Vacuum specialist Schmalz has acquired Swedish handling technology company Binar Handling AB and its four subsidiaries in Europe and Asia, strengthening its position in ergonomic handling technology.

French attachment specialist Arden Equipment acquired Intercontinental Equipement Verdun (IEV), a manufacturer of buckets and accessories for loaders and excavators. The acquisition aims to strengthen Arden's leadership in the attachments market.

Mondragon Assembly and QHD Visual developed a new membrane-free laminator for solar module manufacturing, featuring a Pad-Press system and hydraulic pressure control to improve OEE and reduce operating costs.

Mondragon Assembly acquired a 60% stake in Chinese automation company QHD Visual Automation Equipment Co. to enhance its solar portfolio. The companies also developed a new membrane-free laminator for solar module manufacturing.

Lemken, a German manufacturer of agricultural machinery, will build a new development and manufacturing facility at the Nieuw Prinsenland industrial estate in Dinteloord, Netherlands. The facility will employ at least 80 people and is expected to open in about two years.

Fujian Longxi Bearing (Group) Co., Ltd. has awarded a contract for the automation transformation of a large forging production line to Dongguan Huike Robot Automation Co., Ltd. for CNY 1,868,000.

French rental company Kiloutou is acquiring GSV, Denmark's largest rental company, from private equity firm Catacap. The deal is estimated at around €300 million and is expected to close in mid-April 2022.

Boerschappen, a Dutch food company, selected an ELGi EN Series oil-lubricated screw air compressor for the packaging line in its newly expanded facility in Breda, the Netherlands.

LPW Group, a Wynnchurch Capital portfolio company, announced the acquisition of El Mar Ventures and its subsidiaries and Advanced Industrial Technologies. The Houston-based combined business makes specialty valves, pneumatic actuators and gears under the Ladish, Smith, AIT and Diamond Gear brands.

PFF Group installed a £2m thermoforming system developed with Illig GmbH at its Sedgefield site as part of a £4m investment programme. The system will manufacture PFF's recyclable IMPAC-T packaging concept.

AESSEAL has begun construction on its 'Factory of the Future' at Mill Close in Rotherham, UK, a £61m project that includes 175,000 sq. ft. of new factory buildings and refurbishment of existing plant. The site is expected to be completed in January 2023.

Yanmar is expanding its compact excavator plant in Saint-Dizier, France, aiming to double production from 23 to 50 machines per day by 2026, creating nearly 200 jobs.

Haitian International's indirect wholly-owned subsidiary Haitian Plastic Machinery signed an equipment purchase agreement with Haitian Precision to buy automated processing lines, CNC lathes, machining centers and related equipment for RMB 155 million, to be used for processing parts and components for injection molding machines.

Mitsubishi Electric acquired 42,000 square meters of land in Owariasahi City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan to establish a new production site for factory automation control system products. The company will invest approximately 13 billion yen (approx. 110 million USD) and the factory is expected to start operations from April 2025.

Fox Innovation and Technologies acquired Revak Keene Turbomachinery and Industrial Storage Services, which runs a 120,000 sq ft compressor manufacturing facility in La Porte, Texas. The acquirer will target after-sales upgrades and servicing of compressors and turbines.

Dexter Magnetic Holdings, parent of Dexter Magnetic Technologies, acquired Magnetic Component Engineering of Torrance, California. Financial terms were not disclosed.

EMKA Group acquired GSB Aluminium GmbH in Wuppertal, renaming it EMKA Aluminium GmbH, to expand its production range with aluminium die casting, forging and friction welding for lightweight products.

Valmet will supply a complete automation solution, including DCS, QCS, and web inspection systems, for Ahlstrom-Munksjö's new glass fiber tissue line in Madisonville, Kentucky. Installation is scheduled for spring 2023.

Sarens was commissioned by Valero to provide a factory-to-foundation solution for replacing two large columns at Valero's refinery in Pembroke, UK, using its new electric SGC-90 ring crane. The project involved transporting columns from Spain and installing them under live plant conditions.

Hitachi Rail announced a new $70 million factory in Washington County, Maryland, to build the 8000-series railcars for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The 307,000-square-foot facility will employ up to 460 people and is scheduled to be operational in winter 2023/24.

Atlas Copco agreed on 2022-03-21 to acquire Lewa GmbH and Geveke B.V. and their subsidiaries for a combined enterprise value of EUR 670 million. The deal is all-cash and subject to regulatory approvals, with completion expected in Q2 2022.

Celltech, Finland's leading manufacturer of battery systems, has expanded production to a new factory in Lahdesjärvi, Tampere, and started serial production of battery systems for industrial vehicles. The factory also includes an Engineering & Development Centre. The company plans to hire 50-80 people in 2022-2023.

VINCI Energies UK & ROI acquired Kigtek Solutions Limited and Kigtek Electrical Limited, based in Bellshill, Scotland, on March 2, 2022. The combined Kigtek business employs 36 people and specializes in control, safety, and monitoring systems for food, beverage, and power markets.

J. Schmalz began manufacturing vacuum components and complete vacuum systems for automation and manual handling at its new China headquarters in Taicang on 2022-03-18. The site sits on a plot of about 27,000 square meters acquired in early 2020.

