Autonomous vehicle technology developer Oxa and Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) have announced the launch of launch of SHIFFT.
SHIFFT is joint venture that will establish Dubai as a global hub for autonomous logistics and will incorporate self-driving technology into a fully integrated autonomous logistics and worksite intelligence product.
The partnership hopes that this will enable end-to-end operational deployment and unlock productivity, efficiency and safety gains for customers.
SHIFFT will launch its first scalable commercial deployment in Dubai before the end of 2027, with the focus of the joint venture on putting autonomous vehicles to work in ports and airports.
The autonomous systems deployed by SHIFFT will utilise Oxa’s configurable self-driving software, Oxa Driver, paired with Oxa’s cloud-based fleet management software, Oxa Hub.
Oxa’s autonomy hardware systems will also be utilised, which are designed to integrate with existing vehicle fleets.
Reportedly, SHIFFT forms an integral part of Dubai’s Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Programme, launched in November 2024 by DFF, which aims to boost the knowledge-based economy, create high-tech jobs, and establish Dubai as a regional R&D hub.
DFF’s RDI Ecosystem chief Khalifa Al Qama said: “To achieve Dubai’s ambition of doubling foreign trade by 2033, we must continue to develop and deploy solutions that strengthen the speed, efficiency and resilience of our logistics sector.
“SHIFFT reflects the purpose of the Dubai RDI Programme – bringing together global expertise and local capabilities to develop commercially viable solutions with real-world impact.
“Through this joint venture, we are advancing autonomous mobility, creating new economic opportunities and strengthening Dubai’s position as a global hub for the future of logistics.”
Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) has opened a new US$100m (c. £74m) manufacturing facility in Columbus, Indiana, to produce electric forklifts for its Toyota and Raymond brands.
The 295,000ft² factory increases TMHNA’s total manufacturing footprint in Columbus to 1.9 million ft² and represents the company’s largest investment to date in manufacturing capacity expansion.
Construction of the facility began in June 2024, with production starting in July 2026, ahead of the facility’s official opening on 5 August.
TMHNA said the expansion, which created 140 new jobs, will provide additional capacity to meet growing demand for electric materials handling equipment. Around 70% of the North American forklift market is currently electric, according to the company, with this share expected to reach 80% before 2035.
Brett Wood, president and CEO of TMHNA, said: “in 2023, 66% of all lift trucks sold in North America were electric powered…The electric forklift demand is likely to reach 80% before 2035, and our new factory is poised to address this electrification trend.”
The facility’s initial product is an electric Class 1 Stand-Up Counterbalanced Forklift, production of which has been transferred from TMHNA’s Greene, New York, factory. The move will allow the Greene operation to increase its focus on reach trucks, order pickers and automation, while Columbus expands counterbalance forklift production.
The new factory combines automated processes with manual assembly and has been designed with flexible manufacturing lines that can be expanded as demand changes.
It also incorporates a zero-VOC powder coating process and has been designed to accommodate rooftop solar in the future.
Rice cultivating business Herba Ricemills, has opened an automated warehouse in partnership with warehouse technology and intralogistics software enterprise Mecalux at its plant in San José de la Rinconada (Spain). Herba Ricemills (Ebro Foods) automated its warehouse with Mecalux to expand into Africa and the Middle East.
“We aimed to take a technological leap to enhance efficiency and operational reliability,” said Manuel Matías Martínez, head of warehousing and logistics management at Herba Ricemills.
Herba Ricemills has increased its productivity by 25%,using an Automated Pallet Shuttle system and Easy WMS warehouse management software at its Spanish plant.
The company has commissioned an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) designed by Mecalux for its Spanish plant.
This site manufactures ready-to-serve cooked rice products and ships brands such as Minute to North America, Lassie to the Netherlands and Brillante domestically.
Moreover, it has accelerated inbound and outbound flows through an electric shuttle that autonomously loads and unloads pallets within the racking.
By making better use of available space, Herba Ricemills can now store up to 5,400 pallets.
Herba Ricemills’ facility also incorporates racking equipped with the semi-automated Pallet Shuttle, well-suited for working with very high volumes of same-SKU pallets.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that (as of July 27) all new foreign mobile robot approvals have been banned.
