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egardless of the economic indicators discussed on the nightly network news, it appears from our vantage point that the manufacturing segment is coming back. If we back up two years, all of us in the large-volume measurement industry saw the effect of declining markets. Large manufacturers suspended capital spending to preserve cash flow, affecting the companies who provide the hardware and software necessary to do our jobs.

As a relatively small community, for a period of time it was difficult to know which company your colleagues worked for in any given month, as we saw e-mail addresses shuffle. Longstanding supporters of industry organizations like the Coordinate Metrology Society responsibly tightened their belts and reduced sponsorship spending. Smaller companies choose not to exhibit at conferences. Like many events, attendance at the Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference declined for a short period.

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