Berlin – November 03, 2026 -- Employers in Germany's metal and electrical industry opened the second bargaining round with a 1.3% wage increase effective July 2028, following 20 months without a raise, according to a commentary in nd.DerTag. Over a 26-month term, the commentary calculates, that equals 0.6% per year.

GRAND RAPIDS – November 03, 2026 -- More than 40 senior print and packaging executives identified workforce transition, AI adoption, packaging regulation and supply-chain partnerships as four interlinked pressures at X-Rite Pantone's first Color Council, held September 17-18, 2026, in Rosemont, Illinois.

BOSTON – November 03, 2026 -- Jobs for the Future (JFF) has launched a $40 million fund that pays Registered Apprenticeship sponsors up to $6,000 per new apprentice in the semiconductor, nuclear energy and "Super Intelligence" infrastructure sectors. The fund is financed 100% by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Backnang – November 03, 2026 -- WIRmachenDRUCK GmbH won the Xerox Award as "Socially Engaged Printing Company of the Year" at the 22nd Druck&Medien Awards on October 29, 2026. The Backnang-based online printer also took second place in the "Customer & Sales Team of the Year" category (POLAR Award).

Stuttgart – November 03, 2026 -- Some 86 percent of surveyed manufacturers name missing internal resources as a hurdle to modernizing or introducing ERP systems, making it the most frequently cited obstacle in a new Planat GmbH study, even as 51 percent report high or very high pressure to upgrade.

Westminster, Colorado – November 03, 2026 -- Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL) reported third-quarter 2026 comparable diluted earnings per share of $1.10, up 6.8% from $1.03 a year earlier, while U.S. GAAP results swung to a net loss of $94 million, or 36 cents per diluted share, versus earnings of $1.18 per share in 2025.

Shanghai – November 03, 2026 -- YR Fitness, a China-based manufacturer that says 100% of its strength machines are designed, developed and built in-house, will present new equipment at FIBO 2027 in Cologne, Germany, on April 8-11 at Booth 9E67.

The new machines have completed key internal testing, according to the company.

Western Australia – November 02, 2026 -- Rio Tinto is pitching a portfolio of iron ore, copper and aluminium to investors as demand rises from AI, digital infrastructure and electrification, backed by operations in 35 countries and a workforce of more than 60,000.

Beijing – November 02, 2026 -- Journalists from South Korean, Turkish, U.S. and Cuban media outlets toured hi-tech companies and a modern agricultural demonstration park in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, on October 26-28, testing 3D scanning, exoskeleton and humanoid-robotics products.

Huntington Beach – November 02, 2026 -- Japan-based Prime Polymer and U.S. biomaterials company Newlight Technologies have developed a polypropylene textile material with dyeability comparable to polyester (PET). The material targets the limited dyeability that has held back polypropylene fiber in apparel and footwear.