Kubota and Kilter strengthen European partnership with new framework agreement
Kilter AX-1 in the field
NEWS
Langhus, Norway – 7 october 2026
Kubota and Kilter have signed a European framework agreement for the sales and distribution of the Kilter AX-1 robot. It is the next step in the partnership and sets up the rollout of Kilter’s precision weeding robot across Europe.
Kristoffer Magnor, Managing Director of Kilter, and Shinichi Yamada, President of Kubota Holdings Europe, signed the framework agreement on 22 July 2026. It sets the terms for the partnership at European level. This lets the AX-1 enter new European markets step by step, with support from Kubota’s Smart Farming Solutions Department and local Kubota dealers.
The AX-1 is already in commercial use in Germany and the Netherlands. Next, the two companies are exploring further markets, including France and the United Kingdom. Parts and support are in place from the star wth Kilter spare parts now available through Kubota’s European Parts Center in Thionville. Participating dealers order them through the same channel they use for Kubota parts.
The AX-1 is an autonomous robot that finds every individual weed and treats it with tiny, targeted droplets of herbicide. It is built for high-value crops such as vegetables and herbs, and cuts herbicide use by up to 95 percent.
Kilter’s 66 AX-1 robots have now saved growers more than one million litres of herbicide, roughly a litre for every person in Cologne, Marseille or Amsterdam. With Kubota’s network behind it, that fleet is set to grow significantly in the years ahead.
The framework agreement brings Kilter’s precision technology together with Kubota’s European dealer, parts and support network. The aim is simple: get the AX-1 to more growers across Europe.
“The partnership with Kilter reflects our ambition to make innovative technologies which solve our customers pain points more accessible across Europe. Our strategy "Smart Farming, sized right" fits here perfectly well. This framework gives us a strong basis to expand our cooperation market by market and support the wider adoption of ultra-precise and sustainable weeding solutions” says Andreas Kaczmarczyk - Vice President Marketing - Tractor Business Unit Europe
“Growers need more than a great machine. They need a dealer nearby and parts they can count on, and that is what Kubota brings,” says Kristoffer Magnor, Managing Director of Kilter. “We started with Kubota in two countries. This agreement lets us bring the AX-1 to growers across Europe, one market at a time.”
About Kilter
Kilter is a Norwegian startup that builds the AX-1, an autonomous precision weeding robot for high-value crops. Using AI machine vision and Single Drop Technology, the AX-1 targets individual weeds with a single, precise drop of herbicide. Kilter launched the first AX-1 in 2021 with one aim: to give farmers an efficient and sustainable weeding tool. Learn more at: www.kiltersystems.com
About Kubota
Since its founding in 1890, the Kubota Group has been working to solve social issues through superior products, technologies, and services in the areas of food, water, and the environment. We operate in more than 120 countries around the world, providing solutions to enhance the productivity and safety of food, promote the circulation of water resources and waste, and improve urban and living environments. Under our brand statement "For Earth, For Life," we promise to continue supporting the prosperous life of humans while protecting the environment of this beautiful earth. For more information on the Kubota group, please visit: https://www.kubota.com/ and https://kubota-group.eu/en/.
Media Contacts
Kristoffer Magnor
Managing Director
E-mail: kristoffer.magnor@kiltersystems.com
Mobile: +47 409 05 235
Central: +47 46 70 05 90