Funditec Intelligence — the technology unit of Funditec specialized in artificial intelligence for physical autonomous systems— and Fagor Arrasate, a cooperative integrated into the MONDRAGON Corporation and one of the global leaders in custom equipment design and industrial automation systems, have reached a strategic agreement to create Primus Robotics, a new company dedicated to designing, developing, and manufacturing industrial humanoid robots capable of operating in highly demanding environments with strict requirements for precision, safety, and availability.
The new joint venture, owned 50/50 by both companies, aims to be the first to offer industrial AI-based robotic solutions of European origin. It combines Funditec’s expertise in applied artificial intelligence with Fagor Arrasate’s engineering, industrial automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing capabilities.
In this context, the Basque Country emerges as one of the best-positioned industrial environments in Europe to lead the development and manufacturing of this new generation of humanoid robots, designed to operate safely and efficiently alongside machinery, production systems, and advanced logistics processes.
Paying homage to the famous navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano and the motto on his coat of arms—“Primus circumdedisti me” (“You were the first to sail around me”)—the name chosen for both the joint venture and its products is Primus.
Intelligent Robots for Industrial Processes
The company’s first product will be Primus P1, a humanoid robot designed to perform manipulation tasks, operations support, maintenance, and assistance in production processes. Thanks to its proprietary edge AI-based operating system, Primus OS, these robots will expand automation in environments originally designed for human interaction, enabling collaboration between robots, operators, and industrial machinery.
The project includes an initial industrialization phase with a production capacity of around 200 robots per year, with plans to scale gradually to over 3,000 units annually. The first functional prototype of Primus P1 is expected by the end of 2027. After Primus P1, new versions with expanded capabilities for other sectors will follow.
“Producing humanoid robots in our Arrasate plant is the most ambitious project we have undertaken in recent years. We are a technology company with decades of experience integrating automation, robotics, and precision engineering to automate our clients’ production lines. Now we are taking it a step further, creating together with Funditec a technological platform that combines artificial intelligence, advanced control, and precision manufacturing to produce the robot that will operate in these environments, freeing workers from heavy, repetitive, and dangerous tasks,” said Juan Etxebarria, Business Development Director at Fagor Arrasate.
“Producing humanoid robots in our Arrasate plant is the most ambitious project we have undertaken in recent years.” – Juan Etxebarria, Fagor Arrasate
On the other side, Alejandro Echeverría, General Director of Funditec Intelligence, noted: “The creation of Primus Robotics represents a strategic step in the development of artificial intelligence applied to mission-critical systems. This agreement allows us to accelerate the evolution toward real production environments and strengthen the development in Europe of new AI capabilities for physical autonomous systems, what we call physical AI.”
“This agreement allows us to accelerate the evolution toward real production environments and strengthen the development in Europe of new AI capabilities.” – Alejandro Echeverría, Funditec Intelligence
The creation of Primus Robotics comes at a time when the European industry is accelerating the integration of humanoid robots into production processes originally designed for human intervention. Automotive companies have already begun pilot projects in European plants, confirming that humanoid robots have moved beyond experimental stages to become a new category of industrial systems.
Image: From left to right, Antonio Navarro, Executive Chairman of Funditec, and Unai López, General Director of Fagor Arrasate, following the signing of the establishment of Primus Robotics.
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