EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Major trade fairs conclude 2026 editions

Concurrent manufacturing trade fairs, Guangzhou Industrial Technology and Asiamold Select – Guangzhou, concluded their 2026 editions earlier this month. Co-located with SPS (Smart Production Solutions) Guangzhou, the combined platform drew 40,026 professional visitors from domestic and international markets. Attendees gathered to source technologies and share insights across a wide range of advanced manufacturing segments, including industrial automation, embodied intelligence, robotics, mould making and additive manufacturing.

More information www.bit.ly/4lEnnha

Kyocera Unimerco continues sustainability drive

Cutting tool manufacturer Kyocera Unimerco continues to take decisive action in support of the Kyocera Group’s sustainability targets, which align with the Paris Agreement’s ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The company expects

to reach its 46.2% reduction target in scopes 1 and 2 in 2026. For the fiscal year 2030, Kyocera Unimerco is aiming to reach its next milestone of a 70% reduction. Successful environmental projects include ensuring the evaporation of sludge from its coolant

plant in Sunds, Denmark. This activity is reducing both water usage and waste.

More information www.kyocera-unimerco.com

Technology Partnership set to drive physical AI at scale

ABB is now integrating NVIDIA Omniverse libraries into its RobotStudio offline programming and simulation tool to help manufacturers deploy physical AI in real world robotics applications. Says Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics:“Using NVIDIA accelerated computing and simulation technologies, we’ve removed the last barriers to making industrial and physical AI a reality at a global scale by closing the sim-to-real gap.”

Developers can now simulate robots in digital twins and generate synthetic data to train their physical AI models, enabling businesses of all types and sizes to deploy AI-driven robotics for various industrial workflows. Called RobotStudio HyperReality, the resulting physically accurate simulations and foundation models are endlessly optimised with real-world data feedback. These models can be used to train any number of ABB robots.

More information www.bit.ly/40y7H5o

£1bn contract for 23 new helicopters

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a £1bn contract award for new medium helicopters (NMH). Under the programme, Leonardo will build and deliver 23 latest-generation AW149s at Yeovil, boosting the capabilities of UK Armed Forces. The deal cements the site’s role of serving the national and export market with advanced military rotorcraft, with significant potential for the international market in the future.

The contract also secures thousands of skilled British jobs across the supply chain, as well as sovereign defence skills and expertise for decades to come. AW149 helicopters can operate in all environments in support of defence operations around the globe, from warfare to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. Notably, the NMH programme will deliver multiple rotary wing requirements using a single aircraft-type.

More information www.leonardo.com

Mitutoyo becomes DMG Mori QP partner

Mitutoyo is now included in the ‘DMG Mori Qualified Products’ (DMQP) programme, with the goal of supplying combinations of high-end precision machine tools and in-line precision measuring systems to manufacturing companies. The Mitutoyo MiSTAR 555 is the most suitable CMM for this purpose because it was designed for factory-floor applications and able to operate at temperatures between 10 and 40°C. Dr Masahiko Mori, president and CEO of DMG Mori, and Shigeyuki Sasaki, acting president of Mitutoyo Corp, sealed this partnership during the recent DMG Mori open house in Pfronten, Germany.

More information www.mitutoyo.eu