OTTAWA, Ont. — Shipments dropped by 0.5% in November to $42.2 billion, the second consecutive decline.

A distinct slow down in motor vehicle manufacturing shipments was the main reason for the drop, according to data released by Statistics Canada yesterday. Excluding the recently volatile motor vehicle and parts industries, shipments actually edged up a modest 0.1%.

Only 9 of the 21 manufacturing industries, accounting for 57% of total shipments, posted decreases in November.

Manufacturers of motor vehicles reported a 3.6% drop in shipments to $4.8 billion in November, the second decline in a row. Some assembly plants were temporarily closed for retooling, while others faced production slowdowns for inventory control measures. Year-to-date shipments are down 5.8% from 2002.

Other industries reporting lower shipments included aerospace products and parts (-11.6%), food (-1.6%) and motor vehicle parts (-2.8%).

Partly offsetting the overall decline in total manufacturing, shipments of petroleum and coal products rose 2.2% to $2.8 billion in November. Higher sales of petroleum products for the winter season contributed to the first increase since August. Boosts in manufacturing of machinery (+3.0%) and computers (+3.8%) also contributed to counteracting November’s overall decline.

Although the majority of manufacturers reported higher shipment activity during the month, most increases were modest.