GWACHEON, South Korea, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Park Systems Corp., a global provider of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nanometrology solutions, maintained its position as the world’s leading AFM manufacturer by revenue for the fourth consecutive year (2022–2025), according to QY Research’s Global Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Market Report, History and Forecast 2021–2032.

Park Systems accounted for 23.8% of global AFM revenue in 2025 and led the industry in unit shipments, with 340 systems sold during the year. The findings place the company first in both revenue and shipment volume in 2025 among manufacturers covered by the study.

The leadership comes as the global AFM market enters a period of significant expansion. QY Research estimates the market reached $508.69 million in 2025 and forecasts it will grow to approximately $1.01 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 11.23%. Industrial Grade AFM, which the report calls the principal value-growth engine, is forecast to grow even faster, at a 15.72% CAGR over the same period, driven by automated wafer metrology, 200/300 mm wafer handling and other high-value semiconductor process-control functions. The report notes that while Industrial Grade systems represented just 14.54% of global unit shipments in 2025, they generated 43.41% of market revenue, reflecting substantially higher configured system prices.

According to the report, Park Systems’ core customer types include fabs, foundries and IDMs, electronics, display and storage companies, as well as universities, national laboratories, and materials and life-science institutions, with semiconductor/electronics representing the largest high-value application. Park Systems also continues to invest in its Research Grade portfolio for scientific research: in April 2026, it launched NX1, a Research Grade AFM designed for atomic-scale imaging under ambient conditions, with a rigid, thermally stable architecture engineered to suppress mechanical noise for reliable, repeatable high-resolution imaging.

Park Systems has also expanded its nanometrology capabilities through strategic acquisitions. According to the report, its 2022 acquisition of Germany-based Accurion GmbH added imaging spectroscopic ellipsometry and active vibration-isolation technologies, while its 2025 acquisition of Lyncée Tec SA of Switzerland added digital holographic microscopy — broadening the company’s measurement capabilities beyond AFM for both research and industrial customers.

About Park Systems Corp.

Park Systems is a global provider of nanometrology solutions for research and industrial applications. Founded by Dr. Sang-il Park, who contributed to the invention of atomic force microscopy at Stanford University, the company develops advanced measurement technologies including atomic force microscopy (AFM), white light interferometry (WLI), digital holographic microscopy (DHM), imaging spectroscopic ellipsometry (ISE), active vibration isolation systems and solid metal probes.

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SOURCE Park Systems Corp.

New facility brings fibre bottle technology into commercial production, creating up to 40 million units of annual capacity and establishing the blueprint for global expansion

RENFREW, Scotland, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pulpex, the UK packaging technology company behind the world’s leading fibre bottle platforms, today opened its first commercial manufacturing facility near Glasgow, marking a major milestone in the scale-up of fibre-based packaging. The site has an initial capacity of up to 40 million units per annum, has created approximately 39 skilled manufacturing jobs and serves as the first step towards Pulpex’s ambition of producing one billion bottles annually through a global network of Manufacture Under Licence partners. 

Commercial demand has already been secured, with more than 90% of the site’s initial available capacity for the current financial year committed. Launch customers include household cleaning brand smol, which is introducing Pulpex fibre bottles into the liquid laundry category, and Purely Scottish Natural Mineral Water, which plans to launch what is expected to be the UK’s first natural mineral water in a paper bottle following an 18-month collaboration with Pulpex. Additional launches involving consumer brands across food, beverage, home care and personal care sectors are expected to be announced in the coming months.

The opening marks the transition of Pulpex fibre bottle technology from pilot-scale production into commercial manufacturing. The Glasgow facility at Westway will support customer launches, scaled production and future manufacturing partnerships while serving as the reference plant for Pulpex’s international licensing strategy.

“The opening of our Glasgow facility marks the moment Pulpex moves from proving the technology to proving the industrial model,” said Sandy Westwater, Chief Executive Officer of Pulpex. “Every Manufacture Under Licence discussion we have from today is a conversation about a working manufacturing facility rather than a prototype.”

Pulpex’s patent-protected fibre bottles are manufactured from sustainably sourced wood pulp, contain no hidden plastic and are designed to be recycled through existing household paper and card recycling systems. The bottles have also been developed for compatibility with established filling infrastructure, providing brand owners with a practical route to adopt renewable, lower-carbon packaging without major production-line modifications.

Pulpex’s licensing model is designed to use the global network of established packaging production sites and experienced manufacturing partners already serving regional markets. By transferring its technology and operating model into this existing infrastructure, Pulpex can accelerate adoption, enable production closer to customer demand and support alignment with regional supply chains and recycling systems.