Sioux Steel Co. of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, acquired Spokane Valley-based SCAFCO Grain Systems Co., a manufacturer of grain bins, handling equipment, and drying technology. The sale closed March 1, 2022, and all employees were retained.

Quadrum Capital, a Dutch private equity firm, has taken a participation in JASA, a family-owned company that develops and manufactures packaging machines and weighing lines in Alkmaar, Netherlands. The investment aims to accelerate JASA's international growth.

AESSEAL started construction of a 175,000 sq. ft. factory at Mill Close in Rotherham, with £5.8 million in green investments, bringing total investment in the area to £61 million.

MK Professional, a subsidiary of Professional, will build a new plant in the Rodniki industrial park in Ivanovo, Russia, to produce excavators, graders, and bulldozers. Total investment is 4.3 billion rubles, with a capacity of 2,200 units per year, and launch expected by 2025.

Avingtrans subsidiary Booth Industries, Bolton, won a contract worth about £6 million to supply specialist doors for a UK Government agency in the nuclear market.

Fersa Group purchased 100% of PFI Group, Inc., parent company of Perfect Fit Industries (PFI Bearings), to strengthen its global distribution in the light automotive aftermarket and diversify product range. The acquisition ceremony took place on 14 February 2022.

Böcker Maschinenwerke GmbH is investing €7.5 million to expand production area and build a new logistics center at its headquarters in Werne, Germany, with a new assembly hall of 2,400 m².

Keystone Powdered Metal Company and Engineered Sintered Components Company, both affiliates of Sumitomo Electric Industries, announced a planned merger effective March 31, 2022. The merged entity will retain the Keystone Powdered Metal Company name and serve automotive, outdoor power equipment, and industrial equipment markets in North America.

Futurapack S.r.l. has joined Gampack S.r.l. and merged under Progressio SGR S.p.A., an investment fund, to form the Gampack Group. The group specializes in end-of-line packaging solutions for various sectors including food, beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Inovance Technology plans to invest up to 1.65 billion yuan to build a production, R&D and office base in Nanjing, China, for ball screws and industrial robots. Construction is expected to start in June 2022 and take about 13 months.

Grupa Azoty Zakłady Azotowe Kędzierzyn is installing new syngas compressors to raise ammonia capacity at its Poland plant, a PLN 180 million (about $43.5 million) project with completion expected in H1 2023.

Fives Landis Ltd. has secured a large order for 5 Landis LT2e and 4 Landis LT2He grinding machines to manufacture camshafts and crankshafts for a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer. The machines will be installed in plants in Western Europe and South America.

JLG Industries has expanded into Jefferson City, Tennessee with a 60,000-sq.-ft. leased facility, and added new production lines at its plants in Bedford and McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, and Leon, Mexico, to increase production of boom lifts, scissor lifts, and telehandlers.

Vance Street Capital's Micronics Engineered Filtration Group has acquired National Filter Media from Alsco Uniforms, expanding its filtration solutions portfolio with 10 locations in North America and one in the UK.

ESL Engineers invested in a next-generation Doosan Puma 2600SY lathe after securing a four-year production supply agreement for electric car components.

JN Maskiner and Trimill Machine Tools initiated a partnership to launch portal milling machines on the Swedish market. Trimill had not previously been represented in Sweden.

Wacker Neuson has agreed to acquire up to 100% of the Enar Group, a Spanish manufacturer of light construction equipment specializing in concrete compaction, to expand its concrete technology business.

The Massman Companies, a packaging machinery maker based in Villard, Minnesota, acquired New England Machinery, Inc., a privately held maker of bottling and packaging line equipment based in Bradenton, Florida. The transaction closed on 11 March 2022 and was announced on 14 March 2022.

Mecanizados Arocam will assemble and recondition mechanical components of 4-stroke diesel engines for Navantia's Motor Unit in Cartagena, under a four-year contract worth EUR 1,256,207.48 and EUR 422,496 (two lots).

Greenberry Industrial will reopen the old Gulf Islands Shipyards near Jennings, Louisiana for a new manufacturing plant. The plant will manufacture heavy industrial modules for petrochemical, maritime and other industries, creating 100 new jobs.

Dantex Digital purchased and relocated to a 22,000 sq ft site in Corby, Northamptonshire, for manufacturing Pico range of digital printing equipment. Production has already started at the new facility.

Stannah Group is opening a 31,200 square foot custom curved rail factory in Greer, South Carolina, to manufacture curved stairlift rails. Production is expected to begin by the end of the third quarter of 2022.

Glaston has closed a deal for five automotive pre-processing lines and a heat treatment line with US-based Lippert Components Inc. The order is valued at approximately EUR 9 million and will be delivered during the fourth quarter of 2022.

Alstom has been awarded a GBP49 million contract by Network Rail to deliver new signalling, level crossings and other assets between Farncombe and Petersfield on the London Waterloo to Portsmouth line. The project will run from 2022 to 2024.

XCMG Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group announced an investment in Mexico to establish a new production plant in Monterrey, Nuevo León. The first phase is over $10 million, with a second phase of $40 million planned for 2023. The plant will create 235 jobs and produce scissor lifts for the North American market, with full production expected by end of 2022.

Hitachi Construction Machinery ended its joint venture with John Deere and launched Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas Inc. to independently sell and service equipment in the Americas.