How the war in Ukraine could help speed up the transition to electric vehicles: A cheap component that bundles car cables together — the wire harness — has become a surprising casualty in the Ukraine war, in yet another blow to the auto industry, Reuters reports, citing industry players and experts. Ukraine is responsible for a chunk of the world’s production of supply harnesses and supplies have been choked since the onset of the war. While these low-tech parts do not command the world’s respect like microchips, for instance, the truth is that cars can't be built without them. Their scarcity could lead to a quicker downfall of combustion cars and a faster transition by some legacy automakers to switch to a new generation of lighter harnesses designed for eEVs, industry players have predicted. “This is just one more rationale for the industry to make the transition to electric quicker,” said Sam Fiorani, head of production forecasting firm AutoForecast Solutions.

No workers, no problem: Robots pick up more factory jobs as companies struggle to hire enough employees: More robots are popping up in assembly lines and factory floors as companies find new ways to deal with a tight labor market, robotics industry trade group Association for Advancing Automation said, according to the Wall Street Journal. During the first quarter of the year alone, workplace robot orders in the US jumped by 40% y-o-y, but US manufacturers continue to trail behind other industrialized countries such as South Korea, Japan and Germany, according to the International Federation of Robotics. But the current shortage of workers, along with rising wages, are leading to an attitude shift towards utilizing more robots for more advanced roles. “Before, you could throw people at a problem instead of finding a more elegant solution,” said Joe Montano, chief executive officer of Delphon Industries LLC, a maker of packaging for semiconductors, medical devices and aerospace components.

US investment firm Redbird Capital Partners has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Serie A champions AC Milan in a EUR 1.2 bn transaction, the football club said in a statement today. Redbird will be acquiring the club from its current owners, Elliott Advisors UK, who will “retain a minority financial interest in the club and seats on the Board of Directors.” The agreement is expected to close “no later than September 2022,” with the leadership transition expected to happen over the summer, according to the statement.