Staff of Reuters 2 minutes In the facility of IceStone, a manufacturer of recycled glass countertops and surfaces, on New York City, New York, United States, on June 3, 2021, a worker in a forklift raises a fresh slab. ANDREW KELLY/REUTERS (Reuters) – WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Despite supply chain constraints, new orders for American-made goods increased substantially in May, while company investment on equipment remained steady. Factory orders increased 1.7 percent in May after falling 0.1 percent in April, according to the Commerce Department. Factory orders were expected to rise 1.6 percent, according to economists polled by Reuters. On a year-over-year basis, orders grew 17.2 percent. Manufacturing employs 11.9 percent of the workforce in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, massive fiscal stimulus stimulated demand for long-lasting manufactured goods, with millions of Americans working from home and learning remotely. As the epidemic shattered supply networks and disrupted the global shipping industry, factories are trying to keep up. Manufacturing activity increased marginally in June, according to the Institute for Supply Management. A 7.7% increase in orders for transportation equipment bolstered factory goods orders in June. Electrical equipment, appliances, and component orders increased by 1.3 percent. Unfilled factory orders increased by 0.8 percent in May, following a 0.4 percent increase in April. Orders for non-defense capital goods, excluding aircraft, rose 0.1 percent in May instead of falling 0.1 percent as reported last month, according to the Commerce Department. Orders for non-defense capital goods, excluding aircraft, are considered as a barometer of business spending plans on equipment. Shipments of core capital goods, which are used to compute business equipment investment in the GDP report, jumped 1.1 percent, up from the 0.9 percent gain forecast last month. Lucia Mutikani contributed reporting, and Chizu Nomiyama edited the piece./n
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