Manitowoc opened a new Potain factory in Chakan, India, which started production in Q1 2018. The facility produces MCT 85 and MC 125 tower cranes with improved efficiency.

DMG MORI acquired a 30% stake in INTECH, integrating SLM technology machines with INTECH's OPTOMET software for additive manufacturing. The partnership was announced at FormNext in Frankfurt on November 21, 2018.

Lithuanian company Beltekhnika presented an investment project to establish agricultural machinery production in Armenia, with a new factory to be built on the basis of Hayelektromash. First-stage investment of USD 5-7 million is planned, with work starting December 1, 2018.

SMEC (099440) announced a KRW 8.56 billion contract to supply machine tools to STANKOMASHSTROY in Russia. The contract was signed on November 20, 2018.

Heimatec Inc., a live tooling market leader, announced it will become part of a new corporation, Platinum Tooling Technologies Inc., led by Preben Hansen who holds a majority stake.

Kobelco Construction Machinery decided to expand production capacity of its Itsukaichi Factory in Hiroshima from 8,900 to 10,500 units per year to meet global demand for hydraulic excavators.

Danfoss acquired AAIM Controls Inc., a US-based leader in industrial refrigeration control automation, to strengthen its position as a systems provider in industrial refrigeration.

Rovema started construction of a new assembly hall at its Fernwald, Germany headquarters, with an investment of about EUR 8 million. Final assembly of packaging machines and lines will move into the building by June 2019.

Jobs S.p.A., part of Borodino Group, signed a preliminary agreement to acquire Sachman S.p.A., a machine tool manufacturer in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The combined company is expected to have annual revenue of EUR 70 million.

Fong's Industries (Hong Kong) agreed to acquire Possehl's European companies engaged in textile machinery manufacturing in Germany and Austria for EUR 50 million. Possehl will also invest EUR 9 million in Fong's Projects for a 9.9% stake.

EMAG (China) Machinery Co., Ltd. held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of its high-end CNC machine tool project in Jintan Economic Development Zone, Jiangsu province, on December 1, 2018. The total investment is 4.9 billion yuan, with phase one investment of 3.08 billion yuan, and will produce 3,000 high-end CNC machine tools annually with expected annual sales over 10 billion yuan.

Krones acquired MHT Holding, a Hochheim, Germany-based producer of PET preform moulds and injection moulding tools, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition strengthens Krones' PET value chain and tool manufacturing.

Vermeer Corporation announced its purchase of Vac-Tron Equipment LLC, a vacuum excavation equipment manufacturer based in Okahumpka, Florida. Vac-Tron will be integrated with McLaughlin Group Inc., which Vermeer acquired in 2017, under the combined group Vermeer MV Solutions.

Valmet was selected to supply a high-capacity containerboard machine and automation solutions for the second paper machine at Hamburger Rieger's Spremberg mill. The announcement is dated 15 November 2018.

Hamburger Rieger is investing about €370 million in a second paper machine at its Spremberg mill in Brandenburg, adding 500,000 tonnes per year of containerboard capacity. Construction began in September 2018 with completion scheduled for 2020, and about 200 jobs are expected.

Siemens won a contract from Samsung Engineering and CB&I to supply two net-gas, two off-gas-related and hydrogen-recycle reciprocating compressors plus eight make-up hydrogen compressors for ADNOC's Ruwais Refinery upgrade. The project is slated for commissioning in 2022. The report is dated 15 November 2018.

Siemens was selected by Samsung Engineering and CB&I to provide 19 process reciprocating compressors for ADNOC Refining's crude flexibility project at Ruwais Refinery-West. The report is dated 15 November 2018.

HMT Machine Tools Ltd. commissioned and handed over a three-axis CNC Vertical Facing Mill to ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre for machining solid rocket motors, costing around ₹18 crore.

Makino Asia expanded its Singapore facilities and built a smart factory to meet increasing demand, with plans to equip it with Industry 4.0 automation by 2019.

Bruker Corporation signed an agreement to purchase 100% of the shares of Alicona Imaging GmbH, a provider of optical-based metrology products based in Graz, Austria. Financial details were not disclosed.

Sonaca Montreal signed a contract with Fives Liné Machines for a Liné Machines Macbormill 250 HS/5-2 machining center and a Liné Machines RoboTC 200 automated tool changer.

Takamatsu Machine Tool will establish a new factory adjacent to its main plant in Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture, to manufacture machine tool accessories, with an investment of 400 million yen.

Samsung Engineering and CB&I selected Siemens to provide 19 process reciprocating compressors for ADNOC Refining's crude flexibility project at Ruwais Refinery-West in the UAE, with commissioning expected in 2022.

Samsung Engineering and CB&I, a McDermott company, selected Siemens to provide 19 process reciprocating compressors for ADNOC Refining's crude flexibility project at Ruwais Refinery-West in the UAE, which will allow processing of up to 420,000 barrels per day of Upper Zakum crude. Commissioning is expected in 2022.

