South Korean industrial robotics maker T-Robotics has signed an automated guided vehicle (AGV) supply contract worth approximately $9.88 million (about 15 billion won) with Ford Energy, accelerating the Korean firm's push into the North American smart logistics automation market.
15 billion won for Ford's Kentucky ESS plant
T-Robotics disclosed the contract in a regulatory filing on June 4, 2026. The AGVs will be supplied to a Ford Energy secondary battery production plant for energy storage systems (ESS) in Kentucky, where Ford recently launched a 20 GWh battery storage subsidiary using repurposed EV gigafactory capacity. The win extends T-Robotics' relationship with Ford even as the U.S. automaker leans more heavily on China's CATL through Ford Energy.
600 AGVs already on the ground
T-Robotics has supplied roughly 600 AGVs across North America and credits proprietary logistics automation technology and an installed base at EV battery plants for the Ford Energy win. The AGVs autonomously move materials, parts and battery cells across the factory floor and are designed to scale alongside the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) platform the company is rolling out for semiconductor and ESS lines.
Korean AGV makers and the U.S. battery build-out
The order lands as Korean automation suppliers compete for U.S. battery and ESS work alongside US-based industrial players. With Ford reshaping its battery footprint and AI data center demand pulling forward gigawatt-scale stationary storage, smart logistics automation has become a strategic line item for OEMs assembling LFP and sodium-ion cells. Other recent moves include Symbotic's acquisition of Fox Robotics and Standard Bots' $200M Series C to scale American-made industrial robots.
What's next
CEO Seungwook An said the contract is fresh proof of T-Robotics' AMR competitiveness in U.S. manufacturing and signaled the company will chase additional orders across data centers, semiconductor fabs and battery plants as physical AI demand grows. The KOSDAQ-listed firm now operates sales and field service offices in California, Atlanta, China, Vietnam and South Korea.
Reporting based on coverage from The Asia Business Daily.