In an earlier column, I focused on innovation as I pondered the growing importance of the topic to U.S.

(FDA: Washington, D.C.) -- In response to requirements in legislation that passed Congress with broad bipartisan support, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed that most medical devices distributed in the United States carry a unique device identifier, or UDI.

There has been no shortage of innovations in leak detection design since Uson first developed automated leak testing methods for the U.S. space mission a half century ago and then brought these techniques to various commercial applications.

(Gigahertz-Optik: Newburyport, MA) -- White optically diffuse reflecting material is useful in many lighting design, laser, and reflection and transmission applications, including integrating sphere coating, laser cavities, and reflectance standards.

(Verisurf: Anaheim, CA) -- Join Verisurf at CMSC 2012, July 16–20, 2012, as it demonstrates its latest software release, Verisurf X6.

(Pivot Management Consulting: Maharashtra, India) -- TRIZ (pronounced “treez”) is a leading innovative problem-solving method based on logic and data analysis, which accelerates your ability to solve difficult problems creatively.

(CSS: Farmington, CT) -- Connecticut Spring and Stamping (CSS), a manufacturer of precision parts for the medical, aerospace, firearms, and defense industries worldwide, announces that CSS will present “Self-Directed Work Teams Improve On-time Delivery and Quality,” at the

(NIST: Rockford, IL) -- To highlight the importance of manufacturing to the nation’s economy and draw attention to the many rewarding high-skill jobs available in manufacturing fields, a group of public and private organizations announced the launch of Manufacturing Day for Oct. 5, 2012.

(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology has launched PC-DMIS 2012, the popular metrology software.