ANN ARBOR—The deterioration in customer satisfaction across all industries in the United States continued in 2020, with a 0.9 percent drop in the fourth quarter to a score of 73.7 (out of 100), according to the national American Customer Satisfaction Index. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated things, the decline in ACSI began more than
ANN ARBOR—Officials at DaySmart Software, the developer of business management software for salon, spa, tattoo, and pet care entrepreneurs, announced the acquisition of Redwood City, Calif.-based Vetter Software, provider of cloud-based veterinary practice management software. This acquisition expands DaySmart’s pet services platform to serve veterinarians, groomers and kennel facilities. Founded in 2011 by Sagi Solomon, Vetter’s
LIVONIA—Masco Corp. announced the establishment of Masco Ventures, which will invest in companies that advance Masco’s commitment to innovation. A fully owned subsidiary of Masco, Masco Ventures is a $50 million venture capital fund focused on startups that are strategically relevant to Masco’s industry-leading brands, which include Behr paint, Delta and Hansgrohe faucets, bath and
JONESVILLE—Officials at Consumers Energy announced that it had taken ownership of the 166-megawatt Crescent Wind farm in Hillsdale County, which is now producing clean, renewable energy for residents and businesses in Michigan. Said Dennis Dobbs, vice president of enterprise project management, engineering and services for Consumers Energy: “It’s amazing to consider the addition of Crescent Wind
CANTON TWP.—Officials at Lotus International Co., a Shell consumer products brand licensee, announced the debut of Shell Ride SR-5S e-scooter in North America. This is the first offering in the Shell e-mobility line of products. The electric SR-5S boasts a sleek design and provides a lower-carbon means of transport for personal journeys. Its features include:
WASHINGTON, D.C.–DiscoverE, the organization behind National Engineers Week, is seeking volunteer judges for its Future City national competition in which middle schoolers design and build a model of a city set more than a century in the future. Judges watch teams’ video presentations, ask teams questions live via Zoom, and use a detailed scoring rubric
SOUTHFIELD—Middle school and high school students are invited to solve the technological challenges of tomorrow as part of Lawrence Technological University’s celebration of National Engineers Week. The LTU E-Week Challenge asks students to submit a written essay of up to 500 words or a one-minute video on solving a scientific, engineering, or technological challenge. The
DETROIT—Amesite Inc., the artificial intelligence software developer, announced that it will now offer six-week certification courses through Wayne State University on autonomous vehicle technologies, data science, electric vehicle technologies, mobility as a service, and programming for autonomous systems. “We chose to partner with Amesite because they offer the most advanced online learning platform in the
SOUTHFIELD—The Metro Detroit chapter and the University of Michigan student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers will host a virtual event on “Opportunities nad Trends in the Automotive Industry.” The free event runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Feb. 11. The event will inform attendees on how mechanical engineers
DEARBORN—Ford Motor Co. and Google have announced a partnership to create new services for connected vehicles. Ford also named Google Cloud its preferred cloud provider, and said that beginning in 2023, future Ford and Lincoln vehicles at all price points will be powered by Android, with Google apps and services built-in. The partnership includes a
