For this week’s blog, I would like to share an interview I recently had with one of FPSA’s newest member companies – Formic. In this interview, Formic’s Co-Founder, Misa Ilkhechi, discussed automation and robotics and what they are doing to make this technology more accessible for food processors.
FPSA: Misa, Formic is a new member to FPSA and it is my pleasure to speak with you regarding your technology. Can you share with us a little background? How long has Formic been in business and what type of products and services do you provide for the food and beverage industry?
Formic has been in business for almost two years. Our team has over 300 years of combined experience in industrial automation and robotics. We provide robots or any other type of automation (case packers, palletizers, case erectors, AMRS, and Automated Forklifts) as an operational service where manufacturers “pay as they go”. We charge only for the uptime of the equipment (think of a staffing agency that provides robots instead of manual labor). Our customers save 40% on average on their operational expenses compared to their rising labor costs. We scope, design, and install the equipment and won't charge until the system is up and running at our customer's facility. We also continue to monitor, service and maintain the robots at no additional cost, so the production doesn't miss a beat. We like to call it RaaS (Robotics-as-a-Service).
