The July reading of the Production Index at 58.5% was 6.3 percentage points higher than June’s reading of 52.2%. The Backlog of Orders Index registered 55%, up 4.5 percentage points compared to the 50.5% recorded in June. The manufacturing industry added 3,000 jobs in June, a small improvement from May. The Supplier Deliveries Index reading of 58.9% was up 1.5 percentage points from its June reading of 57.4%. “We are seeing a very opportunistic and reactive marketplace,” said one respondent in the chemical products industry.