Automation can feel simultaneously and equally necessary and daunting. For many manufacturers, it has traditionally required significant upfront capital, internal robotics expertise, and ongoing support just to keep systems running. And when your automated case packer or palletizer goes down, it doesn’t just create a hiccup: it disrupts your entire operation.
But then there’s the necessity piece. Rising demand. Tight labor markets. Increasing wages. Physically demanding, repetitive work. The need to stay flexible across SKUs and customers.
You recognize that automating would solve a lot of your labor, productivity, and capacity problems. But where do you start? Who do you trust? And how do you ensure the return is actually realized?
These are the questions that often push automation into a “tomorrow problem.” We recently partnered with The Food Institute to share Wyandot Snacks’ automation journey, a 90-year-old, family-owned Ohio manufacturer that faced these exact challenges.
Importantly, this wasn’t their first attempt at automation. In fact, an earlier capital-heavy investment left them with rigid systems, downtime issues, and what Nick Fulop, Formic’s Sales Director, jokingly referred to as an “automation tarp of shame.”
Last year, they took a different approach. Instead of a massive overhaul, Wyandot focused on high-impact, repetitive end-of-line tasks, deploying two automated palletizing systems through a phased, service-backed model. The result was a 3x increase in output, improved consistency, and the ability to scale without scrambling for labor.
In the webinar, Nick sat down with Jaap Langenberg, CEO of Wyandot Snacks, to discuss:
- How to approach automation thoughtfully without disrupting operations
- Why starting small and focusing on the right problem matters
- How to use automation to support people, not replace them
- What flexibility really looks like in a shifting demand environment
- Practical lessons manufacturers can apply to their first automation project
If automation feels complex or too far out of reach, this conversation is a good place to start.