Figure 03 Moves Into Sequencing Logistics at BMW Spartanburg
Figure AI is back on the floor at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg — this time with Figure 03 on a logistics sequencing job, not body-shop sheet metal. BMW’s June 25, 2026 press release and Figure’s June 30 “F.03 Arrives at BMW” post describe the new work in Hall 52, an assembly and logistics hall.
From Figure 02 body shop to Figure 03 sequencing
BMW says the Figure 02 pilot in 2025 supported production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles over about ten months, inserting sheet-metal parts for welding — high speed, high accuracy, physically demanding work.
Ulrich Wieland, BMW Manufacturing VP of Production Control and Logistics:
“Plant Spartanburg is the birthplace of humanoid robotics in BMW Manufacturing’s operational day-to-day activities. Having already successfully completed a pilot with Figure 02 in our body shop, we are now looking forward to deploying Figure 03 for a sequencing use case in logistics.”
Brett Adcock, Figure founder and CEO, said the 11-month Figure 02 deployment proved humanoids can be a “valuable asset” in a flexible manufacturing workforce, and that Figure is now tackling assembly and logistics hall complexity.
What sequencing means on this line
BMW’s description of the new use case:
- Parts arrive unsorted in larger containers
- Figure 03 picks and sorts them into a sequencing trolley
- The trolley moves to a collection point
- An automated tugger train or Smart Transport Robot carries parts to the install location for just-in-sequence assembly
Figure’s write-up stresses that sequencing is not a fixed pick-and-place loop: parts shift, rotate, and occlude, so the robot must perceive and correct on the fly while combining manipulation and locomotion — including pulling a heavy cart on caster wheels. Figure attributes that whole-body control to Helix 02, its pixels-to-actions VLA.
Hardware upgrades BMW and Figure list for 03
Adcock, via BMW’s release, lists new Figure 03 features aimed at plant use:
- Soft components for safety
- Wireless charging for higher availability
- Speech-to-speech audio
- Improved hands with tactile sensors and palm cameras
BMW frames humanoids as a complement inside its broader Physical AI and iFACTORY push at Spartanburg — including virtual planning tools and AIQX quality inspection — not a full replacement for the human workforce. Hall 52 builds BMW X3 variants and is being prepared for the electrified iX5.
A Human’s Take
Sequencing is the unsexy job that actually breaks fixed automation — messy bins, shifting parts, carts that never park in the same pixel. If Figure 03 holds cycle time and error rates here for months, not a demo week, that matters more than another laundry fold clip. I’m watching for BMW to publish hours, intervention rates, and whether this stays Hall 52 or spreads to other plants.