Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anoop Desai, Georgia Southern University; Jean-Claude Thomassian, State University of New York, Maritime College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

of technical projects or teams. Thecurriculum gives students an appreciation of both the technical and managerial perspectives ofsolving projects. The degree candidate must have an appropriate undergraduate degree in anengineering, engineering technology, manufacturing, or science discipline.Generally speaking, there are four target audiences for a graduate degree in engineeringmanagement. They are enumerated as follows. Page 15.332.21. Non-traditional technical students working to update their credentials and advance in their careers to administrative positions. These students typical have at least 3 years working experience, oftentimes

Conference Session

IE and Manufacturing

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Pitts, Morgan State University; Ricardo Camilo, Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

originalideas and analytical skills for the solution of concrete problems in the areas of manufacturingsystems, programming, logistics and others. As an attractive educational tool, roboticscontributes to the increase in students’ interest for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math(STEM) concepts.Through this Course, Curriculum and Lab Improvement (CCLI) grant project sponsored by theNational Science Foundation an updated Industrial Robotics and Automated Manufacturing(IRAM) Laboratory will be developed at Morgan State University. The IRAM Laboratory willprovide an improvement in the current facility and combine the integration of additional courseswith a hands-on laboratory approach into the Industrial engineering undergraduate curriculum.These

Conference Session

IE and Manufacturing

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Bouamor, University of Oklahoma; Chen Ling, University of Oklahoma; Binil Starly, University of Oklahoma; Randa Shehab, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

AC 2010-1731: MULTIMODAL LEARNING INTERFACES: ASSESSING THEEFFECTIVENESS OF HAPTIC AND VISUAL INTERFACES ON STUDENTLEARNING OF STATICSSarah Bouamor, University of OklahomaChen Ling, University of OklahomaBinil Starly, University of OklahomaRanda Shehab, University of Oklahoma Page 15.897.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Multimodal learning interfaces: Assessing the effectiveness of haptic and visual interfaces on student learning of staticsAbstractHaptic technology is becoming more widely used as an educational tool. Providing forcefeedback to the students may improve their interest and understanding of the engineeringsubjects. In this

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Upperclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

about their program, program ranking (e.g. US News and World Report or other ranking surveys, etc.)The ABET criterion (h) reads that each student shall have “the broad education necessaryto understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context”. Thenext writing assignment asks each student to select an individual chapter from atechnology and society text concerning case histories where technology has gone awry in Page 15.987.7some way, following the usual sequence of detected serious side effect, newsdevelopment, public alarm, institutional responses, and short and long term resolutions.The carefully researched cases in

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Management

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Czuchry, East Tennessee State University; Michael Parker, Bristol Tennessee Essential Services; Robert Bridges, B&W Y-12 Technical Services, LLC

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

AC 2010-60: ACHIEVING ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY: ANENGINEERING MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE OR OPPORTUNITY?Andrew Czuchry, East Tennessee State University ANDREW J. CZUCHRY received his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in 1969 with a concentration in guidance and control systems engineering. He has more than twenty years experience as a professional manager in technical innovation and the electronics manufacturing industry. Dr. Czuchry has been the holder of the AFG Industries Chair of Excellence in Business and Technology since joining East Tennessee State University in 1992. He has published extensively in refereed journals and proceedings of professional organizations related to his

Conference Session

Project-based Learning and Other Pedagogical Innovations

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Fleishman, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2010-31: WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY'S HYBRID BUS - AMULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO PROJECT BASED EDUCATIONSteven Fleishman, Western Washington University STEVEN FLEISHMAN is currently an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Technology Department at Western Washington University. He joined the Vehicle Research Institute at WWU in 2006 after spending twenty years in automotive drivetrain R&D. Steven.fleishman@wwu.edu Page 15.1362.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010Western Washington University’s Hybrid Bus – A Multidisciplinary Approach to Project-BasedEducationAbstract Western

