Chapter 5: The Automation Landscape: Your Options Right Now

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 reality is the same: buyers want more product, faster, at a consistent quality, and they always expect it to be available. Meeting that standard without automation is becoming nearly impossible.

The episode walks through each option honestly — DIY automation for teams with strong in-house technical capacity, traditional integrators for large operations that need custom solutions and have the budget and staff to manage them, and Full Service Automation (Robots-as-a-Service) for manufacturers who need to succeed on the first try without deep engineering resources or major CapEx. Each path has real tradeoffs, and the Formic team doesn't shy away from them. The most important takeaway: automation is no longer optional. The question is just which door you walk through first.

Key Takeaways:

• The modern consumer expects more product, faster, at a consistent quality, and at a competitive price — that standard is nearly impossible to meet at scale without automation
• DIY automation can save money upfront but requires strong internal technical capacity, patience for troubleshooting, and tolerance for risk — it's not the right fit for most small and mid-sized manufacturers
• Traditional integrators offer custom, high-control solutions but require large capital budgets, in-house maintenance teams, and long-term commitment to fixed SKUs
• Full Service Automation (Robots-as-a-Service) is designed for manufacturers who need immediate results, have limited engineering resources, and can't afford to fail on the first try
• The right automation model isn't the most advanced one — it's the one that fits your business today and can grow with you tomorrow
• Automation is no longer optional; it's how manufacturers protect their people, serve their customers, and grow without limits

Automate Now is written by the Formic team — Saman Farid, Danijel Lolic, Molly Garrison, Brooklyn Kiosow, and Shawn Fitzgerald — and edited by Brooklyn Kiosow. Formic helps U.S. manufacturers automate for the first time through Full Service Automation: no large upfront investment, no in-house robotics expertise required. If this episode made you think about where automation could work in your facility, start the conversation at formic.co.

0:00 Intro — Change Can Be Hard 
1:03 The Modern Consumer Reality 
1:56 Considering Your Options 
2:36 Option 1 — DIY Automation 
3:28 Option 2 — Pay the Pros 
4:19 Option 3 — Full Service Automation 
5:12 Key Takeaways

What is Automate Now?

American manufacturing is at an inflection point. Labor shortages are accelerating, global competition is intensifying, and the pressure to produce more with less has never been greater. The answer — for manufacturers of every size — is automation. But knowing you need to automate and knowing how to do it are two very different things.

Automate Now is the practical playbook for CPG manufacturers ready to take action. Written by the Formic team — the people who have helped hundreds of U.S. factories automate for the first time — this audiobook cuts through the complexity and gives you a clear, honest roadmap: where to start, how to build internal buy-in, how to choose the right partner, and how to scale from your first win into a future-proof operation.

Automate Now — Episode 5
The Automation Landscape: Your Options Right Now

One of the most rewarding parts of working at Formic is how many people we've helped to automate production for the first time. We've partnered with family-owned businesses, multi-generational companies, and manufacturers that have been part of their communities for more than 100 years. These are businesses that deeply value tradition and craftsmanship, but they also recognize that progress doesn't mean abandoning their legacy. Just because something has been done one way for a long time doesn't mean there isn't a better, more efficient way to do it today.

This mindset — the willingness to evolve without losing identity — is what separates companies that survive from those that thrive. In fact, it's often these seasoned businesses that are best positioned to reap the benefits of automation because they know their processes inside and out and can see exactly where technological change will have the biggest impact.

Change Can Be Hard, But It's Necessary

We understand: change can feel daunting. For many manufacturers, the idea of automating brings up concerns about cost, complexity, disruption, and whether the investment will pay off. But here's the truth: nothing has to be tackled alone. The future of American manufacturing depends on automation that is easy, accessible, and supportive, because that's the only way we will succeed in a world that demands more: more products, faster delivery, consistent quality, and reliable availability.

This isn't about replacing people; it's about utilizing the resources we do have to perform at an even higher level. It's about freeing people to do higher-value work, protecting them from repetitive stress injuries, and ensuring the business can take on new opportunities without fear of capacity limits.

The Modern Consumer Reality

We all want more things, and we want them more quickly. We all want more things, and we want them to look, feel, and taste consistently the same. We all want more things, and we want to know that we'll always be able to get them.

That's the standard that today's manufacturers have to meet. It's a tall order, and one that's nearly impossible to achieve without automation as part of the solution.

While the automotive sector might have laid the groundwork for automation and logistics-centric companies like Amazon have pushed usage to the max, the consumer packaged goods industry is now where the most exciting automation growth is happening. CPG manufacturers are dealing with shorter product life cycles, more frequent changeovers, and higher demand volatility. The rise of AI, robotics, and smart sensors isn't slowing down, and CPG companies that embrace automation now will position themselves to stay ahead of the curve.

Considering Your Automation Options

Before automating your production processes, it's important to identify the option that's best for your business needs. From budgets to customized solutions to customer base, there are a variety of things to consider before going full speed ahead with automation.

Option One: DIY Automation

This approach is best for manufacturers with spare in-house engineering capacity, a strong technical team, and a large maintenance staff. It works if you're comfortable with used equipment, temporary projects, or flexible capital budgets. A forgiving customer base, slower production demands, and a flexible timeline are also ideal.

DIY automation can save money upfront, but it comes with high internal demands and risk. You'll need time to troubleshoot, and failure can be costly. If your business can absorb mistakes and your customers are patient, DIY might make sense — but the margin for error is thin.

Option Two: Pay the Pros

This is the path for manufacturers who need highly customized solutions or unique projects, with large capital budgets and in-house maintenance and project management teams to keep everything running smoothly. It's ideal if you know you'll be running the same SKUs for five years or more, and you need immediate operational success.

Working with traditional integrators gives you control and customization — but only if you can manage it. This model suits large, stable operations that want to own their solution and have the resources to maintain it over time. But be aware: the success of the project still rests on your shoulders, and if things go wrong, you could end up with a robot graveyard collecting dust.

Option Three: Full Service Automation

Full Service Automation — sometimes called Robots-as-a-Service — is perfect for manufacturers who have never automated before but want to see immediate results. It's designed for teams that must succeed on the first try, have high customer demand, or need automation fast. It works especially well for companies without large engineering or maintenance teams, or for plants with smaller budgets that need to stretch their capital wisely.

The key benefit here is that you can focus on what you do best while the service provider handles the automation. From maintenance to equipment swapping and contracted performance, Full Service Automation is designed so you can't fail. It's a powerful model for fast-moving teams who need results quickly, without heavy upfront investment or long-term lock-in.

Key Takeaways

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to automation, but there is a best-fit path for your business. Whether you're a family-run operation just getting started or a growing manufacturer ready to scale, the key is choosing the model that matches your needs, resources, and risk tolerance. You can do it yourself, hire a traditional integrator, or take a Full Service Automation route. Each option has its tradeoffs, but the most important thing is this: automation is no longer optional. It's how you protect your people, serve your customers, and grow without limits. You don't have to go it alone, but you do have to get started.