The purpose behind this ruling is to force US-based manufacturers to use domestic autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
FCC also cited security concerns that via foreign made technology could potentially be compromised by nations seeking to utilise US data as clarified by the agency and the US Department of War.
The FCC’s determination defines an advanced robotic device using four tests:
The device has to be mobile and ground-based
It has to operate away from a human operator, responding to commands or sensor data
It has to weigh more than 4.4 lbs, including any dock or ground station
It must combine an environmental sensor, network connectivity of at least 200 kbps, and control software that handles navigation, perception, data collection, or remote command
To this end, FCC names quadrupeds, humanoids, and wheeled or tracked ground vehicles as examples.
The agency also exempted fixed, stationary industrial robot arms, including articulating, parallel/delta, Cartesian/gantry, and SCARA robots built for industrial or medical use.
This is in addition to exemptions to connected vehicles, rail vehicles, drones (covered under a separate December 2025 action), unmanned underwater vehicles, and FDA-regulated medical and mobility devices.
FCC made it clear that devices already in operation but not on the exemption list are themselves exempt; the new ruling applies to new devices only.
The agency has established a Conditional Approval mechanism that may allow affected manufacturers to obtain the authorisations necessary to continue accessing the US market.
Applicants are expected to provide extensive information regarding corporate ownership, investors, supply chains, manufacturing arrangements, software and firmware architecture, cybersecurity controls, and other business-related information.
Ocado Group and grocery retailer Lotte Shopping have launched their first automated customer fulfilment centre (CFC) in South Korea, introducing a number of Ocado technologies for the first time.
The Busan facility will serve a catchment of around four million households across the city and wider Yeongnam region, supporting Lotte’s expansion in South Korea’s rapidly growing online grocery market.
The launch follows a partnership signed between the two companies in 2022. Lotte began using the Ocado Smart Platform in 2025, initially fulfilling online orders using Ocado’s in-store fulfilment software.
The new CFC introduces Ocado’s fully automated freezer, known as Auto-Freezer, which extends the company’s ‘hive and bot’ automation into environments operating at temperatures as low as -25°C. Ocado expects the system to deliver more than twice the productivity of a traditional manual freezer operation.
The facility will also support ‘dawn delivery’, allowing freshly packed grocery orders to reach customers before 7am – an important feature of South Korea’s e-commerce grocery market.
Ocado said the site is expected to be its most environmentally efficient CFC globally. It will support a 100% electric vehicle fleet for daytime deliveries and use more energy-efficient 3D-printed robots and multi-temperature totes to maximise delivery storage density. Lotte is also expected to install solar panels to reduce annual carbon emissions by more than 1,000 tonnes.
Nick De La Vega, chief revenue officer at Ocado Group, said: “This is another major milestone for Ocado as we launch one of our most advanced CFCs to date in one of the world’s leading markets for grocery e-commerce.”
Cha Woo Chul, chief executive of Lotte Mart & Super, added: “By delivering farm-fresh produce on schedule to 4 million households in the Yeongnam region, we will reshape the paradigm of domestic online grocery shopping.”
Online penetration represents some 28% of total grocery retail sales in South Korea, significantly higher than the majority of major grocery markets worldwide, with sales reaching KRW 52.3 trillion in 2025, (c. £26.5bn) according to Statistics Korea.
ACC Aviation, the international aviation consultancy and charter specialist, today reported strong second-quarter results for its air cargo charter division, marking a profitable first full quarter under dedicated cargo leadership since Jack Burt’s appointment as SVP of Cargo in April.
Over the course of Q2 2026, ACC Aviation coordinated a series of large-scale Boeing 747-400F widebody charter missions spanning three continents, executing complex, time-critical operations for clients in oil and gas, aerospace, and defense sectors. The results combined disciplined cost management with efficient deal structures, which made a positive contribution to ACC Aviation’s overall group performance, validating the company’s investment in building a dedicated cargo charter capability.
Widebody Missions Spanning Three Continents
Among the quarter’s landmark operations:
Houston, TX → Saudi Arabia: Urgent oilwell drilling supplies and critical downhole equipment, mobilized for active field operations, aboard a Boeing 747-400F.
Europe → Canada: High-value aerospace manufacturing components and precision systems requiring specialized handling and temperature-controlled transport.
United States → Europe: Defense-related cargo and priority military support equipment, moved under stringent security and compliance protocols.
