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Hoffman Estates, Ill. – September 18, 2026 -- Omron Automation Americas has launched the NX-CT High-Speed Counter, a module capable of executing counter-match outputs within 1 microsecond, aiming to eliminate control delays tied to conventional PLC scan cycles.

New module targets timing gaps in high-speed manufacturing processes

The NX-CT joins Omron's NX Series Modular I/O platform and is built for applications where microsecond-level timing directly affects output quality, including liquid filling, dispensing, inspection triggering, and laser processing. Traditional control architectures often cannot process these time-sensitive events fast enough, creating variability in fill levels, inspection accuracy, and machine synchronization.

Arlington, Va. – September 18, 2026 -- Organizations that hand strategic S/4HANA migration decisions to implementation partners face higher risks of cost overruns, project delays, and outcomes misaligned with business priorities, according to new research from Info-Tech Research Group. The warning comes as SAP's end of mainstream maintenance for ECC in 2027 forces enterprises to finalize migration plans.

Info-Tech says implementation partners lack full business context for critical trade-offs

Info-Tech's Build Your S/4HANA Migration Plan blueprint states that while technical partners are essential for execution, they cannot determine organizational priorities, transformation goals, or acceptable trade-offs. These decisions influence deployment strategy, governance, and organizational change throughout the migration.

Pittsburgh – September 18, 2026 -- An inventor from Highland Heights, Ohio, has filed a patent-pending design for BUNKER BUDDIES, a golf club grip accessory that combines character embellishments with built-in sound effects.

Design attaches to grip end for style and audio play

The accessory fits onto the end of a golf club grip, allowing golfers to add a character-themed embellishment while triggering sound effects during use. The inventor described the goal as creating "a unique accessory to enhance the appearance of a golf club" that also offers "a fun and simple way to play sound effects."

InventHelp lists design for licensing to manufacturers

The design was submitted through the National Sales Office of InventHelp and is currently available for licensing or outright sale to manufacturers or marketers in the golf accessories sector. A prototype model and technical drawings are available upon request for interested parties.

Charlotte, N.C. – September 18, 2026 -- The Carolina Panthers and Bank of America launched 3rd & Goal, a new community platform expected to reach 10,000 students across North and South Carolina in its first year.

Panthers and Bank of America unveil unified childhood development platform

The flagship initiative consolidates the organizations' prior separate community efforts into a single program built on three pillars: literacy (Read 20), physical wellness (Play 60) and personal well-being (Feel 100). Kristi Coleman, CEO of Tepper Sports & Entertainment and Carolina Panthers President, said the platform aims to become the organization's signature community initiative and a national model for sports-driven social impact.

Toronto – September 18, 2026 -- The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) has named Moovair its Exclusive Heating and Cooling Partner, extending the home-comfort brand's reach across the league's three member circuits — the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Moovair secures exclusive category rights across 61 CHL teams

Under the multi-league agreement, Moovair becomes an Official Partner of the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL, gaining exposure across a league that fields 52 Canadian and nine American teams. The brand, which has installed more than 200,000 heat pump units nationwide, is positioning the deal as a coast-to-coast community-marketing push tied to its private-label ownership by The Master Group.

Activation runs 75 regular-season games across 15 markets

The centerpiece fan activation, "Moovair Moov of the Game,

San Francisco – September 18, 2026 -- Thatch, a health benefits platform enabling employers to replace group health plans with individual employee budgets, has raised $108 million in new funding at a $1 billion valuation. The round was led by The General Partnership, Index Ventures, General Catalyst, and Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from ADP Ventures, Paychex, Eli Lilly and Company, Scale Venture Partners, QuantumLight, SemperVirens, Quiet Capital, and Avid Ventures.

Lisle, Ill. – September 18, 2026 -- The Morton Arboretum's "Green City Rising: People and Trees Thriving Together" concept was named a co-winner of the Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050 competition, World Business Chicago announced Sept. 15 at the City Club of Chicago.

