant impact on PRODCOM data, PRODCOM files are updated and transmitted to Eurostat. Major corrections of data having impact on PRODCOM are usually caused by detection of erroneous classification of products by reporting units or by receiving manufacturers' reports that were earlier unavailable. Support for respondents in classifying their products (e.g. search engine for classification of products) and checking reports of major manufacturers / questionable reports with available information on production (e.g. from manufacturers' websites) help to reduce the need for unscheduled transmissions. Sending automatic reminders and contacting non-responding units by public statistics staff are also helpful.
2023 year PRODCOM data, after initial transmission to Eurostat at the beginning of July 2024, were one time updated and transmitted to Eurostat before the end of August, 2024. The update corrected certain data that were found doubtful in Eurostat's analysis. Also, delayed responses from reporting units correcting doubtful data or supplying missing data were taken into account.
18.1. Source data
Source data for PRODCOM are collected on annual P-01 questionnaire on production of industrial products.
Target statistical units are drawn from the Statistical Business Register (BJS) supported by the National Official Business Register (REGON). The survey population is generated by a cut-off threshold, with units with 10 or more persons employed and having principal or secondary activity classified to sections B or C of PKD 2007 (NACE Rev.2; for certain products smaller manufacturers are required to respond); in addition, units with activity 38.32 and important manufacturers of industrial products listed in PRODPOL and having registered activities outside B and C sections, are subject to the survey. The frame for annual survey is established in January of the year following the reference year, based on information in the Register as of the end of the reference year.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data to be transmitted to Eurostat are collected annually.
18.3. Data collection
Questionnaire for collecting data for PRODCOM survey: Annual Report on Production (P-01).
Data are collected via electronic on-line survey (Reporting Portal of Statistics Poland). Electronic questionnaires are pre-filled with codes of products reported by the reporting unit in the previous year (if available); previous year production volume and value are not provided. Only in exceptional cases survey questionnaire can be submitted in printed form or filled by public statistics staff based on email or telephone information from reporting units.
P-01 questionnaire should be filled by respondents on Reporting Portal within a 2-week period in February. Then, units that have not completed the questionnaire are reminded by emails 3 times in weekly intervals and the reporting portal is open for filling P-01 questionnaire for additional 3 weeks. After that, units that have not filled the questionnaire are contacted by email and/or telephone; any further data received are input to the database by public statistics staff.
18.4. Data validation
Questionnaire to be filled on Reporting Portal and survey data processing system have built-in plausibility checks that detect, among others:
inconsistencies between entries within the questionnaire,
significant differences with reference year’s data of the same statistical unit reported on financial questionnaire and in monthly production survey (where applicable),
significant differences with previous year data of the same unit,
outlying unit price of a product
About 170 logical and arithmetic checks are used in order to detect possible errors in reporting.
Obviously wrong data need to be corrected in order to complete the questionnaire. If dubious (but possibly correct) data are detected, reporting unit is required to fill in special explanation field in the questionnaire. The explanations given on questionnaire are analysed by staff of the regional statistical office responsible for data collection, and at a later stage, by the staff of Statistics Poland.
Statistical units are contacted to clear remaining doubts and are required to correct the data, if necessary.
The use of automated tools is only a part of data checking. All data, even not automatically marked as dubious, are reviewed by experts in Statistics Poland. In many cases, reported products are compared with available information on statistical unit’s production (e.g. from the Internet).
18.5. Data compilation
Data on production for non-responding units are imputed if relevant data are available (data from other surveys, previous year’s data). Individual data are aggregated at PRODPOL heading level. PRODCOM data to be transmitted to Eurostat are generated based on the data of national statistics. The national PRODPOL annual data are converted to the 8-Digit PRODCOM codes, confidentiality and comment flags are inserted.
As the PRODCOM survey population is selected from the Statistical Business Register, updating information on secondary activities obtained in the survey is fed back to the register.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
No comment.
In Poland, PRODCOM survey is a part of wider industrial product survey. It is carried out on the basis of Polish Act on Public Statistics (Act on Public Statistics) and the Programme of Statistical Surveys of Public Statistics which is determined annually by the Polish Council of Ministers. Beginning from reference year 2021 it is carried out in accordance with the Regulation (EU) No 2019/2152 of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics, and with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020. In earlier years is was carried out in accordance with the COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) N° 3924/91 on the Establishment of a Community Survey of Industrial Production. The list of products to be surveyed in 2023 production survey was established by EU implementing regulation 2022/2552.