Conference Session

Enhancing Environmental Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alanna Storey, Western Kentucky University; Andrew Ernest, Western Kentucky University; Jana Fattic, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

AC 2010-1867: KENTUCKY INSTITUTE FOR WATERSHED MANAGEMENTSUPPORTAlanna Storey, Western Kentucky UniversityAndrew Ernest, Western Kentucky UniversityJana Fattic, Western Kentucky University Page 15.824.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 The Kentucky Institute for Watershed Management SupportAbstractThis paper will demonstrate the effectiveness of the university-housed watershed capacitydevelopment approach of the Kentucky Institute for Watershed Management Support (KIWMS).KIWMS engages students in developing and implementing model holistic processes forrehabilitation/regionalization and management for communities with aging on-site wastewatermanagement

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Timmer, University of Texas, Pan American; Miguel Gonzalez, University of Texas, Pan American; Connie Borror, Arizona State Universtiy; Douglas Montgomery, Arizona State University; Carmen Pena, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

activities are widelyaccepted as an important field of engineering management. In today’s global and highlycompetitive business environment, high quality products and services are a necessity. Quality isone method in which organizations compete2. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)3,4has conducted competency surveys and has repeatedly identified quality as an importantcompetency gap in manufacturing.This paper will present a method to address the quality competency gap in the use of statisticalprocess control (SPC) to achieve process improvement. Montgomery5 states that SPC is “one ofthe greatest technological developments of the twenty century because it is based on soundunderlying principles, is easy to use, has significant impact, and

Conference Session

Technical Papers

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dana Denick, Drexel University; Jay Bhatt, Drexel University; Bradley Layton, Drexel University (Eng.)

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

investigate developing informationliteracy skills in first-year engineering technology students. It was found that ongoingcollaboration with faculty and increased student contact improved the effectiveness of librarian-led information literacy instruction. Allegorically, the authors have also found that their ownstudents, even when presented with the proper resources to search for and retrieve peer-reviewedarticles, handbooks and conference proceedings will frequently resort to web references.Examples of this may be found in three works authored with undergraduates. Admittedly, as ofthis writing, the co-author’s own work has fallen victim to the vagaries of online publishing, (e.g.Gadia et al., 2005a, Gadia et al., 2005b, Layton et al., 2007)4-6

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Mills, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Anuradha Nagaraj, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Srivenu Seelam, Texas A& M University-kingsville; Ali Pilehvari, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

chemical engineering subjects, and to broaden studentexposure to emerging technologies. The ICC’s can also be used to review existing concepts andapplications, to gain additional exposure to new technologies that may not be part of any formalcourse, and to develop a more fundamental understanding of the common threads and methodsthat represent the underpinning of their chemical engineering education. The ICC’s are alsoenvisioned as an integrating tool that will help students better recognize the collection of coursesin their program as a unified curriculum.The development, teaching experience, and assessment of an ICC that is focused onmicroprocess technology are described. The latter is a key emerging technology in chemicalengineering that has

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashok Kumar Manoharan, Auburn University; P.K. Raju, Auburn University; Chetan Sankar, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

thestudents involved obtained a thorough understanding of the engineering concepts and alsoimproved their soft skills, including team working, communication, and ethical and problemsolving skills. In-depth information about the evaluation results, course map and instructionalstrategy are provided in this paper.IntroductionEngineering curricula have experimented with multiple methodologies that expose students toreal-world problems. There are also deep concerns about American internationalcompetitiveness, amid indications that the U.S. is doing a relatively poor job at retaining andtraining students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines14.Too many talented students get the impression from introductory courses that

Conference Session

History, Program Design, and even a Journal Club

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Cramer, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Wendy Crone, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Moira Lafayette, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Jeffrey Russell, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Paul Peercy, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Darryl G. Thelen, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Daniel Klingenberg, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Amy Wendt, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

