AGCO to Deploy Agility Robotics Humanoids in Kansas Plant by 2027
- Farm equipment manufacturer AGCO has partnered with Agility Robotics to deploy humanoid robots in a 2027 pilot program at its Hesston, Kansas, plant, techspot.com reported.
- The deployment centers on Digit, a two-legged machine built by Agility Robotics for human-designed workplaces.
- AGCO insists the machines will aid employees rather than displace them.
Farm equipment manufacturer AGCO has partnered with Agility Robotics to deploy humanoid robots in a 2027 pilot program at its Hesston, Kansas, plant, techspot.com reported. The machines will assist in building balers, mower conditioners, and self-propelled windrowers for brands like Massey Ferguson and Fendt, focusing on sorting parts and moving storage totes rather than complex assembly.
AGCO brings Digit to Kansas manufacturing
The deployment centers on Digit, a two-legged machine built by Agility Robotics for human-designed workplaces. Instead of building tractors or operating farm machinery right away, the robot’s initial tasks involve handling storage totes and sorting components. The pilot program marks another industrial step for Digit, which Amazon began testing in 2023 to move empty totes, and which logistics firm GXO has deployed to shift containers for Spanx. Agility also counts Toyota and industrial supplier Schaeffler among its customers.
Big parts. Low volumes. Real variation from machine to machine. @johnkoetsier on why AGCO’s Hesston, Kansas, plant is a harder test for a humanoid than an auto line, and a truer one: https://t.co/HjseAEGRJh pic.twitter.com/xqTP6ejlQW
Productivity goals meet labor concerns
AGCO insists the machines will aid employees rather than displace them. Thomas Enghof, AGCO’s director of manufacturing technology, stated that the robots unlock automation in complex, human-centric workflows, augmenting human capabilities by absorbing repetitive, strenuous or hazardous tasks
as reported by techspot.com. The company argues that handling strenuous jobs will improve plant safety and allow human workers to focus on skilled tasks. Agility notes that Digit runs on a cloud platform called Agility Arc that manages fleets without major factory changes, and that the robot has accumulated over 65,000 hours of real-world operation.
Other automakers and tech companies face skepticism over similar workplace automation plans. Hyundai’s union issued a warning regarding a huge employment shock
after the company announced plans to bring Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid into its factories in 2028. Meanwhile, Amazon has disputed a report claiming its robots are intended to eliminate the need for over 600,000 US warehouse workers by 2033, maintaining that its machines are designed to support workers.