The yearly survey on industrial production is based on PRODPOL nomenclature and is obligatory for all enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, having main or secondary activity within manufacturing (NACE Rev. 2 section C), mining and quarrying (NACE Rev. 2 section B) or recovery of sorted materials (NACE Rev. 2 class 38.32). Requested to report are also some important producers manufacturing industrial products listed in PRODPOL that have other registered activities, as well as manufacturers of pellets and briquettes, of pressed and agglomerated wood and vegetable waste and scrap, employing less than 10 persons.
From the reference year 2021, annually collected data include:
volume of actual (manufactured) production of goods,
volume and value of sold production of goods,
sold value of industrial services,
fee received by sub-contractor for manufacturing goods from materials provided by the principal,
volume of manufactured goods transferred by the sub-contractor to the principal.
Data on production under sub-contracting operations (fee received and volume) are collected in a section of the questionnaire separate from the section for reporting production of goods on own account.
For 2022 reference year, survey population consisted of approx. 37600 units. About 5500 headings were surveyed.
In addition to the yearly survey, monthly survey of a reduced set of headings is also conducted. Units that employ 50 persons or more are requested to participate in the monthly survey. Actual (manufactured) volume and volume of sold production of goods is surveyed (for certain products sold value is surveyed instead of volume).
10 September 2024
The purpose of the statistics is to show, for each product in the PRODCOM List, how much has been produced in the reporting country during the reference period and what was the value of sold production. From the reference year 2021,presenting separately volume and value of production under subcontracting is also required. It follows that PRODCOM statistics show data on products (not on 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 as help in identifying the enterprises that should be surveyed in order to determine the volume and value of production of a certain product.
The PRODCOM List defines the products to be included in the survey. There are approx. 4000 headings to be surveyed in the List, majority of them are manufactured goods and a certain number of industrial services are also included. In addition, a dozen of headings refer to recovery of sorted secondary raw materials.
Value of sold production as published by Eurostat is expressed in thousands Euro (data on value of production in Poland is converted to Euro by Eurostat from national currency PLN).
Volume of production is expressed in units specified for each product. Not more than one unit is specified for each product in PRODCOM. Volume data are not required for services and for certain manufactured goods - mainly for headings covering various products having significantly different physical characteristics (e.g. unspecified parts of machinery and equipment).
From the reference year 2021, there are three variables representing production: Sold Production (the value and volume of the product sold by the unit within reference period), Production Under Sub-contracted Operations (fee received and volume manufactured within reference period) and Actual Production (the volume of product manufactured within reference period, including both the part that is sold and the part that is retained by the enterprise for adding to stocks, using in further processing etc.).
In Poland, in the survey of production of industrial products, legal unit is considered a good proxy for kind of activity unit and is used as observation unit and as reporting unit.
Target population of the Polish survey includes units employing 10 and more persons and having primary or secondary activities classified to sections B (Mining and quarrying) or C (Manufacturing) or to class 38.32 (Recovery of sorted materials) of PKD 2007 (equiv. to NACE Rev. 2). In addition, important manufacturers of industrial products listed in PRODPOL and having registered activities outside B and C sections are required to participate. Manufacturers of pellets and briquettes, of pressed and agglomerated wood and vegetable waste and scrap (including briquettes of straw) are required to report even if they employ less than 10 persons. PRODCOM requires surveying at least the units employing 20 and more persons. The frame for identifying units for the target population is the Statistical Business Register (BJS) supported by the National Official Business Register (REGON).
PRODCOM statistics is available on national level of the Republic of Poland (no regional breakdown).
The latest data available are from the calendar year 2023/
The Statistical Business Register (BJS) supported by the National Official Business Register (REGON) is the source for maintaining the frame of PRODCOM survey. Basically, more units are obliged to participate in the survey than required by PRODCOM. Units to be included in the survey are generated by a cut-off threshold (10 or more persons employed; exception - manufacturers of pellets and briquettes, of pressed and agglomerated wood and vegetable waste and scrap are required to respond even if they employ less than 10 persons) and have their principal or secondary activity classified to sections B or C of NACE Rev.2, or to class 38.32. In addition, important manufacturers of industrial products listed in PRODPOL and having registered activities outside B and C sections are also required to participate in the survey. Unit non-response has obviously negative impact on accuracy of survey data and results in lower totals. Major sources of errors in submitted data are: incorrect classification of products, volume data in wrong unit of measurement and various incidental errors, like typing errors. It should also be kept in mind that not all reporting units have records of production volume in measurement unit required by PRODCOM; if required volume data are not available, reporters put zero or leave the related field blank or try to estimate the volume - and the estimation may be or may not be reliable. In order to improve accuracy, submitted data are automatically checked by built-in procedures of digital questionnaire and data processing software and are also reviewed by experts. Missing data of reporters considered to have significant impact on totals are imputed, if reliable data for the imputation exist.
