Risky Borrowers Are Piling Into a Market Hungry for Junk
Debt-fueled buyouts that typically sustain the high-yield markets remain elusive. That means cash-rich buyers of leveraged loans and junk bonds are instead piling into refinancing deals and pushing down spreads. Many higher-quality companies have already cut their borrowing costs as much as the market will allow, driving investors to spend on deals in more speculative corners of the market.
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a minute ago
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In today's economy, transformation is no longer optional. The pandemic accelerated the digital shift across industries, while breakthroughs in AI and blockchain continue to reshape markets. For traditional businesses, this moment presents a choice: evolve or fade. Some legacy companies have not only embraced the challenge, but are redefining their industries in the process. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In today's economy, transformation is no longer optional. The pandemic accelerated the digital shift across industries, while breakthroughs in AI and blockchain continue to reshape markets. For traditional businesses, this moment presents a choice: evolve or fade. Some legacy companies have not only embraced the challenge, but are redefining their industries in the process. One such company is Tamtron Group Plc, a Finnish industrial weighing technology firm. 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"After that, they want to understand what it means, what to do next, and how to act faster and smarter. That's what we focus on." Applying AI to Weighing Over the past year, the company has integrated artificial intelligence into its core offerings. The move is not about staying trendy. It's about solving real problems in real time. Tamtron's smart weighing systems can now automatically recognize materials, such as gravel, scrap, biomass, or other bulk goods, without human input. The systems use machine vision and trained AI models to identify materials, streamline invoicing, and minimize input errors. In addition, the systems can verify whether a load has been properly and safely prepared for transport. This ensures that trucks and wagons are not only filled with the correct material, but that the load meets safety and compliance standards before departure. "It's not about adding fancy tech for the sake of it," Asikainen explains. "AI allows us to confirm that materials are what they're supposed to be and that they're loaded correctly. That helps our customers avoid costly mistakes, stay compliant, and reduce waste. It brings clarity at the most critical moment, just before the material moves." Building the Platform for Connectivity Tamtron's transition reflects a broader trend in industrial technology: connectivity. What used to be siloed machinery on the factory floor is now part of a digital ecosystem. The company's weighing systems are cloud-connected and integrated into enterprise systems, enabling features such as automated reporting, predictive maintenance, and real-time decision support. This not only improves operational efficiency but also enables companies to make data-informed decisions at scale. Every company installation effectively becomes a data node in a wider industrial network. Expanding Global Capability The group now operates in nine countries and exports to over 50 markets. Its systems are designed to scale globally, combining hardware durability with cloud-based intelligence. This dual focus on engineering excellence and digital flexibility has positioned the company to meet the demands of a fast-changing industrial landscape. Each deployment feeds back into the system, refining AI models and improving outcomes for customers. The more Tamtron's ecosystem grows, the smarter it becomes. Delivering strategy with precision, Tamtron's investments in smart technology are not about chasing trends. They are about delivering real-world solutions to industries facing economic instability, environmental regulations, and supply chain complexity. "Having a vision is important, but it's worthless if you can't deliver," Asikainen says. "We work hard to understand our customers' operations, not in theory but in the real world. From there, we build solutions that are measurable, reliable, and genuinely useful. That's what smart weighing means to us." 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Rather than abandoning successful measures in the face of technological innovation, such companies not only retain but also build upon their infrastructure and serve the market in a whole new way, just like Tamtron.
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