Each mission required close coordination with aircraft operators, ground handling agents, customs authorities, and end-clients across multiple time zones, and regulatory jurisdictions which were delivered on time, on specification, and in full. According to Burt, recent assignments have highlighted non-negotiable cargo urgency, security and precision which are indicative of the added value and peace of mind that ACC Aviation brings to customers’ cargo operations.
“When a client calls us with an urgent mission, whether it’s drilling equipment headed to an active oilfield in the Middle East or sensitive defense cargo bound for Europe, they need absolute confidence in execution,” said Jack Burt, SVP of Cargo, ACC Aviation. “This quarter, our team delivered that confidence, backed by the strength of our operator network and the discipline of our processes.”
Built on a World-Class Operator Network
Underpinning the quarter’s results is the operational foundation ACC Aviation has built in recent months: a proprietary, industry-leading database of certified freighter operators spanning every payload category and region, paired with a streamlined quotation process engineered for urgent, time-critical charters.
“These outcomes reflect the investment ACC Aviation has made in building a specialized cargo charter capability with the right people, the right processes, and the right partnerships,” said Phil Mathews, Chief Executive Officer, ACC Aviation. “Beyond the Americas, our cargo charter capabilities position us to compete for and win missions across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. As demand for reliable charter solutions grows worldwide, ACC is now well-placed to extend its reach in the global air cargo charter market.”
Looking Ahead
Building on this quarter’s momentum, ACC Aviation will continue to expand its proprietary operator database and cargo sector expertise, with a focus on high-growth verticals including energy, defense, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and humanitarian logistics. The Americas, including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central & South America, remains a priority growth region, leveraging ACC Aviation’s existing regional relationships and hub infrastructure in Fort Lauderdale and London. The division also plans for continued capability development across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Africa.
Euroairlines has announced the appointment of Aeroprime Group as its exclusive Cargo General Sales Agent (GSA) for India and Passenger GSA for the UAE, marking a significant step in expanding the airline’s footprint across high-growth aviation markets.
Through this strategic collaboration, Aeroprime Group will support Euroairlines in strengthening its cargo and passenger business by leveraging its extensive aviation network, market expertise, and technology-driven distribution capabilities.
The partnership is expected to create stronger synergies across cargo and passenger segments through enhanced interline opportunities, expanded distribution access, and seamless integration with Aeroprime Group’s modern airline retailing and distribution platform, Glid.
The integration of Glid with Euroairlines’ distribution ecosystem will further empower travel partners with broader access, flexible retailing capabilities, localized support, and enhanced airline content distribution across markets.
Importantly, the collaboration creates significant strategic and commercial value for both organizations by combining Aeroprime Group’s regional market expertise and distribution capabilities with Euroairlines’ extensive global partner and interline network. The partnership will enable stronger connectivity solutions, expanded cargo and passenger routing opportunities, new airline partnership development, and greater network flexibility for trade partners and customers across key international markets.
Abhishek Goyal, CEO and Executive Director, Aeroprime Group, said: “We are delighted to partner with Euroairlines at a time when global aviation connectivity and airline distribution are evolving rapidly. This partnership aligns perfectly with Aeroprime Group’s vision of enabling airlines with scalable commercial growth, strong market access, and modern retailing capabilities.
Beyond strengthening our cargo expertise in India and passenger distribution strengths in the UAE, this collaboration also opens up valuable interline and partnership opportunities through Euroairlines’ extensive global network. Combined with the integration of Glid, we look forward to creating stronger value for trade partners, improving connectivity, and unlocking new commercial opportunities across regions.”
Antonio López-Lázaro, CEO of Euroairlines, added: “India and the UAE are strategically important markets for Euroairlines, both from a passenger and cargo perspective. These regions represent strong growth potential and require reliable, market-driven partners with deep local expertise, and Aeroprime fits that vision perfectly. Aeroprime Group brings strong regional relationships, commercial capabilities, and innovative distribution solutions that will help us accelerate our growth strategy.
We are confident this collaboration will strengthen our market presence, expand our interline reach, and enhance connectivity and accessibility for our partners and customers globally.”
