And it's thanks to those intangibles -- subtle conveyors of personality -- in the spoken word.

CNN: A call to pick up the phone

Nosbusch was pitching Rockwell's factory controls--nests of computers and sensors that drive tools, conveyors and ovens churning out everything from cars to detergent.

FORBES: Choreographer of the Assembly Line

Almost everything stays at eye level or below, and there are conveyors in only one spot, meaning less machinery that might need attention (and less noise).

FORBES: Magazine Article

In the mid-1990s she remembers locking horns with fellow GM engineers over decisions such as which software to use to control robots and conveyors in its factories.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Their leaves act as reliable conveyors of any flavor or sauce, and the sprouts' size and shape and bright green exteriors make them ideal visual complements for a plated main course.

NPR: Turning a New Leaf on a Misunderstood Sprout

Proprietary machines propel every stage of its new lasagne line in Parma, from the floppy curtains of fresh dough dropping on to conveyors to the dealer that stacks the cut, dried sheets like so many playing cards.

ECONOMIST: The complications of clustering

Once a package and its destination are identified, the Worldport system routes it to the appropriate place, all while keeping track of where each item is at all times on the 33, 245 conveyors and 2.6 miles of tilt-tray sorters.

ENGADGET: Inside UPS' Worldport: How a shipping titan moves 2,000 packages every 17 seconds

In 1994 it led a movement to do away with proprietary controls that had prevented customers from, say, mixing and matching its controllers with other manufacturers' peripherals, like sensors, monitors and actuators (powered doohickeys that control valves, levers and conveyors).

FORBES: Choreographer of the Assembly Line