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 is a education podcast hosted by Formic, with 17 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Formic hosts Automate Now, a education show with 17 episodes published.

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  Episode #17

  Additional Resources: Glossary, Further Reading & Meet the Authors

  May 21, 20269 minS0

  <p>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 you can actually use.</p><p>Then the Formic team shares three book recommendations for manufacturers who want to go deeper: Lean Robotics by Samuel Bouchard for a practical framework on deploying robots in real factory environments, The Goal by...

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  Episode #16

  Chapter 16: What Now? Moving from Reading to Action

  May 21, 20266 minS0

  <p>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 before you begin, and a final call to step forward with confidence.</p><p>The checklist covers the seven questions every manufacturer should be able to answer before they call an integrator or Full Se...

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  Episode #15

  Chapter 15: How Automation Future-Proofs Your Operations

  May 21, 20266 minS0

  <p>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 stuff, and let employees do the thinking.</p><p>The episode covers how automation strengthens company perception with customers, investors, and partners who want to work with forward-thinking businesses; how it builds a resilient workforce that can absorb ma...

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  Episode #14

  Chapter 14: When Automation Doesn't Go as Planned

  May 21, 20265 minS0

  <p>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 robot graveyard isn't whether problems occurred. It's how they were handled.</p><p>The episode walks through the most common causes of early-stage automation hiccups: operator errors during the learning curve (unplugged cables, wrong recipes loaded, boxes moved mid-process), workflow fr...

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  Episode #13

  Chapter 13: Case Studies from CPG Companies That Got It Right

  May 21, 202611 minS0

  <p>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 know exactly how to get started either — until they did.</p><p>Mi Rancho, a California tortilla and chip maker, deployed six end-of-line palletizing stations to close labor gaps across three shifts — and has since expanded to nine systems. Land O...

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