Deal means that humanoid robots could build themselves
26 February 2025 
Image: Business Wire
Apptronik, the US developer of humanoid robots that recently received a $350m cash injection, has announced a collaboration with the contract manufacturer Jabil, under which Jabil will build Apollo humanoids and integrate them into its own manufacturing operations. This could pave the way for production lines where the robots build themselves.
As part of a pilot programme, Jabil will test and validate the humanoids in the real-world environment of its own factories. The robots will perform a series of simple, repetitive intralogistics and manufacturing tasks, such as inspection, sorting, kitting, lineside delivery, fixture placement, and sub-assembly, before being deployed to end-users. The humanoids will support Jabil’s existing workforce, allowing workers who have previously done repetitive tasks to dedicate their time to more creative, thought-intensive activities.
Jabil says that, as Apptronik’s global manufacturing partner, it can provide the flexibility and agility to scale production as needed around the world. The partnership will take advantage of Jabil’s quality, scalability, inventory management, turnkey procurement and rapid production experience, while allowing it to test new technologies that support safer operation, higher efficiency and accelerated time-to-market.
Apptronik’s robots incorporate “unique” actuators that are said to be affordable and to simplify maintenance. Its latest actuators need far fewer components, are quicker to manufacture, and cost less than previous generations. With a simplified bill of materials (BOM) and ability to mass-produce robots at scale with Jabil, Apptronik is aiming to make its general-purpose humanoids more affordable, thus opening up new markets and roles, in areas such as retail and care for the elderly.
“Humanoid robots have the potential to revolutionise the way we live and work, but for that to become a reality, we need to be able to build them rapidly at scale, at the right price point, and in geographies where our customers are located,” says Apptronik’s co-founder and CEO, Jeff Cardenas. “Our partnership with Jabil, along with our unique design for manufacturability and ability to have Apollo humanoid robots handling material movement and assembly tasks in the factory, are critical components needed to create a flywheel effect that could make humanoid robots ubiquitous.”
Jabil helps customers around the world to develop advanced robotics and warehouse automation systems. By building the humanoid robots and evaluating them in production environments, the two companies will gather valuable real-world experience, as well as being able to optimise Apptronik’s AI models.
“We’ve been committed to advanced automation and robotics across our operations, so piloting Apollo is a logical next step for our division and for Jabil in the long term,” says Rafael Renno, senior vice-president of global business at Jabil. “Not only will we get a first-hand look at the impact that general-purpose robots can have as we test Apollo in our operations, but as we begin producing Apollo units, we can play a role in defining the future of manufacturing. These new technologies and applications further enhance Jabil’s best-in-class capabilities to solve complex challenges and manufacture at scale for our customers.”