GOL Linhas Aéreas, one of Brazil’s leading airlines, has appointed Jettainer as its partner for Unit Load Device (ULD) management to support its continued growth. Started in June, Jettainer delivers a full range of services, including ULD supply, high-efficiency management powered by its advanced IT platform JettwareNG, and the maintenance of all required equipment. In addition, Jettainer’s industry-leading IoT tracking solution will be deployed to enhance transparency, reduce blind spots, and improve overall operational efficiency.
Founded in 2001, GOL Linhas Aéreas operates an extensive network of domestic and international routes with a fleet of more than 130 aircraft. Its cargo and logistics arm, GOLLOG, is the leading air cargo transportation company in Brazil, which provides comprehensive delivery services across the country and internationally. Since 2023, GOL has been part of the Abra Group, alongside Avianca and a strategic investment in Wamos Air.
As one of the fastest-growing airlines in South America, GOL will incorporate five widebody aircraft later this year to strengthen its internationalization strategy. This new fleet will benefit from a modern, flexible ULD fleet tailored to its operational requirements. The combination of intelligent management systems and state-of-the-art tracking technology ensures maximum availability, enhanced reliability, and optimal efficiency. Jettainer’s role as ULD management provider for Abra Group airlines will further unlock synergies, streamline operations, and contribute to cost optimization.
“The partnership with Jettainer marks another important step for our new intercontinental operations, enabling the safe and efficient transport of cargo on our widebody aircraft,” says Patrícia Bello, General Director of GOLLOG. “Jettainer brings the expertise, quality, and forward-thinking solutions needed to support us as we continue shortening distances and connecting people, opportunities, and businesses around the world.”
“We are delighted to support GOL in its ambitious growth journey with our efficient ULD management solutions,” says Shailendar Kothari, Managing Director of Jettainer Americas Inc. “Welcoming such a dynamic airline – serving more than 30 million passengers per year and operating around 700 flights per day – is another major step forward for us. At the same time, it strengthens our presence in South America and enables us to deliver even greater value and synergies to all airlines within the Abra Group.”
Industrial decision makers are getting more demanding. Be it infrastructure, energy, or other asset-heavy sectors, satellite data is now expected to do more than provide just visual coverage. It has to support decisions about risk, compliance, and asset condition in a way that are trusted and consistent over time.
This shift is already visible across some sectors. In mining, operators are expected to demonstrate stability and environmental performance almost in realtime and not just at fixed reporting intervals. In utilities, vegetation management and network integrity must be monitored across thousands of square kilometres. In insurance, underwriting and claims validation depend on verifiable ground conditions rather than one-off snap assessments.
Across these use cases, the requirement is the same: data that can be relied on as evidence over time, not simply viewed as an image.
Industrial Decisions Need Proof
The scale of this challenge is well documented. McKinsey estimates that predictive maintenance and condition-based monitoring can cut maintenance costs by 10 to 40 percent and reduce downtime by as much as 50 percent. The value of seeing asset condition earlier and more consistently is no longer hard to quantify. When operators only see asset condition at intervals, important changes can build quietly between inspection cycles.
Advanced analytics and machine learning are reinforcing the same shift. Operators want earlier warnings, better foresight, and a clearer basis for action. That kind of workflow depends on data that is consistent over time.
In 2025, Swiss Re puts global insured losses from natural catastrophes above $100 billion, with infrastructure exposure accounting for a growing share. Risk on the ground does not stand still between events or reporting periods. Without consistent monitoring, it is much harder to judge how that exposure is changing.
For operators, periodic checks are no longer enough. They need a baseline that allows change to be detected, compared, and verified across time and across assets.
Why Imagery Alone Falls Short
Satellite data has expanded visibility. Large and distributed assets can now be observed regularly without the constraints of physical access. For many years, that was enough. High-resolution imagery supported mapping, inspection, and situational awareness.
Industrial workflows have moved well beyond one-off analysis. Data now feeds operational systems, risk models, and automated processes. That raises the standard. The data has to stay consistent over time and usable inside systems that depend on that consistency.
AI and advanced analytics have made the requirement more explicit. As a recent World Economic Forum article on Earth observation and AI notes, the real value comes from turning raw data into meaningful signals that preserve patterns across space and time, not just from collecting more pixels.
This makes consistency critical, as current observations of the same location often differ from one pass to the next. Acquisition time changes; viewing angles shift; atmospheric conditions vary; and sensor response is not identical. These differences introduce variation in the data even when nothing on the ground has changed.
