"Happy Days Are Here Again” was a popular song back in the 1930s. Assemblers in many industries have been singing an updated version of the tune lately, because the new golden age of American manufacturing has begun. Production activity continues to pick up, bolstered by domestic oil and gas production, growing consumer confidence and widespread reshoring activity.

The 19th annual ASSEMBLY State of the Profession survey captured some of that optimism. A majority (93 percent) of respondents expect their company to commit either the same amount or more resources toward assembly operations in the next year. That’s 9 percentage points higher than in 2013 and the highest margin in the history of the study.