GXO Logistics, a contract logistics company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, announced on 12 November 2026 that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with robotics company Apptronik. According to GXO’s news release, the LOI covers expanded trials of Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robot in live warehouse operations, and an intention to progress toward a rollout of up to 1,000 Apollo robots over four years if agreed targets are met. This post reflects sources as of 14 November 2026.

Trials, targets and rollout

The release sets out these terms:

  • Trials: GXO and Apptronik will expand joint trials of Apollo in live operations. The workflows named are goods-to-person picking, person-to-goods picking, case and tote movement, packing and sortation. The trials begin in 2027.
  • Targets: Each use case is to be assessed and sequenced against productivity, safety and operational key performance indicators (KPIs) that the two companies agree jointly. The trials are meant to validate safety, security and technical requirements for deployment at scale, and to show how humanoid robots can work alongside existing automation and GXO employees.
  • Rollout: Subject to the success of the deployments and to meeting the agreed KPIs, the companies intend to progress toward a global rollout of up to 1,000 Apollo robots over the next four years. Initial deployment is planned in North America in late 2027.
  • Commercial model: The release says the commercial framework is expected to follow a Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) structure, which it describes as a flexible, service-based offering that lets GXO scale humanoid deployment.

What the release says about the letter of intent

The release calls the document a Letter of Intent and words the rollout as an intention of the two companies. It does not state prices, a purchase commitment or whether the LOI is binding. Humanoids Daily, a trade outlet, described the document as a letter of intent, not a purchase order, and reported that the release names no sites, prices or Apollo generation. Supply Chain Digital, which also covered the announcement, reported the same core terms: up to 1,000 units over four years, a RaaS framework and initial North American deployment in late 2027.

Background given in the release

GXO says its work with Apptronik began in 2024 as a proof-of-concept program. According to the release, Apollo completed a pilot deployment with GXO in the US earlier in 2026, focused on autonomous picking of small consumer goods. The release also says the two companies ran data collection and live autonomous evaluations on more than 50 logistics tasks at Apptronik’s Robot Park, a humanoid robot training facility. It does not say where the pilot took place or how many robots were used.

GXO chief executive Patrick Kelleher said in the release that GXO will identify and scale the applications where humanoid robots can deliver the greatest impact for customers and team members. Apptronik co-founder and chief executive Jeff Cardenas said the companies have worked together since 2024 and are measuring Apollo against operational KPIs in live facilities.

Apptronik announced on 11 February 2026 that it had closed a Series A funding round of more than $935 million, according to its press releases page. Lens covered that round in an earlier post. GXO’s news page also lists a release of 26 October 2026 on expanding its partnership with Agility Robotics, which would put Digit humanoid robots at additional GXO sites in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Where reports differ

The sources agree on the deal terms. They differ on GXO’s size: the GXO release says the company operates more than 1,000 facilities, while Supply Chain Digital says more than 970 facilities in 27 countries.

Sources and notes

Sources: GXO’s news release of 12 November 2026 on gxo.com, read in full; Humanoids Daily and Supply Chain Digital, both read in full; GXO’s news page and Apptronik’s press releases page, read for their listings only. Apptronik’s page did not list a release on this LOI as of 14 November 2026, so Apptronik’s statement is taken from GXO’s release. GXO’s investor-relations site and Investing.com returned 403 errors and could not be opened. The description of the document as not a purchase order is Humanoids Daily’s wording; the release does not say whether the LOI is binding.

Image: The inside of a warehouse with tall pallet racking, stacked pallets of boxed goods and forklifts; Commons gives no place or date. Photo: Axisadman (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons; cropped. Stand-in image: not a photo of a GXO site or of an Apptronik Apollo robot.