.” Specifically, EB2 encourages members of the CoE community to rethink theacademic culture to address important changes by going beyond boundaries of: • conventional engineering education and recasting our content and approaches for a rapidly changing world. • the classroom, with new technology and multi-media strategies that allow faculty to expand their educational approaches. • the college, with programs supporting greater connections across disciplines such as biology, medicine, business and the humanities. • the state and nation to prepare students to work and succeed in many different countries, cultures and languages.The call for change in engineering education has been studied and reported in a variety of

Conference Session

History, Program Design, and even a Journal Club

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Farison, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Engineering and Technology (ABET) now lists underthe program heading of “Engineering, Engineering Physics, and Engineering Science” plus a fewadditional programs with similar names or with other variations outside of ABET’s standard setof program titles that ABET has assigned to ASEE. This set of programs has been assigned toASEE for purposes of providing program evaluators (PEVs) for accreditation visits.Further, this paper provides a look ahead at the prospective accreditation review load for ASEEPEVs. This information is important in helping to estimate the number of ASEE PEVassignments that will be needed over the next several years. Perhaps surprisingly, that number isnot easily estimated ahead, as only the years for the next scheduled general

Conference Session

Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen Sanford Bernhardt, Lafayette College; Sharon Jones, Lafayette College; Christopher Ruebeck, Lafayette College; Jacqueline Isaacs, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Ph.D. and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, M.S.E. from Stanford University, and B.S.E.E. from Purdue University.Jacqueline Isaacs, Northeastern University JACQUELINE A. ISAACS is a Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University, where she the the principal investigator for the Shortfall game development (NSF CCLI-0717750). Her research focuses on environmentally benign manufacturing. Dr. Isaacs received her Ph.D. and M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University all in Materials Science and Engineering

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hui Shen, Ohio Northern University; Richard F. Miller, Ohio Northern University; David Sawyers, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2010-1307: RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AT AN UNDERGRADUATEINSTITUTIONHui Shen, Ohio Northern University Dr. Shen is an assistant professor at Ohio Northern University. She teaches Statics, Dynamics, and Materials Science. She has conducted undergraduate research work for a few years since she came to Ohio Northern University.Richard F. Miller, Ohio Northern UniversityDavid Sawyers, Ohio Northern University DAVID R. SAWYERS, JR. is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Ohio Northern University, where he teaches courses in General Engineering and in the Thermal Sciences. He received a BSME degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and the MS and PhD, both in Mechanical

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mahmoud Quweider, University of Texas, Brownsville; Juan Iglesias, U of Texas at Brownsville; Katherine De La Vega, University of Texas at Brownsville

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

computational,mathematical, and scientific requirements of the course. The Senior Project is a capstone projectwhere students integrate their scientific as well as their software design and implementationknowledge to a real-world problem. As our institution is a minority serving one, we have strivedto attract female students to the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fieldsthrough different means including active recruitment, mentorship programs, scholarships, andinternships, just to name few. Our latest effort, reported in this paper, is to allow female studentsto select an area of great impact on their health and/or social well-being, and to investigate it indepth through their senior projects. The approach is called Collaborative

Conference Session

Robotics Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Fred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

fundamentally multi-disciplinary, drawing on Electrical Engineering,Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and many other academic disciplines. While manyprograms include Robotics as an element within a discipline such as Electrical of MechanicalEngineering, the Robotics Engineering Program at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute took adecidedly different approach.Specifically, rather than looking at Robotics as an element within a larger engineering discipline,we have viewed Robotics as an engineering discipline unto itself, one which draws from otherengineering disciplines but which, as in other disciplines, has an independent philosophy whichunderlies the application of technology to the solution of problems. Just as Mechanical Engineerssolve

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Foster, George Fox University; Chad Hammerquist, George Fox University; Robert Melendy, George Fox University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

hands-onplatform from which to teach both areas of control can be found in the process controlindustry—the programmable logic controller (PLC).A few industrial, chemical, and electrical engineering as well as various technology programshave included some introduction to PLCs into their programs, where they are often presented aspart of a laboratory course. However, several programs have begun offering courses dedicated tolearning and applying PLCs. In contrast, very few mechanical engineering programs offer anyexposure to PLCs throughout the curriculum. 14,25 Yet, they remain the most common and usefulcomponent in controlling manufacturing processes and machinery. Mechanical engineers need tounderstand how issues of control can affect their

