The following are commentaries provided by representatives from industry. These short articles lend an additional context in which to appreciate the importance of the issues and mechanisms discussed in the technical articles. The authors of the commentaries point out that the basic principles that underlie the influence of scale on material behavior are not only interesting in their own right, but also are directly applicable to issues of great significance to designers and manufacturers of small-scale devices and structures. In addition, directions for future emphasis are suggested.