Arboretum plan beat nearly 200 submissions to reach six finalists

"Green City Rising" reimagines Chicago as a connected network of tree-centric green spaces designed to give every neighborhood a healthy tree canopy by 2050. Landscape architecture firm MKSK was named the other co-winner for its "Wonderways!" proposal to convert Chicago's boulevards into a network of climate commons.

Pittsburgh – September 18, 2026 -- InventHelp has submitted a patent-pending invention called BOB, designed to restore worn landscape barrels with holes in the bottom to usable condition, eliminating the need to discard the containers.

Device conceals barrel holes to extend container life

The BOB design conceals holes in worn landscape barrels, allowing continued use of the container rather than replacement. The inventor, from Wantagh, N.Y., developed the product after identifying a need for a simple way to restore old barrels to like-new condition.

Target buyers span grounds maintenance and municipal markets

InventHelp markets the device to landscaping companies, golf courses, parks, cemeteries, lawncare businesses, grounds maintenance firms, sanitation companies, municipalities, and homeowners with large properties.

Chattanooga, Tenn. – September 18, 2026 -- Tennessee American Water will begin service line material verification work in parts of its Citico Service District the week of September 28, targeting lines currently listed as unknown in company records across Chattanooga, East Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Red Bank and Rossville, GA.

EPA rule requires full lead line replacement by 2037

The verification project supports updated U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules on lead and copper. Both the U.S. EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation require all water utilities to confirm service line materials, including visual inspection, to build a baseline inventory ahead of the federal mandate to replace all lead service lines by 2037.

Los Angeles – September 18, 2026 -- Fotor, an AI Vibe Marketing Platform serving more than 800 million users worldwide, has launched Fotor Agent, an AI production system that converts prompts and raw assets into fully editable, production-ready videos and 4K motion graphics.

Fotor Agent cuts motion graphics production costs to 1/200th of traditional After Effects workflows

According to Fotor's internal benchmarks, the new agent reduces motion design costs by two orders of magnitude while boosting generation and editing speed 50-fold. The system keeps text, brand colors, charts, and animation timing fully parametric on a live preview canvas, eliminating the costly full-project regenerations required by conventional AI video models that bake motion graphics into fixed pixel streams.

Nashua, N.H. – September 18, 2026 -- BAE Systems has launched Shadow EWTM, a family of compact electronic warfare systems built to equip small airborne platforms with situational awareness and self-defense capabilities in contested environments.

BAE Systems targets high-volume, low-cost production using commercial microchips

The company is producing Shadow EW systems at scale using commercial-grade microchips for high-performance computing, a design choice intended to cut costs and streamline supply chains. BAE Systems says the approach leverages its proven high-volume manufacturing base and skilled workforce to accelerate production and delivery timelines.

Copenhagen – September 18, 2026 -- Configit has been named a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Discrete Manufacturing Technologies, 2026, appearing in both the Product Configuration Platform and Product Rejuvenation categories.

Gartner links manufacturer profitability to the shift from engineer-to-order to configure-to-order models

According to the July 6, 2026 report by Gartner analysts Alexander Hoeppe, Sudip Pattanayak, Marc Halpern and Kentaro Shikanai, manufacturers are transforming engineer-to-order businesses into configure-to-order operations to capture greater profitability. The report states that manufacturers require efficient tools to manage increasingly complex product variants to meet B2B and consumer demand for customized, servitized products.

Franklin, Tenn. – September 18, 2026 -- Summit Professional Education, which has served more than 500,000 healthcare professionals, has appointed Jeff Wahl as Chief Executive Officer, bringing more than 40 years of leadership experience to the education platform's next growth phase.

Wahl brings four decades of operating experience, including two-plus decades in education

Wahl most recently served as CEO of Big Blue Marble Academy (BBMA), an early childhood education provider he joined as Executive Chairman in 2019 before being named CEO in 2020. Under his leadership, BBMA more than quadrupled in size to 93 schools across eight states, educating over 10,000 students and employing more than 2,000 staff.

Miami – – September 18, 2026 -- Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) will host a conference call with analysts on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 10 a.m. EDT to discuss third-quarter financial results.