Conference Session

Lean and Green

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Terri Lynch-Caris, Kettering University; John Sutherland, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

thatengineering education must address contemporary challenges through multidisciplinary teams sostudents will gain the ability to communicate across disciplines. Educators are also called uponto encourage young people to pursue an engineering career through creative ideas and teamworkto promote the idea of a satisfying profession.11 In addition, students must understand state-of-the-art technology and the complexities associated with a global market and social concerns.Specifically, natural resource and environmental issues will continue to frame world challengeswith creative ideas needed to find solutions.Bringing sustainability topics into an engineering curriculum requires a multi-disciplinaryapproach as evidenced by the various perspectives that

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Ronald Rosenberg, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

modeler with a long history of innovation both in systems level modeling and in instruction on systems concepts. Page 15.337.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Curricular Design for 21st Century Engineering Management: Need, Design Considerations and ImplementationAbstractThe Journal of Engineering Education, in a special 2005 issue subtitled The art and science ofengineering education research, emphasized a recommendation drawn from the NationalAcademy of Engineering report The Engineer of 2020: “engineering education should berevitalized to anticipate changes in technology and society

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions - Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Goodarz Ahmadi, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

record users testing out the website.In the first test on the early version of the website twelve student volunteers participated:six Mechanical Engineering majors and six Information Technology majors. Informationfrom these tests was communicated to the website designers. A year later after thewebsite had been redesigned a second usability test was conducted with two Mechanical Page 15.328.15Engineering majors and three Information Technology majors 14For both test sessions a list of twelve tasks was devised that would cover a variety ofpossible uses of the website. All tasks required the students to search

Conference Session

The New ABET CE Criteria - Program Development

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debra Larson, Northern Arizona University; Allen Estes, California Polytechnic State University; Norman Dennis, University of Arkansas; Ronald Welch, University of Texas, Tyler; Carol Considine, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

AC 2010-134: EXCEED II: ADVANCED TRAINING FOR EVEN BETTERTEACHINGDebra Larson, Northern Arizona University Debra S. Larson is a Professor and Associate Dean for the College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. She served as department chair for civil and environmental engineering at NAU for four years. Prior to her faculty appointment at NAU, Debra worked as a structural and civil engineer for various companies. She is a registered Professional Engineer in Arizona. Debra received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University. She received her Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Arizona State

Conference Session

Technical Papers

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Virginia Baldwin, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

AC 2010-736: OPEN ACCESS AVAILABILITY OF PUBLICATIONS OF FACULTYIN THREE ENGINEERING DISCIPLINESVirginia Baldwin, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Professor Virginia (Ginny) Baldwin is the Engineering, Physics, and Patent and Trademark Librarian at University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She received her MLS Degree from Indiana University in 1990. Her BS in Mathematics is from the University of North Carolina, and her MS in Mathematics is from Florida Institute of Technology. She is a member of the Engineering Libraries Division and is currently serving as Past Chair of the Science & Technology Section of the Association of College & Research Libraries Division of the American

Conference Session

Sustainability, Service Learning, and Entreprenuership

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randall Brouwer, Calvin College; Steven VanderLeest, Calvin College; Paulo Ribeiro, Calvin College; Robert Medema, Calvin College

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

, Parallel, OverhaulAt Michigan Tech, the Enterprise program provides course credit to students who participate ininterdisciplinary projects, often with an entrepreneurial focus. These course credits can apply toan Enterprise Concentration or Enterprise Minor.8 The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) hasa program called Interprofessional Projects Program (IPRO) and requires engineering students toparticipate in at least two interdisciplinary design projects through that program. TheEntrepreneurial Projects Program (EnPRO) expands IPRO with entrepreneurially-focused Page 15.843.5projects.9 Both universities have made sure the team

Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Curricula

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Programs. Effective for Evaluations During the 2009-2010Accreditation Cycle. ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission. www.abet.org2. Davidson, C.I., H.S. Matthews, C.T. Hendrickson, M.W. Bridges, B.R. Allenby, J.C. Crittenden, Y. Chen, E.Williams, D.T. Allen, C.F. Murphy, and S. Austin. 2007. Adding sustainability to the engineer’s toolbox: achallenge for engineering educators. Environmental Science & Technology. July 15. 4847-4850.3. American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE). 2009. Environmental Engineering Body ofKnowledge. AAEE, Annapolis, MD.http://www.cece.ucf.edu/bok/pdf/EnvE_Body_of_Knowledge_Final.pdf4. Reed, Brian E. 2008. Database ABET Environmental Engineering Degrees. University of Maryland– Baltimore County. Dept. of

Conference Session

Accreditation and Continuous Quality Improvement -- What the Experts Are Saying!

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Ressler, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

Page 15.209.5profession. For over a decade, ASCE has been involved in an ambitious effort to better preparecivil engineering professionals to meet the technological, environmental, economic, social, andpolitical challenges of the future.5 This “Raise the Bar” initiative attained an importantmilestone in October 1998, when the ASCE Board of Direction formally adopted PolicyStatement 465. The most recent version of this policy is as follows: The ASCE supports the attainment of a body of knowledge for entry into the practice of civil engineering at the professional level. This would be accomplished through the adoption of appropriate engineering education and experience requirements as a prerequisite for licensure.6In

Conference Session

Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bette Grauer, Kansas State University; Diana Grauer, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

engineering.For an introduction to environmental engineering applications, students visit the National GasMachinery Laboratory of Kansas State University to investigate exhaust emissions. The activitydescribed in this paper has been developed to provide both a problem solving and a laboratoryactivity on exhaust emissions. The students spend three two hour sessions on the activity.During the first session, the students are introduced to the technology and perform the initialproblem development and discussion portions of the activity. During the second session, thestudents perform the laboratory, collecting the data using the emissions analyzer. During thethird session, students analyze the data and discuss the results. Student comments about theactivity

Conference Session

ELD Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Larry Thompson, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

AC 2010-536: SEEKING AND FINDING THE AEROSPACE LITERATURE FROM1996 - 2010: AND, THE WINNER IS . . . GOOGLELarry Thompson, Virginia Tech Page 15.1056.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Seeking and Finding the Aerospace Literature From 1996 – 2010: And, The Winner Is . . . . . . . . . . . GoogleAbstractThe Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR) has been a standard resource inlibraries since its inception in 1963. Beginning in 1996 the title was only available online andrecently NASA has limited online access to the most recent two years. This paper compares theindexing in STAR with other standard resources such as the NASA

Conference Session

Sustainability, Service Learning, and Entreprenuership

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shekar Viswanathan, National University, San Diego; Howard Evans, National University, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

interdisciplinary program taught by faculty members from threedifferent schools, namely the school of engineering and technology, the school ofbusiness and management and the college of letters and sciences is expected to make thisdegree program relevant and appealing to professionals from many disciplines.IntroductionThe term "sustainability" began with the 1987 publication of the World Commission onEnvironment and Development’s report, defined as "development that meets the needs ofthe present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their ownneeds."1,2 A combination of forces, including an unprecedented growth in population,economy, urbanization, and energy use, is imposing new stresses both on the earth'sresources and on society's

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Management

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

Motorola. His interests include engineering management, technological literacy, and real-time embedded systems. Page 15.494.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Engineering Management Performance Monitoring Methods Utilized by Manufacturers to Become More CompetitiveAbstractTo become more competitive, organizations have made changes in their operations,manufacturing techniques, and business practices. Innovative technologies are being used,machinery updated, and new strategies followed. Many have also implemented improvementprograms to enhance quality, increase efficiency, and streamline