ELGi Equipments, an Indian air-compressor manufacturer, has acquired Pulford Air and Gas, an Australian compressed air business with nearly $20 million annual turnover, expanding its product range to 450 kW machines.

Colly Slipservice has invested in and installed an additional Reinecker WZS 70 CNC grinding machine with automation at its tool grinding facility in Huddinge, Sweden, increasing capacity for tool resharpening and special tool grinding.

Yozma Group has invested 18 billion KRW in Toptec and its subsidiary Lemon, with 10 billion KRW for Toptec and 8 billion KRW for Lemon, to support nano-fiber and next-generation energy industries.

Akiem and Bombardier signed two contracts for the delivery of 33 Traxx locomotives (mix of MS2, AC3, DC3) worth EUR 112 million. Deliveries will occur between 2019 and 2021.

Eastman Kodak agreed to sell its Flexographic Packaging Division to private equity firm Montagu for a base price of $340 million, with up to $390 million total including earn-outs and prepayments.

Waldrich Coburg sold its more than 200-ton Taurus milling gantry, the largest exhibit at the China International Import Expo, to a private company from Jiangsu province. The price was between EUR 4 million and EUR 5 million.

Sumitomo (SHI) Cyclo Drive Germany GmbH, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, acquired Spanish industrial drive technology distributor and service partner Sociedad Industrial de Transmisiones (SIT) to expand its service offering on the Iberian Peninsula.

KP Linpac ordered a third Infrared Rotary Drum from Kreyenborg to expand thermoformed PET packaging capacity at its Beeskow site in Germany, with delivery planned for early 2019.

W.W. Grainger will proceed with an $80 million blanket purchase agreement to provide industrial supplies to the Air Force's Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, after a court rejected a protest by MSC Industrial.

DMG MORI invested €60 million to extend and digitize its FAMOT plant in Pleszew, Poland, expanding production and assembly areas to 21,000 m². The plant is now the first DMG MORI plant to operate digitally end-to-end.

Gardner Denver Holdings has acquired DV Systems Inc., a Barrie, Ontario manufacturer of rotary screw and piston compressors, funded with cash on hand. The price was not disclosed.

Bell Equipment started the expansion of its Eisenach-Kindel facility in Germany, adding two new halls totaling 12,000 m² to treble floor space for articulated dump truck assembly. Completion is scheduled for mid-2019.

Otis inaugurated a new 2,000 square metre building at its Gien plant in Loiret, France, to develop its elevator modernisation and digital innovation activity, with an investment of several million euros.

MCM, a subsidiary of Rifa Precision Machinery, signed a cooperation agreement with AVIC Chengfei at the first China International Import Expo. AVIC Chengfei signed purchase intentions with 18 suppliers totaling approximately RMB 4.3 billion, including MCM.

Engcon is investing 90 million SEK in high-tech CNC machines at Strömsunds Kvalitetslego's facility to triple production capacity of tiltrotators for the international market.

IPG Photonics Corporation signed a definitive agreement to acquire Genesis Systems Group, a robotic welding and automation integrator, for $115 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2018.

Applied Industrial Technologies has acquired Fluid Power Sales, a manufacturer and distributor of fluid power components based in Baldwinsville, New York. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Guangdong Meizhi Compressor (GMCC), a Midea Group company, is setting up its first compressor manufacturing facility outside China at Supa Parner Technology Park in Maharashtra. Midea plans about INR 1,350 crore of investment there and expects operations to begin in 2020.

GF Machining Solutions, a division of GF, won orders worth approximately USD 100 million from aircraft engine manufacturers and their suppliers in North America, to be delivered from 2019 over four years.

Mitsubishi Electric Automation Machine Manufacturing (Changshu) Co., Ltd. completed the first phase of its expansion project for industrial controller production, adding capacity for 358,800 servo systems, 174,000 programmable controllers, and 46,800 human-machine interfaces. Trial production began November 1, 2018.

Portescap, along with Kollmorgen, Thomson, and Jacobs Vehicle Systems, has become part of Altra Industrial Motion Corp, making Altra a global leader in power transmission and motion control.

Methods Machine Tools has entered into an agreement to represent Niigata Machine Techno USA throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico, adding Niigata's horizontal machining centers to its product line.

Seco Tools, a division of Sandvik Machining Solutions, has agreed to acquire Kunshan Ousike Precision Tools Co., Ltd (OSK), a Chinese supplier of solid carbide round tools. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2019.

Sandvik Coromant, a division of Sandvik Machining Solutions, has agreed to acquire Dura-Mill Inc, a US manufacturer of precision solid carbide end mills. The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2018.

Valmet has received a repeat order for a Valmet IQ Process and Quality Vision system from BillerudKorsnäs for its Skärblacka mill in Sweden. The system was installed on paper machine PM 7 and taken into production use in August 2018.

Park Energy Services has completed the acquisition of substantially all assets of Midcon Compression, a division of Chesapeake Energy, including a facility in Hinton, Oklahoma and a gas compressor fleet. The deal lifts Park's compression fleet to over 150,000 horsepower.