AGCO signs Agility to pilot Digit humanoids at Kansas factory

AGCO will test Agility's Digit humanoid at its Hesston, Kansas plant from 2027, starting with parts sorting and tote handling.

Agricultural machinery giant AGCO has signed a commercial agreement with Agility Robotics to pilot the Digit humanoid robot at its manufacturing plant in Hesston, Kansas, the companies announced in a joint statement on Tuesday, October 20. The trial is expected to begin in 2027.

Digit will start with repetitive, physically demanding production tasks: sorting and stacking parts and placing totes into storage. AGCO said the pilot will test whether humanoid automation can improve ergonomics and operational efficiency without requiring major changes to existing facilities.

“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. “They unlock automation in complex, human-centric workflows, augmenting human capabilities by absorbing repetitive, strenuous or hazardous tasks.”

AGCO joins Toyota, GXO and Schaeffler as industrial users of Digit. “By introducing Agility's Digit humanoid robots into AGCO's operations, we have an opportunity to strengthen manufacturing processes, support employees in demanding tasks and demonstrate how advanced robotics can create measurable impact across modern production environments,” said Daniel Diez, Agility Robotics' chief business officer.

Digit is already commercially deployed, with the company citing more than 65,000 hours of real-world operation, and is managed through Agility Arc, the company's cloud platform for deploying robot fleets. AGCO, whose brands include Fendt, Massey Ferguson, PTx and Valtra, builds combines and hay and forage equipment at Hesston. The companies did not disclose the number of robots or the value of the agreement.