Construction (west):
Orders reserves worsen

The business conditions in western German construction deteriorated, both in building construction - in particular in residential building - and in civil engineering. With declining building activity, equipment utilisation decreased, but at 58% it was still about a percentage point higher than twelve months ago. The range of order backlogs decreased to 22 production months (July 2002: 2.4 months). More than two thirds of the surveyed firms appraised their order reserves as inadequate.