Vancouver – October 13, 2026 -- The U.S. Department of War has committed $450 million to The Elmet Group, the largest federal tungsten investment so far, as defense procurement rules barring tungsten from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea take effect on January 1, 2027.

St. Charles – October 13, 2026 -- CuBE Packaging Solutions Inc. is investing more than $30 million to expand its U.S. manufacturing facility in St. Charles, Illinois, adding new high-speed injection molding machines and integrated end-of-line automation to raise domestic production capacity.

Dublin, Ohio – October 13, 2026 -- AssetWatch, Inc. has launched AssetWatch Electrical Monitoring, a continuous motor current monitoring solution that requires no capital expenditure and targets faults in AC motor-driven assets that vibration sensors can miss.

Sensor tracks RMS current across all three motor phases

The solution continuously monitors RMS current on all three phases of AC motors. It flags overload conditions, power transmission problems such as slipping belts or failing couplings, and current unbalance that shortens motor life.

Shanghai – October 13, 2026 -- HSG Laser has unveiled a five-year product strategy that shifts its focus from high-performance standalone machines to intelligent manufacturing cells and integrated production lines, announced at its 20th anniversary event on October 11 in Shanghai.

The event brought together customers, strategic partners, industry experts and media from around the world. Ricky Wu, Rotating CEO, traced the company's path from a local laser equipment maker in Guangdong to a global provider of high-end laser solutions.

Houston – October 13, 2026 -- Median maintenance backlog across benchmarked plants reached 12.1 weeks against a 2-4 week norm, according to Innovapptive's new Frontline Execution Benchmark 2026, which accompanies the launch of a metric called Frontline Execution Effectiveness (FEE).

Columbus – October 12, 2026 -- Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) has appointed Frieda He as Chief Procurement Officer, placing a executive who oversaw more than $3 billion in annual global spend at Polestar in charge of its global procurement organization.

He will focus on strengthening supply chain resilience, enabling growth, optimizing cost and value, and driving supplier quality. Her remit covers Vertiv's portfolio of end-to-end power and thermal management solutions for data centers, communications networks, and commercial and industrial applications.

Milwaukee – October 12, 2026 -- A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS) raised its quarterly cash dividend rate 6% to $0.38 per share, extending a record of more than 30 consecutive years of dividend increases.

Board approves increase for both Common and Class A Common Stock

The board of directors approved the higher rate, which applies to the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock.

Seattle – – October 12, 2026 -- EHT Semi has embedded Bird RF measurement probes in its semiconductor power platforms, delivering power regulation to within 2% of the set point through fast, dynamic load changes.

Fort Worth – October 12, 2026 -- Professional freestyle wrestling league RAF has named Fort Worth-based Dollamur the Official Mat of RAF and RAF NEXT GEN, its youth division, locking in a single supplier for competition surfaces as the league expands in the US and abroad.

RAF Co-Founder and CEO Chad Bronstein described Dollamur as the only manufacturer able to keep pace with the league's growth. He said the company has acted as a true partner from the start.

Seoul – October 12, 2026 -- Hyosung TNC supplied its recycled functional polyester yarn regenTM ASKIN for the official race shirts at SMTOWN RUN CLUB 26, held Oct. 3 at Wangsan Marina in Incheon, after joining the SM Entertainment event as main sponsor.

Artists from SM Entertainment and other participants wore the shirts during the run. The event let the textile materials company test recycled yarn in a live running environment, as demand for recycled materials continues to grow across fashion and sports.