Manufacturing & Industrial Technology

OSLO – October 30, 2026 -- Nordic Semiconductor (OSE: NOD) has demonstrated Bluetooth High Data Throughput (HDT) running in silicon, a feature that raises the maximum Bluetooth Low Energy transfer speed almost fourfold. The company is one of the first vendors to show support for the technology.

Longer packets target wearables, hearing aids and PC accessories

Bluetooth HDT adds support for longer packets and new ways for the radio to pack more data into each transmission. Nordic says wearables, smart home devices, PC accessories, hearing aids and other Bluetooth LE products will be able to move data significantly faster while keeping the energy efficiency of Bluetooth LE.

SAN DIEGO – October 29, 2026 -- Sony Electronics will sell its RIALTO 65 Camera Extension System (CBK-6510XS) for the VENICE 2 CineAlta camera at an MSRP of $80,000 USD ($113,800 CAD), with availability tentatively set for the first half of 2027.

The system adds a 65mm-class sensor to VENICE 2 and is among the largest sensors in commercially available cinema cameras, based on Sony's own research as of October 2026. VENICE 2 bodies need dedicated firmware (Version 6.00 or later) to run it.

Milwaukee – October 29, 2026 -- Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) has expanded its SecureOT cybersecurity offering with OEM-focused capabilities, as machine builders face Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and Machinery Regulation (MR) compliance deadlines in 2026 and 2027.

Rockwell survey finds 63% of OEMs expect cyber risks to continue

According to Rockwell's OEM Advantage Playbook, nearly two in five OEMs are already navigating evolving compliance requirements. Another 63% expect cyber risks to continue. Many still lack visibility into their current readiness and the steps needed to close gaps, the company said.

SecureOT Platform adds machine-level inventories and compliance reporting

The new capabilities run on the SecureOT Platform and combine technology with advisory services. They include:

DETROIT – October 29, 2026 -- Speyside Equity Advisers has completed its acquisition of The TAPCO Tube Company, a Midwest manufacturer of steel tubing and building products that operates under the Tapco Tube and Akron Building Products brands. The announcement did not include financial terms.

Speyside targets plant throughput and product mix at TAPCO

Nicholas Lardo, Managing Director at Speyside, said TAPCO offers a "meaningful opportunity to improve plant throughput." He also named an expansion of the value-added product mix and growth in the building products channel as priorities. Speyside plans to invest in the people and equipment needed to scale the business.

TAPCO President David Schrader described the deal as the start of a new chapter that builds on the company's legacy of several decades.

ARLINGTON, Va. – October 29, 2026 -- The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) is closing the fourth quarter of 2026 with 10 new members: five specialty chemical manufacturers and five affiliate companies.

3M, Apollo Scientific, Helena, Huber and Nalas join as manufacturing members

3M Company develops advanced materials for manufacturing, transportation, electronics and consumer products. Apollo Scientific supplies research chemicals and life science reagents and combines in-house synthesis with a global network. CEO Tim Kemp said membership strengthens its engagement with the North American specialty chemical community.

Woodinville, Wash. – October 29, 2026 -- Group14 Technologies closed a €150 million (about $169 million) Series D equity extension from a new, undisclosed investor, lifting the round to more than $665 million and unlocking a third large-scale battery active materials site in Sagunto, Spain.

BAM-4 in Spain adds 10 GWh and lifts near-term capacity to 40 GWh

The Sagunto plant, designated BAM-4, will produce Group14's SCC55 silicon-carbon material and is the company's first industrial-scale module in Europe. It brings Group14's near-term manufacturing footprint to 40 GWh.

That total comprises three sites:

Parsippany-Troy Hills – October 29, 2026 -- OLI has released Version 12.7 of its chemistry simulation software with Microsoft Excel import and export, removing the manual data entry that engineers previously needed to move spreadsheet data into OLI Studio.

Excel link lets engineers build and update analyses from spreadsheets

Users can create new analyses in OLI Studio directly from Excel, or update existing projects as new sample data arrives. Calculated results can be returned to Excel, where teams compare cases and feed findings into existing reporting workflows. OLI says the change cuts manual data handling and the risk of transcription errors.

The functionality initially covers selected objects in OLI Studio: Stream Analyzer and OLI Studio: ScaleChem. Supported analysis types are water, brine, gas and oil.

Iowa City – October 29, 2026 -- Sixty-three percent of industrial professionals surveyed say fewer than 5% of frontline workers file a hazard, near-miss or safety report each month, or that their site doesn't track the figure, according to the Frontline Risk Study 2026 from Teamforce AI.

Participation is low and static at 38% of sites

Thirty-eight percent of respondents report under 5% monthly participation, and another 25% don't track it. Of the 23 respondents in the under-5% group, 19 say the rate hasn't moved in a year.

Digital reporting tools lift participation at only some sites

Among sites that track reporting, 15 of 30 with EHS software or an app exceed 15% participation. No site without such tools reached that level. Still, 20 of the 39 sites with these tools are under 5% or don't track the rate.

Louisville – – October 29, 2026 -- Equip Exposition sold out its 1.3 million square feet of exhibit space for a fifth consecutive year and drew approximately 30,000 attendees to Louisville, Kentucky, on October 21-23. Registered attendance grew across key demographic categories, according to organizer Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI).

Show draws landscape and equipment buyers despite rising fuel prices and interest rates

OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser said attendees came despite rising fuel prices, higher interest rates and other pressures. He said that when times are tough, "Equip is the place to be to talk to others who are going through the same things." The audience included landscapers, designers, tree care and irrigation professionals, and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and dealers.

Trade Show Executive magazine ranked Equip the third largest trade show in the U.S. for 2025.

Reutlingen – October 29, 2026 -- A total of 186 of 228 eligible Stoll employees entered the MYPEGASUS transfer company after the Reutlingen knitting-machine maker shut down, and a large share have since found new jobs, according to the provider.

Stoll closed after more than 152 years, affecting 250 employees

Stoll, once a world market leader in knitting machines, ceased operations on October 31, 2025. Cheap textile production from the Far East first squeezed its customers and then the machine builder itself. The closure hit 250 employees and the wider region. The transfer company ran from November 1, 2025; the overall project continues until March 2028.