New orders received by factories in the US rose 6.2%, according to Commerce Department data, while shipments of goods increased by 9.8%. Motor vehicles and transportation equipment were leading categories for the month.

Trek Bicycle expected business to plummet because of the pandemic but instead saw the opposite, sparking a rush to level up production and also help small businesses that sell Trek products. "The company developed a comprehensive guidebook of operational instructions for retailers called 'How to Survive the Season,' offering signage, floor plans, traffic directions, safety precautions, and other tips for doing business at a time of social distancing," writes Larry Kanter.

American Leather quickly switched from producing made-to-order furniture to making thousands of hundreds of thousands of protective masks and gowns, says President Veronica Schnitzius says. She also discusses her career path in manufacturing and the value of working in many departments.

The 1.33 million tons of US steel produced last week represented 59.3% of capacity, a marked improvement from the pandemic-related low of 51.1% in the week ended May 2. However, the latest measure from the American Iron and Steel Institute was down sharply from the year-earlier 79.3% figure.

The logistics and warehouse sector has been "writing a new script each and every day" during the coronavirus pandemic, with changes in warehouse site selection and greater adoption of robotics, writes consultant John Boyd. He also predicts accelerated reshoring and greater demand for cold storage.

Field service operations is one example of how diesel manufacturer Cummins is digitizing core operations, Chief Information Officer Sherry Aaholm says. The company is also expanding its IT footprint to product engineering, which is part of shifting "the IT organization from buying and installing software packages to building software as intellectual property," she says.

Chevron plans to add 500 megawatts of installed renewable energy capacity over the next four years, with a focus on Texas, New Mexico, Australia, Kazakhstan and Argentina. Wind and solar costs continue to decline while maintaining grid reliability, making the energy sources a great fit for Chevron's oil and gas operations, says spokesperson Veronica Flores-Paniagua.

A new tech training hub for jobs in STEM industries, such as cybersecurity, aerospace and robotics, is set to open in San Antonio, Texas, to help create a qualified pipeline for available opportunities at Port San Antonio. No prior experience is required to receive the free training, which initially will be targeted toward individuals who are unemployed.