Tech, AI and Energy Deals Drive Global Business Moves

German hotel operator AMANO Group has finished implementing Mews’ hospitality operating system across its entire portfolio, following a rollout that began with a pilot in January 2025. Over several months, the company introduced the cloud-based platform at each of its 12 hotels, covering more than 1,300 rooms in Berlin, London, Leipzig, Düsseldorf and Munich, and completed the transition by the end of July.

The move replaces traditional front-desk processes with online check‑in, digital room keys and self‑service kiosks. AMANO Group says administrative tasks have been cut by 85%, allowing staff to focus more on guest interaction. As part of the new operating model, guests now bypass conventional reception desks on arrival and are welcomed at the AMANO Café instead.

Chief executive Phillip Rokeach described the switch to Mews as a broader operational transformation rather than a standard property‑management system upgrade, citing Mews’ user interface and integrated payments as particularly helpful given high front‑office staff turnover. Mews CEO Matt Welle called AMANO an example of how technology can enable hoteliers to prioritise guest service.

AMANO intends to maintain this centralised digital approach as it expands its portfolio, keeping systems unified across existing and future properties. The rollout followed close coordination between AMANO’s IT department and Mews staff to manage onboarding and integration. The project also comes shortly after Mews raised $300m in a Series D round led by EQT Growth, valuing the company at $2.5bn.

SANY Marine, the port machinery business unit of China’s SANY Group, has entered a strategic partnership with Construction Equipment Australia (CEA), part of the CFC Group, to distribute its telehandlers and material handlers across Australia. The agreement was announced at SANY’s Global Customer Summit & Smart E‑Product Launch.

Under the deal, CEA will use its national distribution network to introduce SANY equipment to sectors including mining, rental, construction, agriculture and bulk handling. SANY highlights durability, energy efficiency and smart technology integration in its machines, which it says aligns with growing Australian demand for sustainable, high‑performance material‑handling solutions.

CEA will act as a key strategic partner, bringing local market insight and an established sales network. Telehandlers are due to arrive at CEA’s branches from April 2026, with material handlers to follow later in the year. Executives from SANY, CFC Group and CEA framed the partnership as supporting SANY’s global expansion while broadening CEA’s product range, particularly in electric and intelligent machinery.

RWE has signed a power purchase agreement with Amazon for 110MW of output from the Nordseecluster B offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. The deal builds on a strategic framework the two companies established in June 2025 and is intended to support Amazon’s carbon‑free energy targets while advancing RWE’s digital transformation through Amazon Web Services.

Nordseecluster is located around 50km north of the island of Juist and is being developed in two phases. The 660MW Nordseecluster A phase is under construction and is scheduled to enter operation in early 2027. Nordseecluster B, where Amazon’s 110MW offtake is located, will add 900MW, with operations expected in 2029.

The wind cluster is a joint venture between RWE, holding 51%, and Norges Bank Investment Management with 49%. RWE estimates that the electricity Amazon will receive from Nordseecluster B will be sufficient to power more than 139,000 German households annually. The PPA is Amazon’s fourth major offshore wind agreement in Germany and part of a wider portfolio of ten renewable projects in the country with a combined capacity above 790MW.

RWE’s chief commercial officer for supply and trading, Ulf Kerstin, said large‑scale PPAs of this type are important for decarbonising Germany and bolstering security of supply. Amazon executives noted that the agreement supports the company’s plan to reach net‑zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040.

Orion Critical Mineral Consortium has signed a non‑binding memorandum of understanding to acquire a 40% stake in Glencore’s Democratic Republic of Congo assets Mutanda Mining and Kamoto Copper Company. The assets, which produce copper and cobalt, are estimated to have a combined enterprise value of $9bn.

If completed, the deal would allow Orion CMC to appoint non‑executive directors and manage the sale of its share of production to specified buyers, in line with a US‑DRC strategic partnership to secure critical minerals for the United States and its allies. Glencore would retain responsibility for operating the Mutanda and Kamoto sites.

Orion CMC and Glencore also plan to examine opportunities to expand and develop the existing DRC operations with the government and with Gécamines, Glencore’s partner at Kamoto, and are considering additional acquisitions of critical mineral resources in the DRC and the wider African copper belt. The potential transaction remains subject to due diligence, final agreements and regulatory approvals.

Orion Resource Partners founder and CEO Oskar Lewnowski said the proposed acquisition reflects the consortium’s mandate, announced when Orion CMC was set up in October 2025, to secure long‑life, high‑quality critical mineral production and support resilient supply chains for the US and allied economies.