Companies acquire others in order to foster growth in key markets, while government organizations partner with industry to intensify production and efficiency. In this edition of It’s Just Business, we’ve rounded up five recent deals, including acquisitions and partnerships in aerospace and defense, HVAC, robotics and more. 

Acquisition: Fathom Digital Manufacturing, a contract manufacturing company, has acquired TCS Industries, TCS Electronics and Precision Grinding & Manufacturing Corporation to expand its aerospace and defense capabilities. The acquisitions strengthen Fathom’s precision manufacturing, integrated electronics and complex assembly capabilities as aerospace and defense customers seek increased production capacity and more resilient domestic supply chains.

“TCS and PGM bring exceptional technical talent, proven capabilities and deep customer relationships that make our platform stronger,” said Rush LaSelle, CEO of Fathom, in a press release.

Acquisition: Bluu unit has signed an agreement to acquire Space Engineering, a UK provider of refrigeration, HVAC, and mechanical and electrical solutions, expanding its presence into the United Kingdom and Hungary. Space Engineering, which manufactures CO₂ refrigeration packs and heat pumps in-house, will serve as the foundation for bluu unit’s UK platform and add natural-refrigerant manufacturing capabilities to the group. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, with financial details undisclosed.

Partnership: Ford Motor Company, JPMorganChase, the State of Michigan and others have launched Michigan LIFT, a public-private initiative designed to help innovative suppliers secure manufacturing contracts, financing and support to expand production in Michigan. The platform will focus on sectors including robotics, advanced energy, semiconductors, batteries, aerospace, critical minerals and life sciences manufacturing, with Ford aspiring to award up to $1 billion in supplier contracts and JPMorganChase aspiring to provide up to $1 billion in financing over the next decade. 

Partnership: The U.S. Army has announced its first Manufacturing Rodeo, a competitive exercise planned for early 2027 to test the capabilities of its organic industrial base and the broader U.S. manufacturing network. The initiative will identify production bottlenecks and supply-chain weaknesses while building on efforts to expand advanced manufacturing capabilities and partnerships with companies including Hadrian and Siemens.

The initiative will be “a race between our industrial base partners that strains our organic industrial base, stresses the supply chain, pressures manufacturing processes, and shows us exactly where it breaks,” Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle said in a press release.