In Europe, Perlen Industrieholding AG has become Pulpex’s first Manufacture Under Licence partner, securing manufacturing exclusivity across Switzerland, Austria, Italy and southern Germany. In Asia, Alternicq has secured exclusive rights to develop the market across India and the Gulf Cooperation Council region as a precursor to a full manufacturing partnership. Together, these partnerships provide the foundation for scaling production from Glasgow’s 40 million-unit capacity towards the company’s ambition of one billion units annually through a global manufacturing network.

“With an initial capacity of up to 40 million units a year, Glasgow is the first step on our path to one billion units globally,” said Scott Winston, Managing Director and Chief Science and Sustainability Officer at Pulpex. “This facility demonstrates how UK-developed innovation can create skilled manufacturing jobs, support lower-carbon packaging solutions and provide a scalable platform for international growth.”

The Glasgow facility, supported by investment from the UK’s National Wealth Fund and the Scottish National Investment Bank, will act as the operational blueprint for future licensees, supporting commercial launches, technology transfer and international manufacturing partnerships. As additional manufacturing partners come online, Pulpex’s licensing-led growth model is designed to enable local production at scale while maintaining product consistency and compatibility with regional recycling infrastructure.

Further details at Pulpex.com 

ABOUT PULPEX

Pulpex is a packaging technology company developing recyclable fibre bottles made from sustainably sourced wood pulp. Designed to contain no hidden plastic and be recycled through existing paper and card recycling streams, the company’s patent-protected platform enables brands to adopt renewable packaging using established filling infrastructure. Through its Manufacture Under Licence model, Pulpex works with manufacturing partners to scale fibre bottle production globally while supporting local supply chains and recycling systems.

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New prices offer greater transparency for key chemical markets

LONDON, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus has launched new monthly price indexes for the domestic European ethylene and propylene markets, bringing greater transparency to these important chemical markets.

The new monthly Argus northwest Europe ethylene and Argus northwest Europe propylene indexes provide independent price references for the industry and were developed through discussions with market participants. Initially useful as a point of refence and to aid traditional monthly contract price (MCP) negotiations, the prices are designed to be suitable for adoption as an alternative to or in combination with existing benchmarks in pricing mechanisms.

The indexes are calculated using a transparent and publicly available (LINK) methodology. Each is based on a weighted combination of spot ethylene or propylene prices and spot cracker feedstock prices for naphtha, propane and butane, all assessed by Argus.

European ethylene and propylene MCPs have served as benchmarks for long-term contract pricing for decades. They are set through independent negotiations between industry participants, historically providing a baseline against which companies could negotiate their own contract prices, including discounts to the MCPs. But participation in these negotiations has declined, underscoring the need for innovative new pricing tools.

Beyond the ethylene and propylene markets, MCPs are also key benchmarks for many downstream value chains, including polymers and other chemical products. As a result, they ultimately influence the prices of a wide range of industrial and consumer goods.

Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said: “We are pleased to have worked closely with chemical market participants to develop a fresh approach to pricing. Our new indexes respond to reduced participation in the monthly contract price process and offer a fresh transparency which addresses a growing disconnect between contract prices and observed market values. Argus is committed to providing accurate, reliable and independent price assessments that bring clarity to complex and often opaque markets.”

Argus contact information 

London: Seana Lanigan
+44 20 7780 4200
Email Seana

Houston: Liz Orr
+1 713 968 0000
Email Liz

Singapore: Tomoko Hashimoto
+65 6496 9960
Email Tomoko

About Argus Media

Argus is the leading independent provider of market intelligence to the global energy and commodity markets. We offer essential price assessments, news, analytics, consulting services, data science tools and industry conferences to illuminate complex and opaque commodity markets.

Headquartered in London with over 1,500 staff, Argus is an independent media organisation with 32 offices in the world’s principal commodity trading hubs.

Companies, trading firms and governments in 160 countries around the world trust Argus data to make decisions, analyse situations, manage risk, facilitate trading and for long-term planning. Argus prices are used as trusted benchmarks around the world for pricing transportation, commodities and energy.

Founded in 1970, Argus remains a privately held UK-registered company owned by employee shareholders and global growth equity firm General Atlantic.

Trademark notices

ARGUS, the Argus Logo, ARGUS MEDIA and ILLUMINATING THE MARKETS, Argus publication titles and index names are trademarks of Argus Media Limited. Visit Trademarks for more information.

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SOURCE Argus Media