Market Expansion

Frankfurt – October 27, 2026 -- IG Metall chair Christiane Benner has demanded a "very clear" commitment from Audi to its German sites after the carmaker announced a planned plant in Georgia, USA, while workers at four Volkswagen Group plants in Germany fear for their jobs.

Audi CEO announced the Georgia plant at a Trump campaign event

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner disclosed the plan at the weekend during a campaign event with Donald Trump. Benner criticized the appearance in an interview with TV broadcaster phoenix. In her view, it has left employees angry and uncertain on top of existing job worries.

Four German plants already face job insecurity within Volkswagen Group

Audi belongs to the Volkswagen Group, where staff at four German plants are anxious about their jobs. IG Metall is working on future perspectives for these sites, Benner said.

Israel – October 24, 2026 -- Massivit 3D Printing Technologies (TASE: MSVT) has appointed retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Chris "Alf" Athearn, a former overseer of a defense armaments portfolio above $5 billion, to its Advisory Board to speed its entry into the U.S. aerospace and defense market.

Athearn brings 35 years of weapons acquisition experience

Athearn spent 35 years in advanced airborne weapons systems, defense acquisition and defense industrial base strategy, holding senior posts in the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense. He served as Commander of DCMA Northrop Grumman, the Defense Contract Management Agency office covering one of the world's largest defense prime contractors. He was also responsible for oversight of more than 400 defense contractors across seven U.S. states.

Hunt Valley, Maryland – October 21, 2026 -- Fidelity Building Services Group has acquired MVH Industrial, a Georgetown, Kentucky-based mechanical, electrical, plumbing and general contracting firm. The deal adds industrial and manufacturing capacity in central Kentucky to a Fidelity network of more than 75 U.S. locations and 3,200 team members. The announcement did not include financial terms.

MVH Industrial brings sole-source turnkey project capability to Fidelity

MVH Industrial concentrates on manufacturing environments, complex sole-source turnkey projects and critical infrastructure upgrades. Its service lines include HVAC/mechanical system design and installation, industrial piping, plumbing, electrical systems, building automation and custom sheet metal fabrication.

Hanover – October 21, 2026 -- HSG Laser has delivered more than 2,000 machines in Europe and is opening a showroom in Düsseldorf on November 10, as it presents five laser systems at EuroBLECH 2026 in Hanover.

The exhibition runs October 20–23 at the Hannover Exhibition Centre. HSG is at Booth 15-F42 under the theme "Powering Productivity with HSG." The line-up includes the European debut of the new flagship GV, the launch of GFA PRO and AI CutPilot, and the European debut of the high-speed G3015T and R2 PRO.

GFA PRO targets large-format thick-plate processing costs

The GFA PRO is built for large-format metal processing. HSG says it addresses large footprints, low speed, unstable thick-plate performance and high operating costs. The G3015T and R2 PRO extend HSG's high-speed range for sheet and tube processing, with the aim of improving throughput and flexibility.

United States – October 21, 2026 -- Axon Vision has set up a three-member U.S. Strategic Advisory Board of retired senior military and defense technology leaders and moved its Co-Founder and CTO, Ido Rozenberg, to the United States. The company is targeting what it calls the world's largest defense market.

Board draws on Army, special operations and technology transition experience

The founding members are General John H. Tilelli (Ret.), former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and Lieutenant General Ray Palumbo (Ret.), a former senior leader within U.S. Army Special Operations, JSOC and the Department of Defense. The third is Mike Fleming, former Director of the U.S. Army International Technology Center-Mediterranean (ITC-MED).

The board will advise on U.S. market development, customer engagement, technology transition, product strategy and long-term business growth.

Rochester, N.Y. – October 21, 2026 -- CPL, a design firm with 500-plus professionals, has acquired Illinois-based Bailey Edward, adding 50 staff and strengthening its presence in Chicago and across the Midwest. The announcement did not include financial terms.

Acquisition widens CPL's sector coverage to government and cultural work

Bailey Edward brings architecture, engineering, interior design and planning capabilities in education, government, healthcare, research, community and cultural practices. CPL already serves the Community & Culture, Healthcare, Higher Education, Infrastructure, K-12 Education, and Science & Technology sectors.

CPL says the added technical capacity will let the combined firm take on a wider range of project needs. Ellen Bailey Dickson, President and CEO of Bailey Edward, said the deal allows the firm to pursue larger, more complex work.

Washington – October 20, 2026 -- ServiceMaster Restoration Alliance of Tacoma, an Elite ServiceMaster franchise serving six counties across Western Washington, has acquired ServiceMaster Total Cleaning Service of Redmond, giving it a second Puget Sound location. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Redmond operation becomes ServiceMaster Restore of Kirkland

The acquired business will operate as ServiceMaster Restore of Kirkland. It gives the Tacoma-based franchise a permanent Eastside base to serve residential and commercial customers across King County.

The site also serves as a forward position for service into Snohomish County and the north end of the Puget Sound corridor.

Porto – October 19, 2026 -- Athena Technology Solutions, a Fremont, California-based Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) implementation specialist, has opened its first European office in Porto with six employees. It plans to reach 20 staff within a year and 100 within five years.

Athena targets five European clients by December fiscal year-end

The company aims to secure at least five clients by the end of its fiscal year in December. Porto will host sales, project delivery, customer support and leadership for the European operation. Sachi Javli, managing director and head of global delivery, leads the unit.

Athena, founded in 2011, has about 200 people in the U.S. and India. It is recruiting project managers, program managers, developers and sales professionals in Portugal and other European markets.

Chicago – October 19, 2026 -- CME Group plans to launch futures and options on four European dairy products before the end of 2026, extending a dairy franchise that hit an all-time daily open interest record of 461,493 contracts on September 29.

The launch is pending all regulatory reviews. The new contracts cover European Skimmed Milk Powder, European Butter, European Whey Powder and European Liquid Milk. CME Group describes the rollout as the first step in a regional expansion that follows an agreement with the European Energy Exchange (EEX) earlier this year.

CME Group's dairy complex averaged 420,922 contracts a day in September

That monthly open interest figure is a record and a 42% increase year over year, according to the company. The exchange is pitching the European contracts as an extension of that momentum.

New York – October 19, 2026 -- Inspired Entertainment (NASDAQ: INSE) will debut Kora, its next-generation retail cabinet platform, at the Global Gaming Expo at The Venetian in Las Vegas from September 29 to October 1, as it pushes its Interactive, Retail Solutions, Virtual Sports and Hybrid Dealer lines deeper into North America.

Kora cabinet launches with a North American content roadmap

Kora is built to combine player-focused design with greater operator flexibility and operational efficiency. It will launch with new game releases and sequels to established franchises for North America. Inspired will show the cabinet alongside its Cash Bank, Triple Hit Combo, Grand Chance and Win & Spin mechanics.