CHENGDU, China, Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, LivingPhoenix®Regenerative Technologies Development (Chengdu) Co., Ltd., announced that its self-developed POGMENT triple-helix biomimetic collagen has, for the first time globally, achieved high-resolution molecular visualization of “collagen fiber bundles” using Cryo-Electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) under near-physiological and cryogenic conditions. This breakthrough fills the international knowledge gap in understanding collagen’s self-assembly mechanism.

The result was achieved through collaboration with the Cryo-EM platform team at Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory (Frontier Medical Center). Using a 300kV Cryo-TEM (Titan Krios G4), the team captured ultra-structural details across multiple sample batches, with morphology further validated by Talos L120C TEM at room temperature. This marks a major original breakthrough for China in the high-end biomaterials field.

POGMENT is the world’s first biomimetic collagen to overcome thermal instability. It is a synthetic material not derived from animals, solving key bottlenecks in structural stability and functional consistency of traditional collagen. The technology originated from an initial process (1.0) at Kyoto University, was introduced to China (v1.1) by Japanese scientists, upgraded locally in Chengdu to v1.2, and finally developed into a second-generation independent intellectual property system (2.0) by a global team of PhDs from the University of Tokyo, Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and University Paris Dauphine.

The technology has applied for 6 Chinese invention patents applications and 6 PCT applications, with 3 material patents and 1 use patent already granted. Trademark and other IP rights have been registered in the U.S., EU, UK, South Korea, and Japan. Joint original research by LivingPhoenix, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, National Center of Gerontology Beijing Hospital, Peking University Third Hospital, and the University of Tokyo has been peer-reviewed and published in the Q1 SCI journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Impact Factor: 4.8).

Furthermore, this technological achievement has been filed with the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in accordance with national standards, and has been included in the Terminology for Collagen in Tissue-Engineered Medical Devices (YY/T1955-2025), Medical Device Master File and Cosmetic Ingredient.

For collaboration opportunities in cosmetics, medical aesthetics, or high-end biomaterials, contact:

Email: POGMENT@mylivingphoenix.com 

Official website：www.mylivingphoenix.com  

• North America’s supply chains get busier, with sharp stockpiling of components to guard against tariff-driven shortages and price inflation
• Asia’s manufacturers cut purchases, led by Japan and Taiwan, and to a lesser extent China
• Europe weakens further, dragged down by Germany and a sharp downturn in the UK

CLARK, N.J., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index, a leading economic indicator based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses, slipped to -0.39 in August, from -0.35 in July, signaling rising spare capacity as global supply chain activity cooled.

The global figure concealed stark regional contrasts. North America was the outlier, with supply chains running close to full capacity as companies in the continent stockpiled raw materials and components to protect against tariff-driven shortages and delivery delays. This was particularly true for the US consumer goods sector, which includes industries such as food & beverages and household products.

By contrast, Asia’s index fell to a three-month low as purchasing activity weakened in China’s consumer non-cyclicals sector, although the region’s weakness was predominantly across Japan and Taiwan. Europe also deteriorated, with Germany’s basic materials sector faltering and UK manufacturing plunging deeper into contraction. The index here (-0.90) signaled one of the steepest declines since 2024.

“So far tariffs have neither spurred growth nor triggered collapse,” said Michael DuVall, GEP’s global head of supply chain strategy. “Tariff uncertainty is no longer a temporary, it’s a structural reality in the supply chain. Companies need to manage it by reinvesting in resilience, diversifying suppliers, and building critical capabilities like demand sensing to make faster, smarter decisions.”

GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index

Interpreting the data:
Index > 0, supply chain capacity is being stretched. The further above 0, the more stretched supply chains are.
Index < 0, supply chain capacity is being underutilized. The further below 0, the more underutilized supply chains are.

REGIONAL HIGHTLIGHTS

• ASIA: Index fell to a three-month low to indicate rising spare capacity across Asia’s supply chains as purchasing volumes in China was flat. In contrast, South Korea, Indonesia and particularly India saw greater factory procurement activity.
• NORTH AMERICA: Supply chains were practically running at full capacity as recent orders were delivered and companies added to stock.
• EUROPE: Index falls again as factories purchased fewer intermediate goods and destocked. The data continue to highlight the fragile nature of Europe’s industrial recovery.
• U.K.: Index falls sharply to -as U.K. manufacturers cutback on procurement and inventories.

GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index

Interpreting the data:
Index > 0, supply chain capacity is being stretched. The further above 0, the more stretched supply chains are.
Index < 0, supply chain capacity is being underutilized. The further below 0, the more underutilized supply chains are.

For more information, visit www.gep.com/volatility.

Note: Full historical data dating back to January 2005 is available for subscription. Please contact economics@spglobal.com.

The next release of the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index will be 8 a.m. ET, Oct. 10, 2025.

About the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index 
The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index is produced by S&P Global and GEP. It is derived from S&P Global’s PMI® surveys, sent to companies in over 40 countries, totaling around 27,000 companies. The headline figure is a weighted sum of six sub-indices derived from PMI data, PMI Comments Trackers and PMI Commodity Price & Supply Indicators compiled by S&P Global.

• A value above 0 indicates that supply chain capacity is being stretched and supply chain volatility is increasing. The further above 0, the greater the extent to which capacity is being stretched.
• A value below 0 indicates that supply chain capacity is being underutilized, reducing supply chain volatility. The further below 0, the greater the extent to which capacity is being underutilized.

A Supply Chain Volatility Index is also published at a regional level for Europe, Asia, North America and the U.K. For more information about the methodology, click here.