For visual interpretation, this can be managed. For systems that depend on consistent inputs, it becomes a constraint. Data has to be aligned, corrected, and normalized before it can be used, adding complexity and time as well as reducing reliability at scale.
What Measurement-Grade Data Changes
The real requirement here is repeatability. The same location has to be captured consistently enough that the data can be compared over time with confidence. Without that, changes in the signal can just as easily reflect shifts in acquisition conditions as actual changes on the ground.
Newer Earth observation systems are being built around this emerging requirement. Constellations designed around coordinated imaging, controlled viewing geometry, and calibrated multi-spectral observation are structured to produce consistent measurements rather than isolated images.
Spectral range becomes useful here in a very practical sense. Different bands capture different signals, from plant stress and moisture levels to heat patterns and material changes. Collected consistently over time, they make it easier to see gradual shifts that a single image might miss.
EarthDaily’s 10-satellite constellation is designed to capture consistent, calibrated measurements across 22 spectral bands, enabling detection of real physical change across land, water, vegetation, and atmosphere.
Systems like EarthDaily are built around this requirement. The EarthDaily Constellation combines wide-area daily coverage with calibrated, multi-spectral measurement across 22 spectral bands, allowing data to remain comparable across passes, sensors, and satellites. The result is a stable dataset that can be used directly in industrial workflows.
Earth observation then becomes part of the monitoring system itself. EO-based measurements can be used to track condition, verify change, and support decisions across large and distributed operations.
As industrial systems become more automated and decisions become more data-driven, the requirement for measurement-grade observation will continue to grow at pace.
Author bio
Peter Round is Head of Europe and Global Vice President, Business Development – Defence & Intelligence at EarthDaily. A retired senior officer of the UK Armed Forces, he served for 33 years, including postings in the United States and Brussels. He represented the UK at NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, and later served as Capability Director at the European Defence Agency, leading more than 100 multinational capability and research programmes. He is a Fellow and Chair of Trustees of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a Consulting Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
ABB today announced the launch of Grinding Connect, a new digital service suite for mining companies operating gearless mill drive (GMD) systems. Available globally, the new suite is designed to improve visibility across critical grinding assets, reducing unplanned equipment downtime and supporting more efficient maintenance planning at a time when mines face growing pressure to maintain throughput and reliability.
With demand for critical minerals expected to triple by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency, mining companies are under pressure to scale and stabilize the production of critical materials. Continuous performance and reliability of large grinding circuits are critical to plant output, with unplanned downtime estimated to cost up to $500,000 an hour according to ABB research.
Grinding Connect is developed to address the need for more remote expert support, maintenance and continuous performance, through a single cloud-based service suite built specifically for ABB GMD systems. The suite leverages ABB’s knowledge from more than 160 GMD projects worldwide, which is combined with secure cloud analytics and service workflows to allow users to view system conditions, access service records, submit service requests, and interact with ABB expert support through one platform.
The service suite brings together digital solutions that ABB has introduced to the market over recent years, including Asset Health and Condition Monitoring analytics, Trendex diagnostics and troubleshooting as well as GMD Copilot, ABB’s AI‑powered virtual support assistant. Within Grinding Connect, mining operators can access prescriptive maintenance recommendations, supported by more than 180 trend signals as well as alarms, events, transient recording integration and signal correlation.
The platform is also designed to provide anomaly detection, frozen-signal detection and smart notifications, alongside recommended actions from ABB experts to support continued operation. By supporting remote diagnostics and expert collaboration, the suite reduces the need for reactive on-site intervention, helping service teams to prioritize actions more effectively.
“Mining operators are looking for practical ways to improve availability, reduce response times and make better-informed decisions for the maintenance of production-critical assets,” said Mikel Torre, Global Business Unit Manager Grinding, ABB’s Process Industries division. “Grinding Connect brings ABB’s service and GMD system knowledge into one digital environment, meaning users can work with a complete view of asset condition, service history and expert support. Only with this level of visibility will operators make progress towards the industry transition to increasingly autonomous, more efficient mining operations.”
Grinding Connect has been developed in line with ABB cybersecurity standards and IEC 62443-related product development practices, including penetration testing during verification. It is available globally for mining customers using ABB gearless mill drive systems
