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April 14, 2006 4:00 PM, EDT

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ndustrial production rose 0.6% in March, the Federal Reserve said Friday.

The production increase at factories, mines and utilities followed a followed a 0.5% gain in February, the Fed said.

Economists had forecast a 0.5% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Manufacturing, which accounts for about 90% of the index, rose 0.5% following a 0.1% decline. The factory sector is one of trucking’s largest and most important customers.

The share of industrial capacity in use rose to 81.3%, the highest in five-and-a-half years, from an 81% in February.