About GEP
GEP^® delivers AI-powered procurement and supply chain solutions that help global enterprises become more agile and resilient, operate more efficiently and effectively, gain competitive advantage, boost profitability and increase shareholder value. Fresh thinking, innovative products, unrivaled domain expertise, smart, passionate people — this is how GEP SOFTWARE^™, GEP STRATEGY^™ and GEP MANAGED SERVICES^™ together deliver procurement and supply chain solutions of unprecedented scale, power and effectiveness. Our customers are the world’s best companies, including more than 1,000 Fortune 500 and Global 2000 industry leaders who rely on GEP to meet ambitious strategic, financial and operational goals. A leader in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants, GEP’s cloud-native software and digital business platforms consistently win awards and recognition from industry analysts, research firms and media outlets, including Gartner, Forrester, IDC, ISG, and Spend Matters. GEP is also regularly ranked a top procurement and supply chain consulting and strategy firm, and a leading managed services provider by ALM, Everest Group, NelsonHall, IDC, ISG and HFS, among others. Headquartered in Clark, New Jersey, GEP has offices and operations centers across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. To learn more, visit www.gep.com.

About S&P Global
S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) S&P Global provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and accelerate progress for the world. We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today.

XIAMEN, China, Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — EPWK (NASDAQ: EPWK), a Nasdaq-listed digital services platform based in Xiamen, has launched its international platform intl.epwk.com, marking a strategic leap from a domestic Chinese operation to a truly global tech company. Founder and CEO Huang Guohua believes that successful internationalisation will unlock new value and global potential for China’s creative service economy.

According to Huang, internationalisation goes far beyond launching an English website. It’s a deep strategic upgrade—a move to optimise growth, improve brand positioning, and expand ecosystem reach. It positions EPWK as a cross-border infrastructure platform aligned with global trends in remote work, service globalisation, and the internationalisation of Chinese brands.

Since going live, the international platform has seen thousands of new users register daily. It is already becoming a key channel for global creative agencies targeting Chinese clients. For EPWK, this global pivot is a chance to unlock higher-value markets—especially in North America and Europe, where the demand for creative and digital services is stronger and client budgets are larger.

International revenue will also reduce dependency on domestic markets and strengthen the company’s financial stability. Analysts see EPWK’s global expansion as a critical move that opens a new growth curve and raises the ceiling on what the company can achieve.

Being publicly listed on Nasdaq further amplifies the need for global reach. A successful international platform boosts investor confidence by proving the company’s business model can scale across borders.

The shift also coincides with a global shift toward remote collaboration, especially post-pandemic. Creative services are naturally suited for distributed work, and EPWK is capitalising on this opportunity—positioning itself at the intersection of digital trade and globally distributed talent.

With Chinese brands rapidly expanding abroad—across sectors like EVs, electronics, and cross-border e-commerce—there’s growing demand for global-ready design, marketing, and localisation services. EPWK aims to become a critical infrastructure partner supporting this wave of expansion.

Huang outlined EPWK’s dual-sided network strategy: attract high-quality service providers from regions like Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas, while also meeting demand from Chinese enterprises going global and foreign SMEs seeking reliable creative talent. The goal is to create a balanced, high-density transaction marketplace.

Challenges remain—cross-cultural operations, global competition, regulatory compliance, and international copyright enforcement. But Huang sees these as necessary battles. Successfully solving them could position EPWK as a category-defining company, setting industry benchmarks and building strong competitive moats.

As of June 30, 2024, EPWK has more than 25.6 million registered users and over $1.67 billion in GMV, covering more than 2,800 cities and counties in China. Since its founding in 2011, EPWK has also played a central role in standard-setting within China’s creative economy, including leading the creation of the country’s first group standard for creative skills platforms.

China’s AI-Driven Apparel Innovation Set to Take the International Stage

HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — With its outstanding strength in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to the field of garment production innovation, Aitu recently received the 2025 IFA AI Product Innovation Gold Award in Berlin, Germany. As one of the world’s top technology exhibitions, this year’s IFA saw fierce competition in AI technology – particularly from Chinese brands, whose rapid rise is reshaping the global tech landscape and marking a milestone for China’s AI innovation.

This honor from IFA not only recognizes Aitu’s strengths in the integration of artificial intelligence with garment smart manufacturing, humanoid robots, and other industrial intelligent manufacturing applications, but also signifies Aitu’s leading position in the race for innovation in the convergence of AI and garment manufacturing industries, demonstrating its increasingly important role on the global stage.

As the premium AI brand developed by Jack Technology (Stock Code: 603337), a global leader in intelligent sewing, Aitu is devoted to developing AI technologies and applying them within intelligent garment production. Building upon AI-driven equipment, the brand is pursuing the research and development of humanoid robots and automated production modules, accelerating the industry’s transition toward labor-light manufacturing.

“In the global wave of industrial intelligence, artificial intelligence is replacing traditional decision-making at lower cost and with greater speed, empowering us to respond with agility to the evolving needs of our customers. AI significantly boosts overall management efficiency, enabling businesses to stay competitive in the fast-paced garment industry,” said Steven Zhang, President of Aitu. “We have achieved a groundbreaking milestone with the initial application of AI technology in B-end industrial manufacturing. Moving forward, we will keep AI as our cornerstone—deepening humanoid robot integration with intelligent apparel equipment and scaling AI-driven manufacturing across production lines worldwide.

Aitu will host its global brand launch at the Shanghai Tower on September 23, 2025. Themed “Al Reinvents Sewing Machine,” the event will showcase Aitu’s AI-powered apparel production solutions, reshaping the landscape of the global manufacturing industry.