VelocityEHS announced that AGCO, the world’s largest pure-play agricultural equipment manufacturer, has achieved a dramatic improvement in workplace safety through its implementation of VelocityEHS Industrial Ergonomics.

“Ergonomics improvement is about enhancing productivity, reducing cost and boosting morale by reducing employee injuries and ultimately delivering the best products for our farmers,” said Tim Millwood, AGCO’s Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer.

In 2024 alone, AGCO conducted nearly 400 Kaizen events across six South American facilities—with more than half of those focused specifically on ergonomics and safety. The results speak volumes: Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) dropped by more than 50% in sites where the ergonomics initiative was deployed.

These improvements were achieved primarily through low-cost, high impact solutions and were driven by a structured, bottom-up approach that empowered local teams to easily identify, assess, and reduce musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) injuries using the VelocityEHS AI-driven Industrial Ergonomics solution.

“Our people were trained to ‘see with ergo eyes’ — giving them the ability to recognize risks and spot improvement opportunities in their everyday work,” said Walid El-Sayed, Global Director of Lean Academy and Global Director of Materials Management at AGCO.

From Training to Transformation

The partnership between AGCO and VelocityEHS began with a bold vision: to build an internal culture of ergonomics expertise and embed safety into every layer of production. As a result, AGCO delivered a structured, scalable program—an approach that served as a practical model for implementation across facilities.

Their program included:

• 2 days of software training
• 2 days of hands-on Kaizen workshops with cross-functional teams
• Seamless integration into AGCO’s APS (AGCO Production System) using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) methodology

Leadership That Walks the Talk

AGCO credits its success to more than technology. The company’s leadership—guided by its core cultural beliefs: “Farmer First, Speak Up!, Team Up!” — has made a visible commitment to employee well-being.

“I’m blessed to have leaders who don’t just talk the talk, but walk the talk,” said El-Sayed.

Looking ahead, AGCO is now embedding ergonomics into New Product Introduction (NPI) processes — ensuring safety is designed in from the start, not added as an afterthought.

A Shared Commitment to Safety and Innovation

“AGCO exemplifies how operational excellence and worker well-being can go hand in hand,” said Matt Airhart, CEO of VelocityEHS. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to making ergonomics accessible, effective, and embedded in the fabric of everyday operations. Their results prove that when you empower people with the right tools and training, safety becomes a driver of performance.”