Carnival confirms earnings release date ahead of investor call

The world's largest cruise operator confirmed the third-quarter results are expected to be released the morning of the call. A simulcast will be available through the company's website for analysts and investors tracking performance across its eight cruise-line brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises, and Seabourn.

Beverly Hills – September 18, 2026 -- Luxury Estates has launched a single website, www.luxuryestates.net, combining bookings for its two distinct California properties for the first time: Mirabella Estate, a 10-acre overnight compound in Indio, and Marmar Estate, a 1.5-acre Beverly Hills venue restricted to exterior events and production work.

New site separates overnight stays from event and film bookings

The two properties, roughly 100 miles apart, serve different markets and the new platform is structured to prevent confusion between them. Each estate has its own gallery, section and inquiry form, with a side-by-side comparison covering location, acreage, overnight capacity, event capacity and availability.

Miami – September 18, 2026 -- Boats Group has rolled out a major redesign of its ProSeller Platform on BoatWizard, reporting that total engagement actions on the new Boat Detail Page rose 55% and Share Link usage climbed 86% between July and August.

Boats Group redesigns search, saved search and listing pages for professional sellers

The refresh introduces a redesigned Search Results Page, an enhanced Saved Search experience, and a rebuilt Boat Detail Page, aimed at helping professional sellers find, compare, manage and share inventory more efficiently. The updates are available immediately to all Boats Group customers.

New York – September 18, 2026 -- Genpact (NYSE: G) has won the Best Services Eating Software category at the inaugural 2026 HFS Services-as-Software Awards, beating out more than 250 global submissions for its Agentic Operations model now running mission-critical workflows across finance, procurement, insurance, and banking for Fortune 100 clients.

HFS Research scored entries on five criteria before naming Genpact the winner

HFS Research analysts evaluated submissions on AI-driven delivery, agentic adaptability, outcome orientation, scalable architecture, and proven enterprise success. Genpact's Agentic Operations model pairs AI agents handling transaction volume with human staff validating outcomes, a structure the company says is already deployed in production, not pilot, environments.

St. Michaels, Md. – September 18, 2026 -- Inn at Perry Cabin, the 78-room waterfront resort on Maryland's Eastern Shore, has appointed Kurt Berman as General Manager, bringing nearly three decades of luxury hospitality leadership across four continents to the property.

Berman brings resort leadership from Iceland, Thailand, the Maldives and beyond

Berman joins from Eleven Deplar Farm in Iceland, an exclusive adventure lodge, and previously held roles as Vice President of Hospitality at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah and Chief Executive Officer of Ropeswing Hospitality Group in Bentonville, Arkansas. His career also includes leadership positions at Samujana in Thailand, Six Senses in the Maldives, Frégate Island Private in the Seychelles, and Rosewood properties in the Caribbean.

Atlanta – September 18, 2026 -- E-cigarette directory laws in Alabama, Oklahoma and Louisiana produced no sustained reduction in flavored e-cigarette sales, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers from the CDC Foundation. The research, using retail scanner data from January 2021 through April 2025, marks the first rigorous evaluation of how these state registries affect nicotine sales and product availability.

Alabama and Oklahoma directories showed no measurable effect on sales

Researchers found no significant change in per-capita nicotine sales or product availability in Alabama or Oklahoma after directory implementation, using comparison states without such laws as controls.

Goleta, Calif. – September 18, 2026 -- Vitamin Angels has launched a five-year strategy targeting 477 million at-risk women and children across 57 countries by 2030, projecting it will save 360,000 children's lives and protect 10 million women and children from malnutrition.

Vitamin Angels sets numeric targets tied to global malnutrition data

The nonprofit estimates its new initiative, Vitamin Angels 2030: Science. Systems. Scale., will reduce infectious disease risk for 300,000 children ages 0-5, alongside the malnutrition protection and lives-saved figures. The launch responds to 2024 data showing 150.2 million children under five affected by stunting and 42.8 million by wasting, plus 2023 figures indicating nearly one in three women ages 15-49 experienced anemia.