Ukrainian defense technology manufacturer TAF Industries, in partnership with the Danish company Upteko, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a joint venture (JV) in Denmark, which is expected to produce thousands of drones per month starting in early 2027.
According to a press release, the memorandum was signed during the DALO Industry Days in Herning, Denmark. This collaboration is part of the “Build with Ukraine” initiative.
Under the agreement, the companies are expected to work on scaling up production capacity in the field of FPV drones and strengthening supply chains.
“Today’s agreement is another strategic step that will contribute to further deepening cooperation both between our companies and between Ukraine and Denmark,” TAF Industries CEO Volodymyr Zinovsky is quoted as saying in the press release.
For his part, Upteko founder Benjamin Meinerz added that the companies jointly aim to foster innovation by developing high-performance systems and building an organization capable of adapting to future challenges.
“Establishing a manufacturing facility and a development office outside of Ukraine creates a solid foundation for cooperation in the fields of research, engineering, and manufacturing,” noted the founder of Upteko.
In June, TAF Industries, together with the Polish Defense Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa), signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the further localization of production in Poland and the expansion of manufacturing capacity.
The Danish technology company Upteko was founded in 2018 and specializes in developing drone solutions for the maritime and industrial sectors. The company collaborates with industrial partners, government agencies, and representatives of the maritime sector.
Ukrainian defense technology manufacturer TAF Industries produces over 30 types of defense products, including FPV drones and reconnaissance UAVs, electronic warfare systems, remote control solutions, and AI-based combat technologies. The company’s monthly production of FPV drones reaches up to 80,000 units.
The pharmaceutical company “JSC Galichpharm” (Lviv) produced 3.934 million packages of finished pharmaceutical products in the second quarter of 2026, worth approximately 981.424 million UAH.
According to the company’s disclosure in the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC) disclosure system, the average cost per package of medicines is 213.18 UAH for injectables, 52.11 UAH for infusions, 117.25 UAH for liquids and syrups, and 52.6 UAH for tablets.
Galichpharm’s total revenue for the second quarter of 2026 amounted to 354.394 million UAH. Total exports reached 115.4 million UAH, or 48.3% of total sales.
Currently, the company supplies products to the Ukrainian market and exports them to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Australia, and other countries.
As previously reported, “Galichpharm” (Lviv) produced 22.098 million packages of medicines in 2025 and sold finished products worth 1.774 billion UAH. The company then reported a net loss of 1.151 billion UAH, compared to a net profit of 13.705 million UAH in 2024 (-39% compared to 2023).
As previously reported, in May 2025, the Commercial Court of Lviv Oblast opened bankruptcy proceedings against the pharmaceutical manufacturer JSC “Galichpharm” based on claims filed by LLC “Sky-Development” in the amount of 479.262 million UAH. On April 21, 2025, Sky-Development LLC acquired from JSC “Bank Finansy i Kredit” the rights to claims against JSC “Galichpharm” under loan agreements and security agreements.
The investment company “Sky-Development” won an open auction organized by the Deposit Guarantee Fund for Individuals and acquired the claims of the insolvent JSC “Bank ‘Finansy i Kredit’” under ten loan agreements with leading Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies: JSC “Galichpharm” and JSC “Kyivmedpreparat.” According to Sky Development, the total amount of its claims exceeds 3.5 billion UAH.
For their part, “Kyivmedpreparat” and “Galichpharm” stated that the information disseminated by Sky Development Investment Company is “inaccurate, manipulative, and shows signs of a deliberate attempt to discredit the companies’ operations.” In particular, both companies denied having “multi-billion debts” to “Sky Development.” The pharmaceutical companies characterized the statements by “Sky Development” LLC as “an attempt to illegally and artificially create non-existent creditor debt for a possible future hostile takeover of the companies.”
EXPORTS, Galichpharm, MANUFACTURING, MEDICINES, PHARMACEUTICALS
According to Experts.news, global production of humanoid robots has moved from isolated prototypes to the first mass-produced batches; however, the industry remains highly concentrated: Chinese companies accounted for about 85% of shipments in 2025.
According to estimates by the Chinese research center CCID, in 2025, Chinese manufacturers shipped approximately 14,400 humanoid robots, accounting for 84.7% of the global market. Thus, the global total was approximately 17,000 units. Other studies estimate global shipments at approximately 18,000 units.
