Apptronik, an Austin-based humanoid robot maker, announced a new pilot partnership with Jabil, a major player in supply chain and manufacturing. This comes shortly after Apptronik raised $350 million in Series A funding to scale the production of its Apollo robot.
Expanding Pilot Programs
This is Apptronik’s second major pilot program. In March 2024, the company partnered with Mercedes-Benz, deploying Apollo on its manufacturing floor. While that partnership is still in the pilot stage, the collaboration with Jabil takes things further — Apollo will not only be tested but eventually manufactured by Jabil.
Robots Building Robots
Once Apollo proves commercially viable, Jabil will begin producing the robot in its own factories. In the long run, this could lead to Apollo robots assembling future Apollo units, although Apptronik doesn’t expect to begin manufacturing commercial units until 2026.
Real-World Testing and Scaling
In the short term, Jabil will deploy Apollo robots for simple, repetitive tasks like sorting and transporting parts. This hands-on validation is crucial to refining Apollo for large-scale production. The better the robots perform in Jabil’s facilities, the closer they get to joining production lines — potentially building copies of themselves.
Competition and Experience
Apptronik faces competition from companies like Agility, Boston Dynamics, Figure, and Tesla. So far, only Agility has moved beyond the pilot stage. However, Apptronik’s strong funding, decade-long experience, and ties to the University of Texas give it a competitive edge. The company also partnered with Google DeepMind to develop advanced AI for Apollo.
Apptronik’s rapid progress, strategic partnerships, and robust funding suggest that humanoid robots might not only transform manufacturing — they could eventually build the factories of the future. Let me know if you’d like me to refine anything!
