Supply Chain

Shanghai – – September 29, 2026 -- Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. has signed a US$300 million portfolio credit insurance policy alongside an initial US$50 million non-recourse factoring agreement, creating a tiered financing structure for the company's overseas installment receivables. The deals were finalized at the Zoomlion 2026 Global Financial Partners Summit in Shanghai on September 11.

New framework converts overseas receivables into standardized, investment-grade assets

Developed over six months with international insurers and financial institutions, the arrangement lets overseas installment receivables covered by the credit insurance policy be factored with an overseas bank on a non-recourse basis. The structure replaces transaction-by-transaction handling of overseas receivables with a scalable, replicable financing model.

Changzhou, China – September 29, 2026 -- Segway Powersports brought 14 media representatives and creators from Canada, Chile, Peru, Panama, Brazil and Argentina to its Changzhou manufacturing facility and off-road testing grounds in Xinjiang from September 14-19 under the SEGWAY POWERSPORTS CHINA TOUR-2026 LATAM & CANADA EDITION program.

Factory tour exposes production, assembly and quality-control processes

Participants toured the company's manufacturing site in Changzhou, examining assembly lines, vehicle testing protocols and final inspection procedures used across Segway Powersports' ATV and side-by-side (SxS) product lines. The visit provided visibility into traceability practices tied to the company's vehicle output.

Cannes – September 29, 2026 -- KT&G's ultra-slim cigarette brand ESSE surpassed KRW 1 trillion (approximately USD 700 million) in global sales in 2025, the South Korean tobacco maker announced at TFWA World 2026 in Cannes, France, running September 27 to October 1.

KT&G products now reach 179 duty-free stores across roughly 110 airports worldwide

The company entered the duty-free channel in 1995 with the launch of 88 Light in China. Three decades later, its flagship brands -- ESSE, RAISON, and BOHEM -- hold shelf space at 179 duty-free outlets spanning approximately 110 airports, including facilities in South Korea.

Seoul – – September 29, 2026 -- SEMIFIVE has signed a contract worth approximately KRW 70.3 billion ($52 million) with a U.S.-based AI fabless company to develop a next-generation AI inference accelerator, marking the South Korean custom ASIC provider's largest single contract to date.

Deal size dwarfs prior order volumes

The contract alone equals more than 40% of SEMIFIVE's total 2025 orders of KRW 168.4 billion and roughly 60% of the KRW 118.9 billion in new orders booked during the first half of 2026. It also marks the company's first "Spec Hand-off" engagement in North America.

Singapore – September 29, 2026 -- Castrol has launched Castrol CORE, an integrated thermal management offer that shifts the company from selling standalone cooling products to providing end-to-end design, deployment and lifecycle services for data centres.

Castrol moves from product sales to full-service thermal management partnerships

Under Castrol CORE, the company will engage customers earlier in data centre infrastructure development, adding design capabilities to its existing deployment, start-up, operation and maintenance support. Castrol says the change responds to industry research showing growing demand for integrated thermal management solutions that cut the complexity of coordinating multiple suppliers, alongside concerns over supply chain disruption and the high cost of cooling-system failure.

Atlanta – September 29, 2026 -- Hitron Technologies and Airties unveiled a joint connectivity platform at SCTE TechExpo26 designed to help internet service providers monetize small and medium business customers, a segment the companies say has been underserved by existing residential and enterprise offerings.

The solution pairs Hitron's high-performance SMB gateways with Airties Pro software, targeting the gap between low-cost residential broadband and complex, expensive enterprise-grade systems. Hitron and Airties are already working with several service providers to bring the combined offering to their SMB customer bases.

Pune – September 29, 2026 -- The global ethylene oxide market reached USD 62.95 billion in 2025 and is forecast to grow at a 4.59% CAGR through 2034, hitting USD 94.28 billion, according to a new report from Maximize Market Research.

Asia-Pacific dominates production and consumption, led by China, India, Japan and South Korea

The region's scale in petrochemical manufacturing, PET resin output and polyester fiber production has made it the largest ethylene oxide market as of 2025. Continued capital deployment into petrochemical facilities, healthcare infrastructure and industrial manufacturing is expected to sustain the region's lead through the forecast period.

Pune, India – September 29, 2026 -- The global glycolic acid market is projected to grow from USD 723.75 billion in 2025 to USD 1,267.06 billion by 2034, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 6.42%, according to a new report from Maximize Market Research.

North America dominates demand as dermatology and pharmaceutical use expand

North America leads the global market, driven by strong uptake of glycolic acid in skincare, cosmetics, dermatology, and pharmaceutical formulations. The U.S. remains the largest consumer market as chemical peels, anti-aging creams, exfoliating serums, and acne treatments built on alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) chemistry gain wider adoption. The U.S. FDA identifies glycolic acid as one of the most common AHAs used in cosmetic products for exfoliation and pH adjustment.

Pune – September 29, 2026 -- The global agrochemicals market was valued at $245.15 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $355.01 billion by 2034, growing at a 4.2% compound annual rate from 2026, according to a new report from Maximize Market Research.

Pest and disease pressure continues to drive nearly 40% of annual crop losses worldwide

Bayer noted in 2026 that plant diseases and pests can destroy up to 40% of global crops each year, while weeds alone can cut yields by close to 34%. This sustained pressure keeps demand elevated for herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers and seed-treatment products across cereal, grain, fruit and vegetable production.

Wood Dale, Ill. – September 29, 2026 -- AAR CORP. (NYSE: AIR) reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 sales of $918 million, a 24% jump from $739.6 million a year earlier, as the aviation aftermarket supplier simultaneously disclosed a definitive agreement to acquire a 65% controlling interest in MRO Holdings.

Sales climb 24% on parts distribution and repair growth

The quarter ended September 29, 2026, saw growth across all three core segments. Parts Supply sales rose 31%, driven by 23% organic growth in new parts distribution across commercial and government markets. The Repair, Engineering & Software segment grew 31% on airframe MRO, component MRO, and software activity, while Government Solutions increased 4% on Mobility Systems strength.