In 2005 BNP Media plans to offer an entirely updated edition of the College of Product Knowledge training manual. This nearly 300-page book was originally compiled from a series of articles that ran for three years in PM's sister publication, Supply House Times, beginning in 1979.

Authored by Don Arnold, an independent designer who has developed products for manufacturers around the world, the original print version of the manual sold for many years, becoming something of an industry classic.

Though it has been out of print for some time, the need and demand for it has continued, and as a result, BNP commissioned Arnold to bring it up-to-date for republishing. Not only is the content now in step with the times, but it is in CD format, as well.

In addition to an overall updating that reflects changes and new technologies, this edition has been expanded considerably in regard to upscale product categories. The CD also includes an interactive table of contents, which allows the user to go straight to a particular article by clicking on its title. u

Visit Booth No. 939 at ISH North America to get a preview and sign up for limited-time advance orders of the College of Product Knowledge CD. Advance orders are discounted to just $97 per CD, vs. $127 when the CD is officially released in January 2005. It also will be available online through the BNP Media market research site: www.bnpmedia.com/mkt_resrch.htm