Dec 8, 2017 - Higher sales volumes for chemicals and plastics producers helped lift manufacturing in the September 2017 quarter, Stats NZ said today. The total volume of manufacturing sales rose 0.3 percent in the September 2017 quarter compared with the June 2017 quarter, when adjusted for seasonal effects. This follows a 1.0 percent increase in the June 2017 quarter. Six of the 13 manufacturing industries saw sales rise in the September 2017 quarter. The largest movements were chemical, polymer, and rubber product manufacturing, up 3.7 percent, and transport equipment, machinery and equipment manufacturing, up 2.8 percent. “The September quarter’s…