UCIMU reported a 3.1% year-on-year increase in first-quarter orders. Foreign orders rose 28.9%, while domestic orders fell 28.8%, leaving the recovery dependent on export demand.
Automation suppliers used the 2026 show cycle to combine robot motion, seam tracking, vision and process monitoring in integrated welding cells. The practical emphasis was on repeatability and inspection rather than robot motion alone.
Aluminium prices rose as markets reassessed the vulnerability of power-intensive smelting and regional logistics. The move followed renewed concern about energy and shipping conditions in the Middle East.
POSCO and JSW announced work toward an integrated steelmaking joint venture in India. The project would add upstream ironmaking and steel capacity in a market where construction, automotive and infrastructure demand remain central to long-term planning.
The IEA’s third-quarter gas report reviews consumption, storage and the next wave of LNG supply. New liquefaction capacity is increasing the importance of terminal utilisation, shipping availability and regional price spreads.
The IEA said natural-gas spending is expected to reach its highest level in a decade in 2026, while investment in oil declines. LNG, pipelines and upstream gas projects account for a larger share of energy-sector capital allocation.
Beehive Industries announced a large deployment of four-laser EOS M4 systems for propulsion and aerospace production. The order concentrates substantial powder-bed capacity under one operating organisation.
Stärke expanded its installed base with three additional Renishaw AM400 machines. The investment is aimed at increasing capacity while retaining a common machine platform and process environment.
