AGCO and Agility agree 2027 Digit humanoid pilot at Hesston plant

AGCO and Agility Robotics have signed a commercial agreement for a Digit humanoid pilot at AGCO’s Hesston, Kansas, manufacturing facility, expected to begin in 2027. The agricultural-equipment manufacturer plans to use the robot for parts sorting and stacking and the placement of totes for storage, supporting assembly and production operations.

The planned tasks put Digit into the movement and organisation of factory materials, where employees repeatedly handle parts and containers. AGCO intends to use the pilot to improve ergonomics and production flexibility while integrating humanoids into existing workflows. Agility’s Arc cloud platform supports robot deployment and fleet management, connecting Digit with site operations.

AGCO joins Agility’s industrial customer network alongside Toyota, GXO and Schaeffler. For AGCO, whose agricultural machinery and precision-agriculture portfolio includes Fendt, Massey Ferguson, PTx and Valtra, the agreement introduces humanoid automation inside its own manufacturing operations. The initial Hesston programme concentrates on repetitive and physically demanding work.

The agreement follows Agility’s September introduction of Digit 5, which incorporates redesigned hardware and safety features for work alongside people. Agility reported more than 65,000 operating hours across the earlier Digit 4 generation and over $300 million in multi-year Digit 5 orders as of May, subject to contractual milestones. Digit 5 early access is planned for the first half of 2027, with general availability targeted by year-end. The Hesston announcement identifies Digit as the pilot platform.