(ACSI: Ann Arbor, MI) -- Customer satisfaction with the goods and services that people buy in the United States remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

(Jesse Garant & Associates: Windsor, ON, Canada) -- Using computer tomography (CT) technology similar to what has been used in the medical industry for years, Ontario-based Jesse Garant & Associates has adopted and expanded this technology for automotive, mining applications, and medical

(EtQ Inc.: Farmingdale, NY) -- EtQ Inc. has announced the addition of new and enhanced features in its latest release, Reliance 7.0.

(Creaform: Lévis, QC, Canada) -- Creaform has launched the fourth version of the proprietary software VxScan.

(Catalyst Development Corp.: Yucca Valley, CA) -- Catalyst Development Corp., publisher of software components and applications, recently announced the release of ChoiceAnalyst, the first affordable decision support tool with application to Six Sigma decision making.

(Cox Instruments: Scottsdale, AZ) -- COX Instruments, a supplier of precision and industrial flow measurement instrumentation for the world’s most demanding applications, has announced its turbine flowmeters are now available with ceramic ball bearings.

(Mountain Home: Denver, CO) -- Mountain Home Training and Consulting Inc., a provider of continuous process improvement (CPI) training and certification, has shaken up their own industry during the last six months with some innovative approaches to the way they do business.

When I was in Sweden recently, we had a lot of good discussion about the lean concept of “standardized work.”

(Cognex Corp.: Natick, MA ) -- Cognex Corp. has announced 3D-Locate, a library of 3-D vision software tools that expands application possibilities in vision-guided robotics, assembly, and inspection. 

(NSAI: Nashua, New Hampshire) — Even though no firm action was taken during the 2009 Climate Conference in Copenhagen, the U.S. administration has still pledged that the country will tighten carbon emission regulations.