Some celebrities have made a career out of reinventing themselves, regularly transforming their images to maintain their “hip” or “cool” status, allowing them to be more appealing to new generations of audiences.
Although it could be considered a transformation of sorts—and the audience certainly is the reason for the new focus of this magazine—I still would object to placing Aerospace Engineering & Manufacturing (AEM) in the same category as those who keep the paparazzi in business. Yes, it has undergone a number of changes. Yes, its very name has been expanded to better reflect the new focus of the magazine. But these changes are based on significant customer feedback and research and have been implemented with only one objective in mind: to benefit the reader.
The new AEM is dedicated to offering expanded coverage that will address the latest manufacturing and assembly developments. It is the only publication that will regularly showcase the critical engineering and manufacturing collaboration in new-product development programs required in the aerospace industry. All of these enhancements are showcased in a bold new design with a larger, more readable, and more visual format.
Speaking of visual, you may notice that the words on this page now are accompanied by my photo, and the Editorial article a few pages back includes the Editor’s photo as well. Never underestimating the value in “putting a name with a face,” our hope with this change is to provide a bit more of a connection and personalization to your reading experience.
These updates correspond well with an article that appears in the January issue of Automotive Engineering International (one of two sister publications of this magazine), “Visually Speaking,” which addresses the concepts of brand DNA and vehicle personalization. Much like consumers desire to have their cars personalized according to their needs and wants, we believe that the readers of our magazines deserve a more personalized experience with SAE magazines. While we have not yet reached the point of allowing you to choose the color of paper your copy is printed on, we have done our research to get an overall idea of what readers want, which led to the new magazine (and the changes to Automotive Engineering International and AEM’s other sister publication, SAE Off-Highway Engineering). And providing a number of options increases personalization as well, allowing readers to choose the format that best fits their lifestyle and preferences. This is one of the primary reasons that we rolled out our digital magazines in 2006, recognizing the increasing popularity of paperless delivery. The digital formats of SAE’s magazines are available only to SAE members. To join SAE and gain access to all three digital editions, visit www.sae.org/membership and click on the “Join SAE” link. If you are already a member, you can go to the same page, click on the “Digital Editions” link, and sign into your account.
It is my hope that you find the new AEM thoroughly readable and beneficial. As always, I encourage you to provide your feedback on the new magazine or anything relating to AEM by e-mailing aem@sae.org. Hopefully, the magazine’s transformation will transform your reading experience into an even more positive one.
Raymond A. Morris, SAE Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer