CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Rail Transport (NPRT) secured three metro train car supply contracts worth a combined RMB2.68bn ($412m) for projects in Shenzhen and Hangzhou, China.

North Hartland Tool Corporation is expanding its manufacturing plant in North Hartland, Vermont, by 60% in the first quarter of 2018. The company plans to hire CNC programmers, machinists, and automation specialists.

US process equipment maker Duravant acquired UK-based weighing and filling machine manufacturer Ohlson Packaging to expand its product portfolio.

Baker Furnace, a division of Thermal Product Solutions, shipped a record number of custom and standard furnaces in 2017, enabled by its new 40,000-square-foot facility in Brea, California.

Husqvarna Group agreed to acquire Atlas Copco's light compaction and concrete equipment business, including product lines, operations and R&D in Bulgaria. The deal is subject to competition authority approval.

Aumund Fördertechnik is delivering a drag chain package order for Almalyk Mining and Processing (AGMK) for the greenfield Sherabad cement plant in Uzbekistan. The order includes drag chain conveyors, belt chain bucket elevators, pan conveyors, and silo discharge gates.

Nidec Corporation, through its French subsidiary Nidec Leroy-Somer, agreed to a joint venture with Peugeot Group to be located in France. The joint venture was announced in January 2018.

Milwaukee Tool announced a $33.4 million investment to expand its operations in Greenwood, Jackson, and Olive Branch, Mississippi, creating 660 new jobs over four years. The expansion will increase manufacturing of cordless power tools and accessories.

Network Rail awarded Siemens Rail Automation a multi-million pound contract to supply, install, and support ETCS in-cab signalling equipment on 745 freight locomotives across Great Britain. The 10-year contract includes a further 10-year support period.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) secured a Rs.672 crore contract from Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala for 146 sets of IGBT-based 3 phase electrics for 25 KV AC Mainline EMU trains. The order was announced on January 2, 2018.

Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Monopoly Development Co. acquired the remaining 49% equity interest in Hunan Yuchai Machinery Industry Co. from joint venture partner Hunan Chengwei Automobile Spare Parts Company for RMB 6,694,500 (approximately $1.03 million), making HYMIC a wholly owned subsidiary.

Kemostal Process Technology AB won an order from leading oil companies from Singapore and the UK for a two-storey compressor module to handle gas on a floating storage offloading vessel at a new North Sea gas field. The order was won in 2017 and reported in January 2018.

FilterEasy acquired CleanerFilters.com, a subsidiary of Renew Co. All CleanerFilters.com customer orders will be fulfilled by FilterEasy.

Wacker Neuson started series production of mini excavators at its new factory in Pinghu, near Shanghai, China, in January 2018. The company also secured $100 million in financing for growth.

Koobra Invest BV acquired HAAN Industrial Group BV, a technical service provider specializing in steel structures, piping, and material handling systems. HAAN, based in Meerssen, South Limburg, will operate autonomously alongside ProfCore Group under Koobra Invest.

ATB Systemetiketten, a specialty printing company in Herne, signed a purchase contract in January 2018 for a new modular finishing machine from Grafotronic. The machine will be installed and commissioned in spring 2018.

KCMA Corporation, a subsidiary of Hitachi Construction Machinery Group, changed its corporate name to Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America effective January 1, 2018. The company intends to increase production and streamline its wheel loader offering in North America.

Wipak Group has acquired 4 Comexi S1 DT slitters from Comexi, reinforcing their strategic alliance. Three will be installed in Walsrode, Germany, and one in Poland.

SaranskKabel-Optika, part of Optikenergo Group, is expanding its production capacity in Saransk, Mordovia, Russia, to meet growing demand and develop new innovative products. The expansion is expected to be completed by the start of the 2018 construction season.

ColdsetInnovation Fulda won a major contract to print two Chinese newspaper titles for Guang Hua Media (Germany) on its Koenig & Bauer Commander satellite press in Eichenzell, Germany. The newspapers are produced for the Scandinavian region, the Benelux countries and Germany.

ABB agreed to acquire British flow-control specialist Rotork in a recommended cash takeover with an enterprise value of about $5.5 billion. The deal values Rotork's share capital at approximately £4.1 billion and requires shareholder, court, and regulatory approval.

FANUC CORPORATION, Hitachi, Ltd., and Preferred Networks, Inc. announced an agreement to establish a joint venture company on April 2, 2018, to develop Intelligent Edge Systems using AI technologies for industrial and social infrastructure.

Canadian compressor services company Ironline Compression acquired Calgary-based Protech Compression Services in January 2018, with backing from private equity partner Staple Street Capital. Protech provides engine and compressor overhaul services in Alberta.

Dearing Compressor & Pump Co. completed its first acquisition by merging with Pittsburgh-based Kruman Equipment, the oldest Gardner Denver industrial air compressor distributor. The deal is expected to roughly double Dearing's industrial air compressor business.

BE Beteiligungen, with an investor group led by ARCUS Capital AG, acquired machine and tool builder Spitznas and its affiliate Transtools. Spitznas is based in Velbert, Germany, and Transtools in Lublin, Poland. No deal value was given.

