Manufacturing & Industrial Technology

Riyadh – – October 08, 2026 -- OrbitronAI and Aramco Digital have signed a strategic commercial partnership to develop and commercialize industrial-grade agentic AI solutions targeting multibillion-dollar value pools across capital-intensive industries. The agreement was finalized in early September at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh.

Partnership targets capital productivity, supply chain and operational execution gaps

The deal combines OrbitronAI's agentic AI technology with Aramco Digital's industrial knowledge, operating scale and market reach. The two companies will focus on areas where fragmented information, complex workflows and delayed decisions erode financial performance, including delays in capital project reviews and reconciliation that affect schedule, cost and returns on invested capital.

Loveland, Colo. – October 07, 2026 -- SuperTurbo Technologies Inc. has named Sandy Stojkovski as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, bringing a leader who oversaw a €2.3 billion P&L and 7,700 employees at Vitesco Technologies to the boosting-system maker.

Stojkovski arrives from a senior Tier 1 automotive role overseeing billions in BEV orders

Stojkovski most recently served as CEO, North America for Vitesco Technologies Inc., where she built the regional organization into an operationally independent entity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that role, she captured multi-billion dollars in annual battery-electric-vehicle orders while running an award-winning inclusive workplace culture.

Pewaukee, Wis. – October 07, 2026 -- Real Time Automation, Inc. (RTA) has released the 435NBX-S2E, a single serial ASCII and single Ethernet port protocol gateway built to connect directly to Allen-Bradley PLCs, replacing the 435NBX-NNA1, which has moved to end-of-sale status.

New gateway adds native Micro800 support to cut hardware costs

The 435NBX-S2E communicates with CompactLogix, ControlLogix, FlexLogix, MicroLogix, SLC 5/05, PLC-5E, Micro820, Micro850 and Micro870 controllers. RTA says native Micro800 support removes the need for external serial plug-in modules or extra protocol converters, lowering bill-of-materials costs for OEM and high-volume customers.

Talcahuano – – October 07, 2026 -- Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA) and steelmaker CAP S.A. have inaugurated a demonstration plant designed to produce up to 175 kilograms of rare earth metal per day at 99.5% purity, targeting the permanent magnet supply chain for electromobility, robotics and wind power.

Joint venture taps decades of steelworks metallurgy

The facility was launched by Aclara Metals SpA, a 50/50 joint venture between Aclara and CAP, drawing on metallurgical expertise accumulated at CAP's Huachipato steelworks in Talcahuano, Chile. The start-up ceremony was attended by Sergio Giacaman, Governor of the Biobío Region, alongside executives from CAP and Aclara.

Battle Creek, Mich. – October 07, 2026 -- DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, Inc. (DMMI) donated $250,000 to the Battle Creek Housing Fund on Oct. 7, marking 40 years of operations and reinforcing the automotive supplier's role as Calhoun County's largest employer.

DMMI grew from 200 workers to a 1.38 million-square-foot plant employing over 2,000

Production at DMMI began July 1, 1986, as DENSO's first manufacturing facility in North America. The site has since expanded into a 1.38 million-square-foot operation with more than 2,000 team members producing automotive thermal technologies for carmakers across the region.

Bay Minette, Alabama – October 07, 2026 -- Novelis Inc. has produced the first coil on the cold mill at its $5 billion aluminum recycling and rolling plant in Bay Minette, Alabama, advancing the facility toward commercial shipments set for the second quarter of 2027.

Novelis commissions first fully integrated U.S. aluminum plant built in 40 years

The Bay Minette facility marks the first new fully integrated aluminum recycling and rolling plant constructed in the United States in more than four decades. All assets required for commercial shipments are now in the commissioning process, with customer qualification underway.

Tualatin, Ore. – October 07, 2026 -- API International has completed a major expansion of its Greenfield, Indiana warehouse, boosting Midwest capacity by 75% and cutting delivery times to East Coast and Southern customers from as many as seven business days to as few as one business day.

Expansion lifts company-wide capacity 20% after year-long buildout

The project, approved by the city in July 2025 and completed in July 2026, expanded the company's existing Greenfield facility to meet rising demand for industrial piping components across the eastern and southern United States. The buildout increases API International's total warehouse and manufacturing capacity by 20% company-wide.

Armonk, N.Y. – October 07, 2026 -- Volumetric Building Companies (VBC) cut operational cycle times by 50% across purchasing, manufacturing and inventory processes after a three-month SAP Cloud ERP transformation delivered through IBM Ready for SAP Solutions, IBM announced.

IBM launches Ready for SAP Solutions to speed midsize ERP modernization

IBM unveiled IBM Ready for SAP Solutions, a new offering combining industry expertise, fit-to-standard delivery and the IBM Consulting Advantage AI-powered platform to help midsize and fast-growing organizations modernize cloud ERP, unify enterprise data and build an AI-ready digital core. VBC and Second Nature Brands are named as early clients.

Lehi, Utah – October 07, 2026 -- Maintenance teams across U.S. manufacturing, facilities and infrastructure sectors complete just 54% of their scheduled preventive maintenance work, according to a survey of 686 maintenance and operations professionals released by Limble at the 2026 Maintenance Heroes Summit.

Unplanned downtime costs exceed $100,000 annually for 40% of organizations

Nearly half of leaders (47%) report more than 10 hours of unplanned downtime in a typical month, and 40% put annual downtime costs at $100,000 or higher. Reactive maintenance also carries safety consequences: 65% of respondents say it puts technicians in higher-risk situations at least once a month.

Farmington, Conn. – October 7, 2026 -- Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS) will hold a conference call on Wednesday, October 29, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. ET to present third-quarter results and its 2026 outlook.

Marks and Mendez to lead investor briefing on quarterly performance

Chair, CEO and President Judy Marks and Executive Vice President and CFO Cristina Mendez will discuss the results during the call. The company will make a corresponding presentation and news release available on its website prior to the session, with a recording posted later the same day.

Webcast access set as primary channel for stakeholders

Otis is directing investors to join via its webcast link. Those unable to access the webcast are instructed to contact Otis investor relations for alternative dial-in details. The company also noted that additional investor updates are posted on its website from time to time.