A bright orange industrial robot stacks boxes 100” high at 10 cycles per minute. Nearby, a virtual reality tool seamlessly maps out an automation system on the warehouse floor, while a sleek cobot arm precisely palletizes boxes amid lively conversations. CPG industry leaders from across Chicagoland watch and listen closely, discovering how effortlessly automation can be deployed to tackle productivity, safety, and quality challenges at the end of their production lines.
This is what you experienced if you attended Formic’s Automate America showcase last month.
On January 23rd, 2025, Formic opened its doors to kick off the first Automation Community event at its headquarters in Chicago. With a company mission to make automation easy and accessible for all U.S. manufacturers, the event was the first of many that offered an inside look at how Formic delivers automation success every day for businesses wanting to improve throughput and employee safety, while simultaneously deploying flexible and scalable solutions.
Formic’s founder and CEO, Saman Farid, began the event with a deep dive into why Formic was founded. “The starting point for [Formic] is that we found out that robots and automation are such a critical part of moving into the future,” he said. “A lot of customers we talk to say ‘We’ve been trying to automate, I’ve been thinking about automation, but I haven’t been able to do it.’”
Saman Farid, Formic Founder and CEO
This inaccessibility is also why we created the Formic Automation Community: a shared space for our customers and industry leaders to connect and share industry-wide challenges and successful solutions.
Many manufacturers are experiencing ongoing labor gaps and low retention rates, which led them to our Automation Community event to learn more about the outcomes of automation on their employees and what they can do to improve safety and satisfaction.
Joel Onyshuk, Formic’s VP of Sales, explained the message he’s been hearing from businesses interested in automation. “‘We have a limited number of people, where can we put this valuable headcount in the most meaningful place possible? Somewhere where we can engage their hands, minds, and hearts, beyond just [lifting and stacking boxes] all day long and all the safety and ergonomic challenges that come along with that,’” he said.
Joel Onyshuk, Formic VP of Sales
But there’s no better way to learn about the tangible benefits of automation than directly from a company that found success and immediate ROI from deployment.
At the event, Mike Martini, the Quality Director for ECOS, took the stage to explain why they chose Formic. “The business model that Formic is offering is perfect for our organization,” he said. “We went from one [unit] in Washington, and now we’re going to be close to a dozen units and looking at additional automation for other processes.”
In just eight weeks their palletizing solution was up and running. Martini emphasized that after the pandemic, ECOS struggled to hire employees. "We struggled, and the ones we did hire, we struggled to communicate with," he said. "[We had] back injuries and a policy of every hour changing positions. It was what it was.”
Another major driver for ECOS to deploy automation was customer demand. "We have some pretty large customers," he said. "They come in and visit, and they say, ‘How are you going to keep up? How are you going to do private labels if we add more products to your portfolio?' [Formic automation] is helping."
ECOS’ experience adding additional Formic systems to their production line after seeing the productivity and efficiency outcome of a single system isn’t uncommon for Formic. To showcase the full capabilities of our automation systems and how to get started, event attendees explored various demonstrations throughout our Chicago warehouse.
At one station, our compact industrial palletizer, Atlas, stacked boxes 100” high at 10 cycles per minute as Formic employees explained its user-friendly interface. At another, our Solutions Engineer showed off how our augmented reality equipment can digitally place a system on the warehouse floor to highlight space specifications and new pattern flows. And at another, our VP of Product offered real-time ROI and project ROM calculations to help guide a major decision-maker when choosing to invest in automation: cost.
Nick DeLong [left] Technical Operations Manager, Nick Fulop [center] Sales Director, and Danijel Lolic [right] VP of Product, demonstrate Formic's Atlas Palletizer interface
As attendees explored the various stations, the recurring sentiment was that making production automation accessible and easy was going to change the game for U.S. manufacturers. Christopher Smith, a report for Packaging World, chatted with Jim LaRocco, director of manufacturing and fulfillment at Garrett Brands, during the event. LaRocco emphasized that Formic’s robotics expertise and 100% maintenance coverage were drivers for adding a Formic robotic palletizer to their production line because it eliminated the need to hire internally. Additionally, the ability to rent equipment as needed and invest in equipment that could grow with the company was a huge plus.
“I’ve bought robots for other companies, and you’re spending five, six hundred thousand dollars and another hundred thousand on install and programming… [Formic] is going to deliver [the palletizer], and they’ll be here to make sure it works. So, I don’t have to find a control tech to work on a robotic,” LaRocco told Smith.
When Martini was asked what his advice for businesses interested in starting their automation journey was, he said not to hesitate to make the call and to just go for it — especially if the solution is risk-free and you have good support. "Any question we had, any situation that came up, there was a [Formic] tech on site," Martini said.
Formic designed its Full Service Palletizer Rental program to eliminate barriers to automation adoption, such as limited CapEx and the fear of outgrowing equipment. With 24/7 technical support, 100% preventative and corrective maintenance, free equipment swapping, contracted performance rates, and team training, we make automation easy.
“It’s incredible to see how many people we’ve been able to help automate for the first time,” Farid said. “That’s something we’re really, really proud of.”
The Formic team at the Automate America Showcase
Formic will continue to host in-person and virtual Automate America Showcase events throughout the year. If you missed this one, join us in Illinois on April 30th at Land O’Frost’s facility. You can RSVP for that event here, and explore the rest of our 2025 events here.