Elcometer (Manchester, UK) has acquired Protovale Oxford Ltd., manufacturers of industrial metal detection equipment for the concrete, timber and utilities industries. Protovale Oxford Ltd. will become part of the Elcometer worldwide business network and will be rebranded Protovale by Elcometer.

Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. (Herzlia, Israel) announced that Engineering Bausch und Ziege GmbH (EBZ), a leading German automotive engineering firm, has signed a $500,000 contract with Tecnomatix for use of eMPower solutions, which will serve as the cornerstone of EBZ's MPM environment.

4aBetterBusiness Inc. (Northfield, IL) announces the ISO/TS 16949: 2002 Transition Toolkit. This all-electronic toolkit helps companies transition from QS-9000 to ISO/TS 16949: 2002. It includes process-approach guidance, guided gap analysis, quality manual and time-saving quality management system directory, templates for competency and manufacturing process design, standards cross-reference, transition planning guidance, project tracking and more than 30 implementation worksheets and resources for implementation and ongoing support. This toolkit follows the same format as the company's ISO 9001: 2000 Transition Toolkit. See free demo at www.4abetterbusiness.com/seeall.htm.

Six Sigma Academy (Scottsdale, AZ) has announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with For CEOs Only Inc., the parent company of the G100, the network of 100 of the world's most influential chief executives. The partnership is aimed at bringing Six Sigma Academy's best-of-breed approach to leading organizations and to continue to evolve the Six Sigma methodology to the specific needs of the Fortune 500 and Global 2000.

For the second year in a row, Boeing (Chicago) has been named the No. 1 employer by engineering and science college students, according to the 2003 Universum Undergraduate Survey.

Sidney Tool & Die Inc. has received ISO 9001: 2000 certification and is working on AS9100 certification.

Quality Vision International Inc. (Rochester, NY) has announced an exclusive marketing agreement with Apollo Research Corp. (Buffalo, NY) for its Feather Probe technology for vision and video applications. The Feather Probe uses a proprietary technology to provide single-point probing with as little as one milligram of pressure. QVI plans to incorporate the Feather Probe as an option for multisensor measurement systems from its Optical Gaging Products division.