On April 30, Formic hosted its second in-person Automation Community event at Land O’Frost’s production facility in Lansing, IL. Land O’Frost (LOF), an 80-year-old manufacturer of deli meats and sausages, opened its doors to attendees from a wide array of industries for a tour of its production lines. This event showcased how Formic’s Full Service Robotic Palletizers are boosting efficiency, reducing labor costs, and streamlining production.
Attendees from prominent companies like Van Drunen Farms, Masterblends, Hof Haus, and Custom Culinary gathered to learn how automation is not just for large enterprises but also accessible for businesses of all sizes.
The Case for Full Service Automation: Making It Easy for Manufacturers
Joel Onyshuk, Formic’s VP of Sales, led the event, addressing common concerns shared by many manufacturers. Several attendees revealed they had been considering automation for some time but hesitated due to the perceived costs, time investment, and human capital commitments. Others had automated certain parts of their production lines but struggled to find labor for other tasks.
Joel explained how Formic was designed specifically to help manufacturers overcome these barriers. "It’s hard to justify spending $200,000 plus all the additional costs on automation. [With Formic], you pay nothing until it’s running and validated on your floor, with zero upfront capital."
The Journey to Automation at Land O’Frost
Bobby Hooper, Director of Continuous Improvement at LOF, shared his company’s challenges: “As a capital improvement guy, I have a bigger list of wants than the money that’s available on a year-to-year basis,” Bobby said. “Things like [Formic] help make improvements, and you can put that capital somewhere else.”
Automation provided a solution to maximize capital and resources. By deploying five robotic palletizers, LOF improved both efficiency and employee safety. The shift allowed workers to move from manual labor to more value-added tasks, supporting the company’s goal to retain skilled employees.
LOF also partnered with Formic for 24/7 tech support, team training, and ongoing system maintenance, ensuring that the automation systems continue to run smoothly.
A Hands-On Experience: Seeing Automation in Action
Following Joel’s session, attendees were given an in-depth tour of the facility by Frank Mejia, LOF’s Industrial Engineer. They witnessed firsthand how the robotic palletizers stacked boxes of deli meats with precision, sparking numerous questions about integrating similar solutions into their own production lines.
Alfred Williams, LOF’s VP of Manufacturing, emphasized that employee well-being played a significant role in their decision to automate.
“We’re always looking to modify and make operations as efficient as we can for our employees,” Alfred said. “You don’t automate to eliminate jobs, and we truly don’t do that. We take our folks and repurpose them into more critical jobs.”
Automation in Action: Success Stories
After the tour, Matt Kunach, Owner and Operations Manager at MattPak, joined Frank to discuss their journey to automation with Formic and how it has transformed operations.
"We started with one palletizer and now we're on to number three. We will probably have five by the end of the year," Matt said. "I've talked to Formic and you pretty much give them what you need and they have a tool that can easily do what you need."
Frank explained why automating their end of line with Formic was a "no-brainer."
“This is one of those positions where we were hand palletizing every case, and there’s no value to that,” Frank said. “It’s a low-hanging fruit that we can address with no capital. It’s almost a no-brainer. You add to that the labor savings we get, and that’s basically the cherry on top. So far, one year in, it has proven its worth ten times over.”
What's Next for Automation?
As the event came to a close, Joel addressed the burning question everyone was asking: What’s next? He stressed that now is the time to embrace automation, not later.
“If we keep waiting for the right moment, until we can say ‘Now we’re ready [to automate],’ we’re going to see a lot of people passing us by,” Joel said. “The scary part is we’ve got to do it, and it’s a matter of when and not if. That’s why Formic exists.”
Formic’s Full Service Automation model is empowering manufacturers of all sizes to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve worker safety. By removing the upfront capital barrier, Formic has made automation more accessible than ever. Whether you’re just considering automation or ready to make the leap, Formic provides the support, technology, and expertise needed to get you started without the stress.
Get started with Formic Full Service Automation here.