By a lot of measures, the U.S. economy—and manufacturing, in particular—are doing pretty well.
Manufacturing employment has grown for 16 straight months and is now at its highest level since April 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall, U.S. employers have added more than 2.2 million jobs so far this year, and the unemployment rate has plunged to a six-year low of 5.8 percent.