IN FOCUS

Valmet is planning changes to its manufacturing in Sweden and Poland and has initiated change negotiations in its Global Supply unit concerning the planned closure of manufacturing at its Sundsvall site in Sweden. In addition, Valmet starts negotiations about proposed changes to its Global Supply unit’s operations in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Jelenia Góra, Poland.

The company now has a permanent presence at the Budapest office of its mother company Bufab in Hungary. BUMAX will focus on establishing the BUMAX brand and better supporting customers across the Eastern European region – particularly in the Baltic states, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the Balkans and Turkey.

The Hydraulic Institute (HI) announced the recipients of its prestigious awards, presented during the 2026 Annual Conference Awards Dinner on February 26, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. These awards recognize industry professionals whose leadership, technical expertise, and dedication have significantly advanced both the Hydraulic Institute, Pump Systems Matter (PSM), and the broader pump industry.

The motion controls market had a difficult year in 2025. Interact Analysis experts report that the market contracted by -2.0%, although this is an improvement from the -6.5% contraction seen in 2024. The further fallout from supply chain issues post COVID-19, as well as multiple elections and policy shifts, contributed to economic uncertainty that bled through from 2024 to 2025.

In the past fiscal year, GEA achieved significant growth and further profitability gains. In particular, the technology company substantially increased order intake, with all divisions contributing.

EKKI Group, together with Germany-based HOMA Pumpenfabrik, has expanded their joint-venture manufacturing facility EKKI HOMA, strengthening the production of advanced sewage pumping solutions in Coimbatore, India. The expansion was recently inaugurated by N. K. Ranganath, Chief Advisor of EKKI HOMA, along with Hans Hoffmann, Marcel Hoffmann, Arumugam P, and Kanishka Arumugam, Directors of EKKI HOMA.

The Hydraulic Institute (HI), the largest association of pump manufacturers and suppliers to the pump industry in North America, and the global authority on pumps and pumping systems, installed new leadership during the 2026 Annual Conference in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL who will guide the organization through 2029.

The Wilo Group establishes the Global WATER AI Academy. With this initiative, the water technology group connects science and industry worldwide and promotes applied science and innovation as well as cooperation in the fields of water and AI across industry and national borders.

Henrik Elmin, Senior Executive Vice President and Business Area President for Industrial Technique, has decided to leave the Group. He will remain in his position until September 2.

The Wilo Group is expanding in Asia. With its entry into the Japanese market, the multinational water technology group is tapping into a highly relevant region in strategic terms: the East Asian country plays a leading role in both the semiconductor industry and in the construction of data centres, making it a key market for the AI era. Entry into this market therefore constitutes an important step forward along the Wilo Group’s ambitious growth path.