According to IDC, the number of humanoid robots shipped worldwide in 2025 increased more than sixfold—by approximately 508%. However, statistics from various research organizations differ significantly, as some count only bipedal robots, while others also include wheeled humanoid platforms and general-purpose robots with artificial intelligence.
China remains the only country where humanoid robots are already being produced by the thousands by several manufacturers simultaneously. There are over 140 companies in the country working on humanoid robots, and the number of models available exceeds 330. AGIBOT, Unitree, and UBTECH have become the largest manufacturers.
TrendForce expects Chinese production of humanoid robots to grow by another 94% in 2026. Unitree and AGIBOT are expected to maintain their leading positions thanks to their well-developed supply chains, access to low-cost actuators, batteries, and sensors, and their capacity for mass assembly.
China’s advantage lies not only in artificial intelligence but also in its ability to rapidly reduce the cost of hardware. Some of Unitree’s entry-level models are already priced below $6,000, while most American and European systems are geared toward more expensive industrial pilot projects.
The U.S. lags significantly behind China in terms of the actual number of robots produced, but it has the largest announced manufacturing projects outside of China.
Figure has launched BotQ, a facility whose first production line is designed to produce up to 12,000 humanoid robots per year. In April 2026, the company announced its transition from prototypes to the production phase and that it had reached an assembly rate of one robot per hour.
Agility Robotics operates the RoboFab plant in Oregon with a potential capacity of over 10,000 Digit robots per year. Actual output is currently significantly lower than the stated maximum capacity.
The U.S.-Norwegian company 1X has begun full-scale production of its NEO home robot at a factory in California. Tesla is setting up its first production lines for Optimus but has not yet disclosed confirmed data regarding mass production.
South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group plans to build a facility in the U.S. with a capacity of up to 30,000 robots per year by 2028. The facility is expected to produce, among other things, the Atlas humanoid robots developed by Boston Dynamics. The first Atlas robots are scheduled to arrive at Hyundai’s U.S. facilities in 2028.
One of the most advanced European projects is Germany’s NEURA Robotics, which has developed the 4NE1 humanoid robot.
The company calls it the first European humanoid robot ready for industrial production. NEURA is collaborating with Bosch and Schaeffler, planning to scale up production of robots for industry, logistics, and service tasks.
In 2026, NEURA announced that it had raised up to $1.4 billion to expand mass production and develop a network of centers where robots will be trained to perform real-world tasks.
In Serbia, AGIBOT and Minth Group are preparing to launch a facility in Šabac. The initial production volume is stated at 1,000–2,000 humanoid robots per year. The facility is expected to open in August 2026, although the timeline has already been revised several times. Therefore, Serbia should for now be classified among countries with announced but not yet confirmed mass production.
If the project is implemented, Serbia could become one of the first countries in Europe where Chinese humanoid robots will be mass-produced and adapted for regional markets.
Japan has many years of experience in developing humanoid robots, but so far has focused primarily on research, components, medicine, and elder care. Kawasaki continues to develop the Kaleido platform but has not announced mass production on a scale comparable to that of Chinese companies. TrendForce believes that Japan’s competitive advantage could lie in actuators, sensors, control systems, and solutions for elderly care.
In South Korea, Samsung has acquired control of Rainbow Robotics and intends to integrate its robotics developments with its own artificial intelligence and software technologies. Hyundai is simultaneously developing Atlas through its subsidiary Boston Dynamics, though the group plans to build a large factory in the U.S.
There is no comprehensive international registry of humanoid robot production. Companies disclose the potential capacity of their factories much more frequently than actual production volumes, and the term “humanoid robot” is applied to various types of devices.
The only reliably confirmed fact is China’s leadership, with a share of approximately 85% of global shipments in 2025. The remaining roughly 15% is accounted for primarily by the U.S. and small batches, prototypes, and pilot series from Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
In 2026–2028, the distribution may change following the launch of plants by Figure, Agility Robotics, Tesla, Hyundai, NEURA, and the Serbian AGIBOT project. However, for now, China retains a significant advantage in terms of actual production volume, component costs, and supply chain readiness.