For volume: unit of measure is specific to each heading for which volume data is required by PRODCOM. Data on industrial production are transmitted to Eurostat in units of measure as specified in the PRODCOM List.
In the national survey however, for some headings volume data in more than one unit of measurement are required, in order to provide more complete information about quantity of production. Also, volume given in additional unit of measurement provides another tool to assess plausibility of reported data (e.g. unit weight of a product may be calculated and any outlier may indicate erroneous volume data). Units of measure used in national survey for reference year 2023 are available at: Prodpol 2023 (in the Polish language only).
For value: From reference year 2021 value is transmitted in thousands of Polish zloty (PLN); for previous reference years value was transmitted in PLN. In the Polish survey value data are collected and stored as rounded to hundreds of PLN. Data published by Eurostat are converted into EUR.
Data on production for non-responding units are imputed if relevant data are available (data from other surveys, previous year’s data). Individual data are aggregated at PRODPOL heading level. PRODCOM data to be transmitted to Eurostat are generated based on the data of national statistics. The national PRODPOL annual data are converted to the 8-Digit PRODCOM codes, confidentiality and comment flags are inserted.
As the PRODCOM survey population is selected from the Statistical Business Register, updating information on secondary activities obtained in the survey is fed back to the register.
Source data for PRODCOM are collected on annual P-01 questionnaire on production of industrial products.
Target statistical units are drawn from the Statistical Business Register (BJS) supported by the National Official Business Register (REGON). The survey population is generated by a cut-off threshold, with units with 10 or more persons employed and having principal or secondary activity classified to sections B or C of PKD 2007 (NACE Rev.2; for certain products smaller manufacturers are required to respond); in addition, units with activity 38.32 and important manufacturers of industrial products listed in PRODPOL and having registered activities outside B and C sections, are subject to the survey. The frame for annual survey is established in January of the year following the reference year, based on information in the Register as of the end of the reference year.
PRODCOM data are submitted annually to Eurostat and published by Eurostat annually. Data on selected products surveyed monthly at national level are published by Statistics Poland monthly.
PRODCOM data are submitted to Eurostat 6 months after the end of reference year - according to Eurostat's requirements.
In Poland, annual publication on industrial production based on survey on P-01 questionnaire is released in July following the reference year.
The geographical comparability is given fully on the national level. The results of PRODCOM are comparable to those of the European Union states.
Comparability of data over time requires stability of definitions. As definitions of PRODCOM headings depend on Combined Nomenclature CN and CPA classification (thus, also on HS harmonized commodity description system and coding, and on NACE classification of economic activities), comparability of PRODCOM data over time is mainly influenced by revisions of NACE, updates of CPA, revisions of HS (usually every 5 years, reflected in CN) and on annual modifications of CN.
An extensive revision of NACE in 2007 has resulted in changes to scope of products covered by particular PRODCOM headings and to numbering, from the 2008 survey onwards, affecting data comparability; some time series were broken. Eurostat publishes past data collected under NACE Rev. 1.1 (1995 -2007) that can be converted, according to the current NACE Rev. 2.
The latest update of CPA (CPA 2.1) broke a certain number of time series (2016/2015). It also resulted in re-numbering of some headings - which made monitoring of affected products more difficult for users, even if time series were not, in fact, broken.
The latest revision of HS that affected PRODCOM 2023 was in 2022.
Starting from reference year 2021, with the entry into force of European Business Statistics regulation, significant change occurred in collecting and publishing data related to production under sub-contracted operations. New variable has been added for collecting and publishing: volume of such production and fee received by the subcontractor. Under this regulation, production under sub-contracted operations is clearly separated from production on own account and should be reported (and published) separately. New variable is disseminated starting from 2021 reference year with some impact on time series of sold production.
Concerning Covid-19 pandemic: basically, the pandemic has no impact on comparability of 2023 data with previous years' data. However, for the 2021 (and following years) production survey certain Covid-related products have been separated from more general headings in the PRODCOM nomenclature.
