When you’re the Director of Manufacturing, there’s constant pressure to improve processes across the operation and keep the business running like a well-oiled machine. That pressure multiplies when you’re managing multiple products across facilities, where consistency, speed, and flexibility are critical.
So when the chance came to relieve some of that stress at Kari-Out, Peter Santo Rodriguez, the Director of Manufacturing, took it.
“With Formic, there is no stress.”
For Peter, that kind of statement doesn’t come lightly. Kari-Out operates a complex, multi-product business with nearly 1 million square feet of production and distribution across the U.S., producing everything from sauce packets and towlettes to tableware like wooden chopsticks; a legacy of 60 years in business.
Peter, who has been with Kari-Out for 13 years, noticed that upstream production was often outpacing downstream processes. That was just one of the inefficiencies he needed to solve. He knew automation could address the bottlenecks, but building it internally would have meant hiring specialized expertise, maintaining systems, and diverting scarce engineering resources away from product development and process improvement. “I didn’t have the technical resources internally to automate,” Peter said. “But I knew I needed to.”
What he wanted wasn’t just more equipment on the floor. He needed a way to increase throughput, reduce costly errors, and stay competitive without adding another layer of complexity. Because when you’re responsible for keeping multiple facilities running smoothly, the last thing you need is more stress.
Relieving Stress with Fully Supported Automation
At Kari-Out’s Totowa, New Jersey, facility, 18 employees were palletizing product. Some were full-time employees, but many were temp workers hired to fill in the gaps. Palletizing is physically demanding and mentally exhausting (lifting, bending, and coordinating hundreds of boxes per shift), so turnover was high. The facility had seen 130% turnover last year, churning 225 people in a 170-employee plant. This wasn’t because employees didn’t like working at Kari-Out; it was because palletizing is inherently grueling work that pushes people to their limits.
Even with a largely staffed end-of-line, upstream processes were running faster than downstream operations. Production was not only slower, but mistakes on the line led to customer complaints and occasional fines for shipping incorrect product. “This created a downstream effect on so many operations and teams,” Peter said. “How do we eliminate these mistakes? You put robots on the floor. Then the mistakes won’t happen.”
But Peter needed an automated palletizing solution that didn’t add pressure to his plate. He was introduced to Formic in his previous role and realized it was the type of partner he needed at Kari-Out.
While they could build an internal team to manage automation, he emphasized that wasn’t something he wanted to take on mentally. “If we had to build automation internally, we would need another level of expertise in the building. That requires a lot of time, money, and resources we could utilize elsewhere,” he said.
That’s what Peter meant when he said there is no stress with Formic.
Paying for Outcomes, Not Headaches
Peter wasn’t looking for equipment; he was looking for certainty. He wanted a solution that could be trusted to run consistently, support his team, and free his attention for higher-value work.
“People aren’t calling out. We know what our costs are with Formic. We know the outcome we’re getting,” he said. “We’re better served using our employees to develop internal processes and product innovation.”
Formic offered that balance: operational efficiency without the need to build and maintain an internal automation team. “You don’t want to have to let go of that support,” Peter noted. By partnering with a team that could handle the complexity, he could finally relieve the stress of managing automation internally and keep his attention on what mattered most.
The process was almost too easy to believe, he said. “If I didn’t see the outcome firsthand, I wouldn’t believe you. When you hear that you can deploy automation without capital and without internal maintenance, that doesn’t sound real. But it’s real. It’s attainable.”
Support That Builds Trust and Delivers Results
Kari-Out’s most recent deployment was last November. While minor startup hiccups are typical with any new system, Formic’s responsiveness made the difference. Issues were resolved quickly, support was hands-on, and Peter walked away with even greater confidence in the partnership.
“Because of that support, we ordered 6 more identical palletizing robots,” he said. “That’s a testament to the impact Formic’s made here.”
Since deployment, the systems currently installed at Kari-Out have been running nonstop. The results speak for themselves. Not just in output, but in stress removed from the operation and the people who run it:
- 25% increase in output
- 100% uptime since deployment
- 0 turnover
- 0 workers’ comp claims
- 0 injury risk
- 0 shipping errors
- Reduced dependency on temporary labor
All with zero capital outlay and a more predictable cost structure. “We have to stay competitive and continue selling product at the right cost,” Peter said. “This helps us do that.”
More Automation, the Same Level of Confidence
Now, Peter isn’t reacting to problems; he’s proactively scaling. With six more palletizing robots planned for deployment this year, Kari-Out can expand production without expanding internal burden.
For someone who once faced constant operational pressure, that shift matters. Automation isn’t another source of stress: it’s one less thing to think about.