Agility Robotics and AGCO sign commercial agreement to pilot Digit humanoid robots at Kansas plant
Agricultural equipment maker AGCO and humanoid robotics company Agility Robotics signed a commercial agreement on October 20 to bring AI-powered humanoid automation into AGCO's manufacturing operations, the companies announced. A US pilot is expected to begin in 2027 at AGCO's production facility in Hesston, Kansas.
Under the pilot, Agility's Digit robot will initially support assembly and production operations including parts sorting and stacking, and intelligent placement of totes for storage. The aim is to automate repetitive and physically demanding tasks, with the companies citing ergonomic safety and the freeing of employees for higher-value work as goals.
Digit is paired with Agility Arc, the company's cloud platform for deploying and managing robot fleets, which Agility says lets companies integrate automation without extensive infrastructure changes or facility upgrades. Digit is positioned as a human-centric robot designed to work in shared spaces rather than inside the safety cages traditional industrial arms require.
AGCO joins a customer list that already includes Toyota, GXO and Schaeffler, according to the announcement. 'This strategic relationship views humanoid robotics and AI as essential teammates in building flexible, intelligent factories,' said Thomas Enghof, AGCO's director of manufacturing technology.
For buyers evaluating humanoid pilots, the deal is a data point in the shift from demonstrations to paid commercial agreements in heavy manufacturing, with agriculture equipment - a labor-constrained, ergonomically punishing segment - joining logistics as an early adoption arena. The 2027 start date also signals these are still pilot-stage deployments, not scaled rollouts.
Separately, Agility noted it is preparing to go public through its previously announced business combination with Churchill Capital Corp XI (Nasdaq: CCXI). The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, after which the combined company is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker AGLT.