A survey of members of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) forecasts that after four consecutive quarters of decline in capital spending, gradual recovery will begin the first half of this year and continue into the second half.

The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing has announced the recipients of its 14th annual business awards.

Meyer Gage (South Windsor, CT) has achieved ISO 9002 certification.

GE Power Systems (Atlanta) has acquired Panametrics Inc. (Waltham, MA), a provider of ultrasonic testing equipment and process control instrumentation.

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) and its Russian counterpart, the Russian Organization for Quality (ROQ), signed a memorandum of understanding outlining areas of cooperation.

In the story, "Seeing the Factory from Anywhere," (Quality, Sept. 2002, p. 34) two words were inadvertently added to the beginning of the sidebar.

The end of the line for QS-9000 is near.

Ram Optical Instrumentation Inc. (Tempe, AZ) has signed an agreement with software manufacturer Wilcox Associates Inc. (Danville, CA) to incorporate Wilcox's PC-DMIS Vision metrology software on Ram's optical products.

Noted quality expert Dr. Joseph M. Juran is proposing a new, multimillion dollar research effort that could serve as the basis for a "manifesto" on quality leadership.

Amid fanfare that included a laser show and acrobatics, Carl Zeiss IMT Corp. recently unveiled its new U.S. headquarters before more than 300 attendees.