Automate Now

This bonus episode closes out Automate Now with three things every manufacturer starting their automation journey should have on hand. First, a plain-language glossary of the key terms you'll encounter as you evaluate systems, talk to providers, and build your internal case for automation — from AI and cobots to TCO, OEE, and Robots-as-a-Service. No jargon, no assumptions, just clear definitions y...

You've made it to the end of the book — and if you've been paying attention, you've already started spotting opportunities in your own facility. This final episode is about converting everything you've learned into action. Not next quarter. Not when things slow down. Now. The Formic team closes out Automate Now with a practical readiness checklist, a reminder that you don't need all the answers be...

Automation isn't just about solving today's problems — it's about making sure your business is still standing, still growing, and still competitive five and ten years from now. In this episode, the Formic team explores five ways automation future-proofs manufacturing operations, anchored by a simple but powerful idea from Jason Glade, President and CEO of Taffy Town: let equipment do the hard stuf...

No automation deployment goes perfectly. Even with careful planning, experienced partners, and a prepared team, things will occasionally not work the way you expected. In this episode, the Formic team talks honestly about what happens when automation misfires — and more importantly, how the manufacturers who succeed respond when it does. The difference between an automation success story and a rob...

Knowing you need to automate and actually doing it are two very different things. In this episode, the Formic team shares four real stories from CPG manufacturers who took the leap — and what happened when they did. These aren't case studies from companies with unlimited budgets or dedicated robotics teams. They're family-owned businesses, century-old brands, and growing operations that didn't kno...

Deploying automation is the beginning, not the finish line. The manufacturers who get the most out of their systems are the ones who treat data as a core operational capability — not a nice-to-have dashboard. In this episode, Formic Product Manager Molly Garrison walks through how production analytics transforms automation from static machinery into an adaptive, continuously improving system, and...

The right automation partner can transform your operation. The wrong one can leave you with a corner full of idle machines and a team that's lost faith in the whole idea. In this episode, the Formic team breaks down how to evaluate your options — whether you're going the self-managed route with a traditional systems integrator or choosing a Full Service Automation provider — and what to look for (...

The technology is the easy part. Getting everyone in your organization aligned around an automation initiative is where many manufacturers get stuck. In this episode, the Formic team walks through what it actually takes to build internal buy-in — from the C-suite all the way to the production floor — using a real customer story as the anchor. When one manufacturer's CFO pushed back on a Robots-as-...

First-time automation can feel like a high-stakes leap — but it doesn't have to be. In this episode, the Formic team distills hundreds of deployments into ten practical rules: five things you should do, and five traps you should actively avoid. The goal isn't perfection on day one; it's building early momentum that sets your team up for long-term success. On the "do" side: start with a clear busin...

ROI is the number everyone asks for first — but it's rarely the number that tells the full story. In this episode, the Formic team makes the case for Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as the smarter lens for evaluating automation investments. Traditional ROI calculations are static and one-dimensional: they capture purchase cost and productivity gains, but they miss the hidden costs that erode value o...

Choosing the right automation system is only half the battle. If your facility isn't prepared for it, even the best technology will underperform — or worse, end up in a corner collecting dust. In this episode, the Formic team shares what they've learned from years of deployments, including the hard lessons from customers who built "robot graveyards" before finding a better approach. The central in...

Fear, misconception, and resistance are often the biggest obstacles between a manufacturer and their first automation deployment — not cost, not technology. In this episode, the Formic team sets the record straight on the four most common myths holding manufacturers back, and then lays out a practical playbook for getting your team on board once you've made the decision to move forward. The episod...

There's no one-size-fits-all path to automation — but there is a best-fit path for your business. In this episode, the Formic team breaks down the three main automation options available to manufacturers today, and helps you figure out which one matches your resources, risk tolerance, and goals. Whether you're a multi-generational family business or a fast-growing CPG brand, the modern consumer re...

You're convinced automation can help — now where do you actually start? This episode is the practical playbook. The Formic team walks through the full end-of-line production flow, from receiving and infeed all the way through palletizing and shipping, and lays out the exact sequence manufacturers should follow when building their automation roadmap. The core advice: resist the urge to start with t...

Not long ago, industrial automation was the exclusive domain of automotive giants and Fortune 500 manufacturers — multi-million-dollar installations, years-long implementation timelines, and engineering teams most companies could never afford. Today, that world looks almost unrecognizable. In this episode, the Formic team traces the dramatic evolution of robotics technology: from hard-coded, cage-...

The push to reshore U.S. manufacturing is gaining real momentum — but momentum alone won't close the labor gap. In this episode, the Formic team makes the case that automation isn't a luxury or a long-term wish list item; it's the operational baseline manufacturers need to stay competitive right now. With the National Association of Manufacturers estimating 2.1 million jobs could go unfilled by 20...

Automation has been on manufacturers' radar for years — but for most, the question isn't whether to automate, it's why now . In this opening episode of Automate Now , Formic CEO and Co-Founder Saman Farid lays out the case for acting today. The episode opens with a foreword from Dean Banks — former CEO of Tyson Foods and Co-Founder of Intrinsic AI — who traces automation's evolution from rigid, ca...