Ready or not, those of us in manufacturing are (mostly) all back to work, coronavirus or not. It’s tough to make things via Zoom. While many office workers will be working from home for the foreseeable future, manufacturing personnel are back in the trenches. So, let’s talk about how to ensure that going to work doesn’t turn into a stop on the way to intensive care.

NEW YORK — A recent Thomas survey reporting on COVID-19's impact on the U.S. manufacturing and industrial sectors reveals that 64 percent of manufacturers report they are likely to bring manufacturing production and sourcing back to North America. Additionally, the survey finds that one in four U.S. manufacturers are considering expanding industrial automation.

For the past few months, countless manufacturers worldwide have retooled to make personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and first responders in their battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of their stories.

As the coronavirus pandemic has continued to grow, personal protection equipment has become a necessity for more than medical professionals.

FREMONT, CA — Multiple Tesla employees working here have tested positive for COVID-19.

SAINT JOSEPH, MI—A pair of systems integrators in southwestern Michigan have come together to make sure local first responders have the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need.

WESTBROOK, ME—Systems integrator Lanco Integrated has completed an automated assembly system to produce components for coronavirus test kits. Typically, designing and building such a machine would take approximately 35 weeks, including design, engineering and manufacturing. Lanco had it ready in just eight weeks.

STUTTGART, Germany—After suspending production for a short time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercedes-Benz has successfully restarted production at its assembly plants worldwide.