BMW’s newest innovation may sound a wake-up call for the UAW

Works of fiction become our new reality.

In video games like Detroit: Become Human and movies like Ex Machina and I, Robot, real humanoid robots fill in the gaps where humans can’t, and in their respective works, play a role in “taking over” humanity in the process.

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As labor costs eat into automakers’ profits and the UAW’s organizing efforts grow, real humanoid robots are becoming a new reality on production lines.

Although manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and Chinese state-owned car firm Dongfeng Motor Corporation have experimented with robots in their factories, another automaker is approaching new technology that replaces human labor.

Extra hands on the factory floor

In a recent announcement, German luxury carmaker BMW said it is exploring the use of humanoid robots in automotive manufacturing roles in its factories for the first time.

BMW said that for several weeks, the automaker has been testing the Figure 02 humanoid robot from California company Figure, one of the most advanced robots of its kind, at its plant in Spartanburg, SC.

Figure founder and CEO Brett Adcock said his robots use artificial intelligence (AI) to self-correct and learn new tasks.

“Figure 02 has significant technical advances that allow the robot to perform a wide range of complex tasks fully autonomously,” Adcock said.

BMW Group’s Spartanburg plant and California-based robotics company Figure are testing the use of humanoid robots in production

BMW

The Spartanburg plant produces some of BMW’s best-selling and most profitable SUV models. Currently, the factory’s 11,000 workers produce the X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 and XM SUV models.

According to BMW, 60% of the daily production of 1,500 vehicles is shipped abroad to 120 countries worldwide.

So what job did BMW assign the Figure 02 robot to do? According to the automaker, it “successfully inserted sheet metal parts into specific fixtures, which were then assembled as part of the chassis,” a task that requires workers to be “particularly dexterous.”

With testing complete, BMW says there are currently no robots in the factory. The automaker sees the benefit of having robots that can “save employees from having to perform ergonomically inconvenient and tiring tasks,” however, it is currently reviewing its test data to determine what role they might play factory androids.

“With an early test operation, we are now determining possible applications for humanoid robots in production,” said Milan Nedeljković, BMW Board Member for Production. “We want to accompany this technology from development to industrialization.”

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The UAW angle

BMW’s robotic tests come as the Spartanburg plant is in the midst of a United Auto Workers organizing drive.

The UAW is currently in the midst of organizing to cover nearly 150,000 auto workers at 13 automakers, including Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen.

In April, workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW, effectively becoming the first foreign-owned auto plant in the South to unionize.

However, in May, workers at the Mercedes plant in Alabama voted 2,642 to 2,045 against union representation. Despite that, UAW President Shawn Fain said the campaign has brought momentum and some substantial change.

“These brave workers reached out to us because they wanted justice. They led us. They led this fight. And what happens next is up to them,” Fain said. “Justice is not just about a vote or a campaign. It’s about getting a voice and getting your fair share.”

“Workers made serious gains in this campaign. Don’t lose sight of that. Fuck the UAW, they killed the wage levels. They got rid of a CEO who had no interest in improving. Mercedes is a better place because of this campaign and these brave workers”.

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Attack of the robots

BMW is far from alone in using advanced humanoid robots in its manufacturing plants.

In March 2024, Mercedes-Benz began a partnership with Apptronik, based in Austin, Texas. Their Apollo-like robots feature human faces and will find a home on the luxury automaker’s production lines.

According to their joint press release, robots are hired to free up light roles on the line so humans can focus on more critical jobs.

“This is a new frontier and we want to understand the potential for both robotics and automotive manufacturing to fill labor gaps in areas such as low-skilled, repetitive and physically demanding work and free up members to our highly skilled team on the line to build the world’s most desirable cars,” said Jörg Burzer, Mercedes-Benz Group AG Board Member for Production, Quality and Supply Chain.

Alternatively, Tesla TSLA claimed in a June 2024 post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that it currently has two Optimus humanoid robots working autonomously in its factory.

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