As the economy improves, albeit at a very slow pace, aggregate customer satisfaction with goods and services has improved as well. The ACSI gain for the final quarter of 2011 is very small, but it represents the fourth consecutive quarter without a decline.

After a period of uncertainly, the global automotive industry has emerged cautiously optimistic. The collapse that preceded the revival seemed exacerbated by reactive planning and increasingly shorter-term thinking.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “accelerated learning?” Perhaps you imagine a person zipping through a book at a rapid pace, soaking up every fact and concept at lightning speed.

A few weeks ago I was returning from a business trip in the evening. I was tired after a long day at a conference followed by fighting traffic to the airport.

As Atlantis touched down for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center, it marked the poignant end of the Space Shuttle program. However, the precious cargo it left behind at the International Space Station could lead the way to a new wave of future missions.

Aircraft manufacturing is international, with a complex supply chain dividing work among numerous companies around the world. Globalized manufacturing and outsourcing brings challenges and opportunities for suppliers.

Recent earthquake damage has exposed the vulnerability of existing structures to strong ground movement. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers are analyzing shape-memory alloys for their potential use in constructing seismic-resistant structures.

When I first started learning about lean Six Sigma and familiarizing myself with all the different terminology and methodologies, I was a little overwhelmed and confused by all the abbreviations: FMEA, C&E matrix, Gage R&R, SIPOC... the list seemed endless.

Even though contact “drag” scanning and noncontact laser scanning are prevalent in our industry, there are many manufacturers who still use kinematic touch trigger probes. Questions often come up regarding when a probe should be replaced.

“That’s so 27 seconds ago.” My daughter and I recently heard this catch phrase on a television commercial. We had a good laugh because there was some truth to it. We are living in a world of real-time updates, and it does not stop at news and social media.