The nation’s industrial sector was humming in March, with production at factories, mines and utilities rising by 0.6 percent.

The solid performance in overall industrial production, reported by the Federal Reserve on Friday, suggests that the economy was heading into the spring with decent momentum.

The increase registered in industrial activity in March followed a 0.5 percent rise in February and was the largest since December. The showing was better than economists expected.

The strength in March was broad-based. Machinery, consumer appliances, furniture and carpeting, and business equipment all posted production gains. Even the struggling automotive sector saw some improvement. That swamped some weakness in home electronics, textiles and elsewhere.