Interpump Group signed a binding agreement to acquire the international subsidiaries and the manufacturing unit of Finland-based GS-Hydro, a piping systems maker, for EUR 9 million, with closings expected by end of February 2018.

ABB and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) agreed to combine ABB Ability digital operations technologies with HPE hybrid IT products to generate actionable insights from industrial data.

Saurer Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. completed the acquisition of the remaining 5% stake in Zhuolang Intelligent Machinery Co., Ltd. from Shanghai Yongyun Huachuang Equity Investment Partnership Enterprise (LP) for approximately CNY 720 million. The deal was signed on November 29, 2017 and completed on December 29, 2017.

Oji Holdings will install a new containerboard machine with 450,000 tons per year capacity at GS Paperboard & Packaging in Malaysia, investing about JPY 35 billion for the machine and energy and water treatment equipment. Start-up is expected in April 2021.

Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich has implemented a major reorganization of its production operation, including construction of a new 105-meter production building and installation of seven Demag crane systems, to increase capacity for larger mixers weighing up to 46 tons.

Holroyd Precision has received an order from a Chinese air compressor manufacturer for an 8EX rotor milling machine and a CS700E tool management center. The combined order is valued at several million pounds and is scheduled for shipping in March 2019.

Linamar is expanding its Linamar Forgings Carolina closed-die forging operation in Wilson, NC, with a $6.8 million investment to make hollow transmission shafts and net-shape differential gears for automotive chassis parts. A $62,000 performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund supports the expansion.

Florida Governor Rick Scott announced Danfoss Turbocor Compressors will build a new facility in Tallahassee, adding 120 advanced manufacturing jobs, with construction starting early 2018 and completion in 2019.

Bharat Heavy Electricals won a contract worth Rs 672 crore from Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, for 146 sets of IGBT-based 3-phase electrics for MEMU trains.

Wolong Electric Group Co., Ltd. agreed to acquire the small industrial motors business of General Electric Company for approximately $140 million. The transaction includes several GE entities and is subject to regulatory approval.

Nokian Heavy Tyres Ltd is investing approximately EUR 70 million to increase production capacity at its factory in Nokia, Finland, by 50% over three years, from 20 million kg to 32 million kg of heavy tyres annually. About 50 new jobs will be created.

Boels Rental, a European equipment rental company, acquired Abird, an industrial equipment provider in the Benelux and Germany, from private equity investor NPM. The acquisition strengthens Boels' position in the industrial sector.

Hankuk Carbon signed contracts totaling KRW 32.2 billion (approx. USD 30 million) to supply cryogenic insulation materials for three LNG-FSRU vessels: one built by Samsung Heavy Industries (KRW 10.8 billion) and two by Hyundai Heavy Industries (KRW 21.4 billion). The vessels are for customers including BW Group, Kolin, Kalyon, and Triumph Offshore.

German packaging machines manufacturer A+F Automation + Fördertechnik has been acquired by CGS, an independent investment adviser, from Mutares.

Ace Manufacturing Systems has opened a second factory in Bengaluru at a cost of ₹80 crore, increasing annual capacity from 1,200 to over 3,000 CNC machines. The company plans to add a third facility within five years.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and its subsidiary Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool have reached a basic agreement with JTEKT Corporation to form a business partnership, including capital participation, in machine tools and precision tools. A formal agreement is targeted by July 31, 2018.

Third Wave Systems was awarded a $3 million contract by the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to expand its machining simulation software to polymer matrix composite materials used in warplane programs.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JTEKT have mutually agreed to cancel their basic agreement and terminate discussions on a business partnership in machine tools and precision tools, which was announced on December 22, 2017.

JTEKT and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have reached a basic agreement to cooperate in machine tools and precision tools, including capital participation in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool (MAT). A formal contract is targeted by July 2018.

Danfoss is building a new 44,000 sq ft facility at its Turbocor Compressor site in Tallahassee's Innovation Park for about $12 million, with construction expected to start in early 2018 and finish in 2019.

CLAAS intends to invest €6.6 million to expand its agricultural machinery plant in Krasnodar, Russia, adding areas and infrastructure. The plant currently has capacity of up to 2,500 units per year.

Caterpillar Brasil's factory in Campo Largo, Paraná, produced its 20,000th machine, a backhoe loader 420F2. The plant was inaugurated in 2011 and employs 460 people.

A smart manufacturing industry fund established by Hefei Metalforming Intelligent Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of German press manufacturer Lauffer. The acquisition was announced on December 20, 2017.

Makino Milling Machine Co., Ltd. is rebuilding its production facilities in Aiko District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, with a total investment of approximately 3 billion yen. The project includes new Factory 1 (completed March 2017), Factory 2 (completed September 2017), and Factory 3 (planned for completion March 2019), increasing overall production capacity by 1.5 times.

Kinshofer GmbH (Germany) and New Zealand-based Doherty Group have signed an agreement to merge, with Kinshofer acquiring Doherty.