WHITTIER, CA-The International Accreditation Service (IAS) has introduced a new program that accredits Product Certification Agencies under ISO/IEC Guide 65, General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Systems.

AUBURN HILLS, MI-Plexus Systems Inc., provider of the on-demand manufacturing performance system Plexus Online, is sponsoring a new benchmark report, The Enterprise Value of Plant Floor Visibility, by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Co.

SKOKIE, IL-Manufacturing engineers, machine builders and others in need of application-specific information on leak testing and functional testing can now access an online library of leak test and functional test applications in the recently revamped InterTech Development Co. Web site, www.intertechdevelopment.com.

ORLANDO, FL-National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President John Engler praised the contribution of Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to the U.S. economy and said NAM “strongly supports adequate funding for the MEP.”

TEMPE, AZ-The Institute for Supply Management reported that manufacturing activity increased in April with the manufacturing index hitting its highest mark since last May. On the other hand, commodities prices continue to rise at a rapid rate, with metals and energy being the areas of greatest concern.

CLEARWATER, FL-More than 120 of the top quality measurement professionals in the United States gathered in the sun for four days of the 2007 Manufacturing & Measurement Conference & Workshop (MMCW) in Clearwater, FL, April 23 to 26. Held at the Marriott Sand Key resort, attendees heard from top professionals in manufacturing about the challenges and solutions of making measurement and quality an effective tool for their companies.

ORLANDO-The 2007 ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement, “Fueling Innovation Through People and Quality,” April 30 to May 2, offered attendees a chance to learn from experts and other quality professionals.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ-CyberMetrics Corp. a privately held software and solutions provider founded in 1988, has acquired American Quality Systems Inc. (AQS), a provider of low–to–mid priced calibration, and maintenance management software products. The acquisition of American Quality Systems is another in a series of events chronicling a continued period of growth for CyberMetrics Corp. In February, CyberMetrics announced it had posted record company revenues during the fiscal year ending December 31, 2006. Sales of CyberMetrics’ flagship product, Gagetrak, increased 25% and the company’s overall operating margin rose by nine percentage points during that timeframe.

MELVILLE, NY–Nikon Instruments Inc. announces the appointment of Yoshinobu Ishikawa as president and chief executive officer. Ishikawa will be in charge of all Nikon Instruments divisions in North America and Latin America.

PHOENIX-Nearly half of the current membership of the American Measuring Tool Manufacturers Association (AMTMA) gathered for a three-day meeting March 14 to 16 in Phoenix. The annual meeting had several firsts-its first end user as a member, its first meeting under the leadership of the members themselves and its first in-depth look at the market in which their measurement tools are used.