A slow down in vehicle production curtailed Canada’s manufacturing sector in September after strong gains in August, Statistics Canada said today.

Shipments from manufacturers fell by 0.5% to $51.6 billion in September, following August’s gain of 3.1%.

StatsCan said the decline in motor-vehicle manufacturing was partly offset by increases in the aerospace and chemicals products industries.

Excluding the motor-vehicle and parts industries, total manufacturing shipments increased at a “reasonably healthy” pace of 0.6% in September, the federal agency said.

Motor-vehicle manufacturing dropped 8.2% between August and September to $5.7 billion, with seasonal shutdowns and extended production slowdowns at some plants leading to volatility in the sector.