Manufacturing & Industrial Technology

SKF Launches Progressive Lubrication Pump to Cut Downtime Costs

Gothenburg – September 21, 2026 -- SKF has launched its new Progressive Lubrication Pump (PLP), an automatic lubrication system engineered to reduce unplanned downtime and lower total maintenance costs for industrial and mobile equipment operators.

SKF builds PLP on combined Lincoln and SKF lubrication expertise

The modular pump system targets faster installation and commissioning, improved serviceability, and better visibility into lubricant levels and system status. SKF positions PLP as the first product family built on a new lubrication platform designed to support future functional expansion.

Christophe Laurans says PLP addresses reliability and maintenance simplification

"Every hour of unplanned downtime matters. PLP helps customers improve equipment reliability, simplify maintenance, and keep their operations running efficiently," said Christophe Laurans, Head of Automatic Lubrication Systems at SKF.

XCMG Staff Festival Draws 5.3 Million Global Viewers, Showcases Cranes

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XCMG Staff Festival Draws 5.3 Million Global Viewers, Showcases Cranes

Xuzhou – September 21, 2026 -- XCMG's 11th Staff Arts Festival drew more than 3,000 employees on September 19 and reached a global audience exceeding 5.3 million through more than 50 media outlets and social platforms, with overseas views topping 400,000.

Construction machinery becomes the stage itself

The event was staged against the world's first 14,000-ton ring crane. XCMG crawler and wheeled cranes jointly hoisted a large screen, while dozens of aerial work platforms and cranes installed lighting and sound systems, integrating the company's equipment directly into the production rather than using it as static display.

Solidion Names CEO Jaymes Winters as Chairman, Adds Lead Director

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Solidion Names CEO Jaymes Winters as Chairman, Adds Lead Director

Dallas – September 21, 2026 -- Solidion Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: STI) has combined its Chairman and CEO roles, appointing Jaymes Winters to the dual position effective September 16, 2026, while naming Mark N. Schwartz as Lead Independent Director.

Winters adds Chairman title to CEO role effective September 16

Winters, who brings more than 15 years of chief executive experience across oil and gas, telecommunications and retail, will retain the CEO title while assuming board chairmanship. He previously served as CEO of Nubia Brand International Corp, a special purpose acquisition company, and founded United Energy Inc., which he grew to nearly $100 million in revenue. Winters also taught business strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital for more than 9 years as an adjunct professor at Portland State University's School of Business.

UD info's DB Series SSDs Earn FIPS 140-3 Level 2 Validation

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UD info's DB Series SSDs Earn FIPS 140-3 Level 2 Validation

New Taipei City – September 21, 2026 -- UD info's DB Series SSD Drives have achieved FIPS 140-3 validation from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cryptographic Module Validation Program, with NIST Certificate No. 5479 issued August 12, 2026, confirming Overall Level 2 status.

Certificate confirms Overall Level 2 validation for DB Series cryptographic module

The validation provides independent third-party assurance that the DB Series meets federal cryptographic security requirements, addressing procurement mandates in government, critical infrastructure, and other regulated sectors. NIST CMVP validation is a common prerequisite for federal and defense-adjacent storage procurement in the United States.

MetaOptics Secures $10M From White Lion to Build US Metalens Fab

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MetaOptics Secures $10M From White Lion to Build US Metalens Fab

Singapore – September 21, 2026 -- MetaOptics Ltd (Catalist: 9MT) has secured an investment facility of up to US$10 million from White Lion Capital LLC, marking the Singapore-listed metalens maker's first institutional backer from the United States.

White Lion gains rights to up to 40 million new shares under warrant deed

Under the warrant deed, Los Angeles-based White Lion may exercise warrants at its discretion to raise up to US$10 million by issuing up to 40,000,000 new ordinary shares in MetaOptics. The deal arrives one year after MetaOptics listed on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange, and follows what the company describes as a period of design and evaluation requests from customers alongside shipped sampling units.

LG Display Launches World's First 720Hz Gaming OLED Panel

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LG Display Launches World's First 720Hz Gaming OLED Panel

Seoul – September 21, 2026 -- LG Display has begun mass production of a 24.5-inch Gaming OLED panel with a 720Hz refresh rate, the highest ever achieved in a gaming OLED display, alongside a 0.02ms response time.

LG Display sets new refresh-rate benchmark for esports monitors

The panel is the first OLED display built specifically for the esports segment, where 24-inch class monitors dominate because they let players view the full screen at a glance. To hit 720Hz at FHD (1920x1080) resolution, LG Display developed a proprietary driving algorithm and an integrated design spanning panel construction to the driving system, reducing motion blur and ghosting in fast-paced genres such as first-person shooter and racing games.

Xi Pushes Advanced Manufacturing as China's Robot Output Jumps 34.6%

Beijing – September 21, 2026 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered sustained expansion of advanced manufacturing, calling for smart, green and integrated industrial upgrading to strengthen supply-chain self-sufficiency, according to instructions conveyed at a national conference on advanced manufacturing in Beijing reported by Xinhua News Agency.

Xi, who also chairs the Central Military Commission, said industrial chains must become more self-supporting and risk-resilient while pursuing higher-quality development and greater security. Premier Li Qiang told the conference that developing advanced manufacturing must be treated as a major strategic task.

Insta360 Opens First US Flagship in Times Square, Tops 10M Cameras Sold

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Insta360 Opens First US Flagship in Times Square, Tops 10M Cameras Sold

New York -- Insta360 opened its first flagship retail store outside Asia on September 21, 2026, taking a prime spot at 1515 Broadway in Times Square as the imaging brand surpassed 10 million cameras shipped worldwide.

Insta360 Holds Nearly 70% Share of Global 360° Camera Market

According to IDC, Insta360 ranked No.1 in the global 360° camera market in Q1 2026, with a shipment share of nearly 70%, maintaining a significant lead over competitors. The company also claims category leadership in 360o cameras in the U.S. market since entering in 2016, per Circana retail tracking data covering January 2020 to February 2025.

USA TrackBusway Releases T225 Installation Video for Engineers

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USA TrackBusway Releases T225 Installation Video for Engineers

Columbus, Ohio – September 21, 2026 -- USA TrackBusway has released a five-minute installation video for its T225 track busway, a 225A-per-phase overhead power distribution system, to help engineers and electrical contractors evaluate the product for facilities where equipment layouts shift frequently.

The video follows the company's June 2026 announcement of T225 availability and walks project teams through how the system is assembled, connected and fitted with compatible plug-in power units.

Video breaks installation into four stages from suspension to power connection

The walkthrough covers hanging, joining, feeding and tap-off unit installation. It shows suspension hardware aligning straight busway sections, the mechanical and electrical connections between adjacent T225 sections, the end feed connecting to the busway run, and compatible plug-in tap-off units being installed and repositioned along the run.

Omron Launches NXR-S Safety I/O Block for Faster Machine Response

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Omron Launches NXR-S Safety I/O Block for Faster Machine Response

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – September 21, 2026 -- Omron Automation Americas has introduced the NXR-S Series Simple Logic Safety I/O Block, a distributed safety solution delivering response times as fast as 15 milliseconds while maintaining centralized CIP Safety management.

NXR-S combines local safety logic with centralized CIP Safety control

Unlike conventional remote safety I/O architectures, the IP67-rated NXR-S moves safety decisions closer to the point of action on the machine. Omron states this reduces overall system complexity and simplifies safety-distance design for manufacturers standardizing safety architectures across multiple machine lines.