The Robot That Took a Factory Job — And What Happened Next
Walk into Schaeffler's auto parts plant in Cheraw, South Carolina, and you might do a double-take.
Moving carefully across the factory floor, a four-fingered humanoid robot approaches a pallet of metal baskets fresh from a stamping press. It uncurls its claw-like hands, grips the edges of a 25-pound basket, and carries it to a conveyor headed for an industrial wash cycle. Then it turns around and does it again. And again. For eight hours a day.
Its name is Digit. A year ago, a person did this job.
Meet the New Generation of Factory Workers
Factories have used stationary robots for decades — welding, assembling, and painting. But Digit represents something different: a general-purpose humanoid robot that can walk around a plant and handle multiple tasks. Its legs angle backward like an ostrich's for stability and lifting power. Its LED eyes blink to signal to human coworkers where it's directing its attention.
Built by Oregon-based startup Agility Robotics, Digit works four hours, recharges over lunch, then works another four. It currently operates inside a plexiglass enclosure because it can't yet detect nearby humans — a federal safety requirement. A new model due by year's end will fix that, allowing factories to deploy more robots alongside people without barriers.
The cost? Somewhere between $10 and $25 an hour over the robot's lifetime, depending on whether it's bought or rented. Agility's co-founder says that could eventually fall to $2 or $3 an hour. Entry-level workers at Schaeffler's Cheraw plant start at $20.
So... What Happened to the Human Who Had That Job?
Plant manager Allen Bailey says the worker who used to move baskets was transferred to a higher-skilled inspection role with better career prospects. He insists there have been no workforce layoffs tied to automation at the facility.
Schaeffler, a German manufacturer with 110,000 employees worldwide, says hundreds of humanoid robots will be working in its factories by 2030. Even IG Metall — the powerful German union with seats on Schaeffler's board — hasn't raised objections, with one official noting that complex assembly tasks remain difficult for robots to perform.
A Town That's Seen This Before
Cheraw is a small town of about 5,000 people, 75 miles southeast of Charlotte. It's watched economic waves come and go — the textile industry largely left after NAFTA in 1994, timber has struggled, and factories have closed. A large "Now Hiring" sign still hangs outside the Schaeffler plant.
Seventy-four-year-old retiree Doug Thompson, who worked at Schaeffler for 14 years, captures the mood of many locals: "Efficiency is the name of the game, and it's relentless. It's not going to stop."
The Bigger Picture
Fewer than 200 humanoid robots are working in factories worldwide today. But McKinsey estimates that number could reach 5 million by 2040 — potentially boosting productivity while shifting workers into new roles rather than eliminating jobs outright.
Digit has growing competition: Boston Dynamics, Tesla, Figure, and Apptronik all have humanoids in development or deployment. The race is on.
Whether that's a threat or an opportunity may depend on who you ask — and which side of the plexiglass you're standing on.