Manufacturing & Industrial Technology

Espoo – October 02, 2026 -- Valmet Oyj has corrected the payment date for the second instalment of its 2025 dividend, confirming shareholders will receive EUR 0.67 per share on October 8, 2026, not October 7 as stated in a prior release.

Valmet fixes payment date error from September 29 announcement

The correction, issued via a stock exchange release on October 2, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EEST, amends a release published on September 29, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. EEST. All other details in the original announcement remain unchanged, the company said.

Dividend record date set at October 1, 2026

The payout applies to shareholders registered in Valmet's shareholders' register held by Euroclear Finland Oy as of the October 1, 2026 record date.

Starkville, Miss. – October 02, 2026 -- Southwire has broken ground on a $256 million expansion of its Starkville manufacturing plant, adding approximately 380,000 square feet and creating about 130 new jobs.

Southwire commits over $256 million to Mississippi facility growth

Company and community representatives gathered on October 1 to mark the start of construction on the project, which will expand the Starkville location's footprint by roughly 380,000 square feet. The investment reinforces Southwire's manufacturing presence in the region after years of operations at the site.

Shenzhen – October 02, 2026 -- An artificial intelligence model jointly developed by XtalPi Holdings Limited (2228.HK) and Fangda Carbon New Material Co., Ltd. (600516.SH) has passed project acceptance testing and entered full operational use within Fangda Carbon's production workflow.

The system ranks raw material formulation candidates before physical trials, meeting the companies' established targets for predictive accuracy, cost optimization, and operational efficiency.

Delray Beach, Fla. – October 02, 2026 -- The global rotary power tool market is set to expand from USD 0.62 billion in 2026 to USD 0.85 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 5.3%, according to new data from MarketsandMarkets.

Professional buyers drive fastest growth segment at 6.5% CAGR

Contractors, tradespeople, and technicians are adopting rotary and oscillating multi-tools for construction, renovation, maintenance, woodworking, and repair work at a pace outstripping the broader market. The professional user segment is projected to register a 6.5% CAGR through 2032, as job-site demand for durable, flexible tools accelerates. Manufacturers are responding with brushless motors, variable-speed controls, improved battery runtime, and interchangeable accessories tailored to professional-grade usage.

Louisville, Ky. – October 02, 2026 -- Equip Exposition has been named the third-largest trade show in the United States at the Gold 100 Awards & Summit, a recognition tied to five consecutive years of sold-out exhibit space.

Show floor sells out months ahead for fifth straight year

Available exhibit space has sold out earlier each year since 2022, when the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) took the show in-house and rebranded it. Last year's event drew 30,000 registered contractors, dealers and manufacturers across 1.2 million square feet of indoor and outdoor space.

Landscaper attendance climbs 12%, dealer attendance jumps 17%

In 2025, Equip grew landscaper attendance by 12 percent and dealer attendance by 17 percent year-over-year. "This designation recognizes the incredible strength of Equip's exhibitors and the show's programming," said Kris Kiser, President of OPEI, which owns and manages Equip Exposition.

New York – – October 02, 2026 -- Flow Engineering has raised $50 million in fresh funding to expand what it calls the de facto platform for agentic hardware, with founder and CEO Pari Singh detailing deployment plans on NYSE Live.

Flow Engineering targets hardware automation with new capital

The company says the $50 million round will accelerate its goal of bringing AI-style automation to hardware development, a sector it argues has lagged software in adopting agentic systems. Singh appeared on the NYSE Trading Floor to outline how the capital will be deployed across the platform's expansion.

September jobs report lands ahead of market open

Economists had forecast the U.S. economy added 90,000 jobs in September, with the unemployment rate expected to hold at 4.1%. The report was released this morning prior to the start of trading.

Parsippany, N.J. – October 02, 2026 -- GAF, North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, has expanded its partnership with the DoW SkillBridge program to offer a no-cost, six-month manufacturing training track for transitioning service members.

Manufacturers face a 3.8 million worker gap by 2033

The expansion responds to a labor shortage that Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute project could leave nearly half of 3.8 million U.S. manufacturing positions unfilled by 2033, with industrial maintenance technicians among the highest-demand roles.

Grand Rapids, Mich. – October 02, 2026 -- Parkway Electric & Communications has transitioned to 100% employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), ending nearly 24 years of ownership by Huizenga Group. The announcement was made to employees on September 15 at the company's annual meeting held at the Pinnacle Center.

Huizenga Group chose employee ownership over an outside sale

Huizenga Group, a privately held West Michigan investment firm, acquired Parkway in December 2002. As the firm weighed the company's long-term future, it considered a potential sale to an outside buyer but ultimately opted for the ESOP structure to preserve Parkway's independence, culture and customer relationships. "We concluded that the best way to honor that legacy was to transition ownership to the employees themselves," said J.C. Huizenga, Chairman of Huizenga Group.

Vancouver – October 02, 2026 -- Trilogy Metals Inc. (NYSE American: TMQ; TSX: TMQ) closed a $17.8 million strategic equity investment from the United States Department of War (DOW) on September 11, 2026, as part of a broader $35.6 million financing package tied to its Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects (UKMP) in Alaska. The company reported a cash balance of $31.2 million and adjusted working capital of $30.3 million as of August 31, 2026, which it says substantially funds its share of Ambler Metals LLC's fiscal 2026 budget.

Los Angeles – October 02, 2026 -- FF EAI Robotics Ecosystem Inc. (NASDAQ: FFR) showcased the EAI Robotics business of Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (NASDAQ: FFAI) at IROS 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, held September 28-30, 2026, as the two companies advance a non-binding term sheet that values the robotics unit at approximately $200 million.

All-New Futurist robot draws most attendee interest at Pittsburgh conference

FF displayed multiple EAI robot products built on its "One-Brain Multi-Form Multi-Capability" EAI Robot World 2.0 architecture. The All-New Futurist unit attracted particular attention for its mobile operation and flexible task execution across demonstrated scenarios. The company also introduced its "Built in USA" Acceleration Program during the three-day event, one of the largest robotics research conferences globally.