Since its founding, Urgent Plastics Services (Rochester Hills, MI) has specialized in the rapid prototyping of injection-molded plastic components.

In Uncommon Sense (April 2002) Andy Magee, senior consultant with the Bourton Group, wrote, "Every business has its superstars. What happens when a bus hits a superstar? No one wants to think about it but there is a reason why insurance companies sell key-man insurance."

By replacing traditional shelving with a vertical storage and retrieval system, Thermo Forma (Marietta, OH) has improved productivity and freed valuable floor space to accommodate growth.

Inherently conductive polymer (ICP) was invented 25 years ago, but its true commercial potential has never been realized.

Metaldyne Corp. (Plymouth, MI) designs and supplies metal-formed components, assemblies and modules for transportation-related powertrain and chassis applications.

Last year’s terrorist attacks have sparked new interest in biometric technology. Biometric access controls compare the biological traits of a user with information stored in a computerized file of authorized individuals.

General Motors Corp. (Detroit) recently unveiled the first vehicle in the world designed from the ground up around a fuel cell propulsion system.

Eurocopter, a helicopter manufacturer, has accelerated its assembly throughput by using the modular Item MB Building Kit System from Item Industrietechnik und Maschinenbau GmbH (Solingen, Germany) throughout their assembly line.

Technological expertise, speed and flexibility have made DaimlerChrysler (Auburn Hills, MI) a driving force in the automotive industry.