The “Chervona Zirka” Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant (Kharkiv) produced goods worth 546.883 M UAH in 2025 and sold goods worth 526.744 M UAH.
According to a report published on the company’s website, the cost of goods sold in 2025 amounted to 213.733 million UAH.
The company reported that 96.4% of its output consisted of pharmaceutical products in the form of tablets, capsules, ointments, and tinctures.
Meanwhile, production of perfumes and cosmetics, which accounted for 2.9% of total sales, amounted to 15.121 million UAH.
“Despite the difficult times our country is facing, the company operated as usual in two shifts, with production capacity utilized at 67%. Currently, the company has increased its production and sales volumes compared to the pre-war period. Sales of finished products were primarily conducted on a credit basis, sometimes with payment terms of up to 60 days or on a prepayment basis. Sales volumes for the reporting year amounted to approximately 44 million UAH per month. “The share of the Ukrainian market is up to 2%; there were no exports in 2025,” the company’s report states.
“Chervona Zirka Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant is a Ukrainian manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, therapeutic cosmetics, and dietary supplements.
According to data from the OpenDataBot system, the company’s net profit for 2024 was 24.063 million UAH, which is 64% more than in 2023.
The company’s ultimate beneficiary is Olena Galkina.
KHARKIV, MANUFACTURING, MEDICATION, PHARMACEUTICALS, Червона зірка
The Zhydachiv Pulp and Paper Mill (ZhCPK, Lviv Oblast) plans to invest approximately UAH 50 million of its own funds in production development in 2026 to improve manufacturing processes in order to reduce production costs, purchase new equipment to expand the product range, and improve product quality.
According to the company’s 2025 financial report, published in the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), in the near future, the company plans to purchase an automated production line for four-valve corrugated boxes with three-color printing (UAH 46.5 million), as well as an automated packaging line for corrugated products (UAH 8.5 million).
In addition, there are plans to purchase a 500 kW solar power plant (UAH 9.5 million).
The report does not specify the amount of funds invested in development in 2025, but it notes that over the past five years, the plant has purchased fixed assets for production purposes totaling UAH 160.91 million, including machinery and equipment worth UAH 125.3 million.
Most of the funds were invested in 2024 (55.9% of the total investment), while in 2025 – 3% (2021 – 20%, 2022 – 9.5%, 2023 – 11.6%).
According to the report, ZhCPK increased its net profit by 85% in 2025 compared to 2024—to UAH 9.85 million—as net revenue grew by 19.2%—to UAH 524.3 million.
Exports accounted for 2.6% of sales (UAH 13.9 million), specifically to Poland, Moldova, and Latvia.
ZhCPK has an annual production capacity of 40,300 tons of paper (corrugating medium, linerboard, wrapping paper), 50,000 tons of cardboard (boxboard and linerboard for glued cardboard), corrugated cardboard – 100 million square meters, and egg trays – 48 million units per year.
As reported, ZhCPK slightly increased its corrugated packaging output last year to 19.9 million square meters. Packaging board output decreased by 4.4% to 10,400 tons, while wrapping paper output increased by 38.4% to 5,200 tons.
As of the first quarter of 2026, according to the NSSMC, the shareholders include Melfort Trading (21.118%), Hangli International Holdings (20.154%), Halefield Holdings (nearly 12.09%), Grammel Holdings (nearly 10%), as well as the closed-end investment fund “Seventh” LLC “Asset Management Company ”Svarog Asset Management,“ associated with businessman Kostyantyn Hryhorishyn – 17.65%, and FC ”Meridian” – nearly 8.64%.
Industrial production in Germany fell by 0.7% in March compared to the previous month, according to the country’s statistics office. Analysts had expected industrial production to rise by 0.5% on average, according to Trading Economics.
According to revised data, the figure fell by 0.5% in February, whereas a 0.3% decline had previously been reported.
Output of consumer goods fell by 1.9% in March, while output of capital goods declined by 1.6%. Meanwhile, production of intermediate goods rose by 0.8%.
Production in the machinery sector decreased by 2.7%, and the energy sector saw a 4% decline. Meanwhile, construction output increased by 1.9%, and automotive production also rose by 1.9%.
On an annual basis, industrial production in Germany fell by 2.8% in March, following a 0.2% decline the previous month.
