Business

Mitutoyo America Corporation and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) have announced a strategic partnership for the 2027-2029 racing seasons, bringing together two organizations with a shared commitment to precision measurement, performance and education. Under the agreement, Mitutoyo will serve as the Official Precision Measurement Partner of NHRA, creating new opportunities to connect precision measurement with the people and communities that make drag racing possible.

New orders of metalworking machinery, measured by the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, totaled $1,007.3 million in September 2026, a 38.0% increase from August 2026 and a 101.7% increase from September 2025. The total value of orders placed in 2026 reached $5.76 billion through September, 45.0% above the first three quarters of 2025.

ABB has confirmed that China’s foreign investment authorities have prohibited SoftBank Group’s proposed acquisition of its Robotics division in China, creating uncertainty around the completion of the $5.375 billion transaction.

ZEISS Ventures has participated in a £1.7 million funding round for Illumion, a University of Cambridge spin-out developing imaging technology for battery research and development.

North American companies ordered 10,989 robots valued at $723.5 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to new data released by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Orders increased 24.8% in units and 26.1% in value compared to the third quarter of 2025, making it the strongest quarter of the year so far.

Renishaw has announced record quarterly revenue of £251.8 million for the three months ended 30 September 2026, representing a 47% increase compared with the same period last year. The results mark a strong start to the company’s 2027 financial year, with growth reported across all three business segments and all three geographic regions.