Land O’Frost, a manufacturer of pre-sliced, pre-packaged deli meats, has reported a 20% reduction in daily labor-related operating expenses following the deployment of five robotic palletizing systems provided by Formic, a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) automation company. The gantry-style palletizing robots were installed at the company’s Lansing, Illinois, manufacturing facility as part of Formic’s Full Service Palletizer Rental program.
The automation initiative aimed to optimize end-of-line production processes by reducing manual tasks such as stacking boxes onto pallets. The introduction of these systems not only cut operational expenses but also allowed Land O’Frost to transition employees from manual labor roles to robot operator positions. According to the company, this shift has contributed to both improved production efficiency and enhanced workplace safety.
Frank Mejia, Head of Continuous Improvement at Land O’Frost, stated that automation was implemented to address repetitive tasks, improve employee safety, and streamline SKU packing pattern changes. “When I saw the opportunity for automation to eliminate repetitive production line tasks while simultaneously improving our employees’ lives, it was an easy decision,” Mejia said. He added that Formic handled the deployment process, from staff training to ongoing maintenance.
Formic completed the deployment of all five robotic systems over two weekends without interrupting production. The company programmed pallet patterns for Land O’Frost’s multiple SKUs and trained floor operators on the new equipment. Following the installation, the time required for changeovers was significantly reduced, shifting from manual coordination among employees to a streamlined process managed through a touchscreen interface.
Saman Farid, Founder and CEO of Formic, highlighted Land O’Frost’s history of process innovation as a factor in the project’s success. “By adding our palletizing solutions to their production line, they’ve eliminated unnecessary downtime, upskilled employees to robot operators, and reduced overall OpEx spend,” Farid said.
Formic’s Full Service Palletizer Rental program provides customers with four turnkey palletizing solutions at a fixed monthly or annual rate. The service includes 24/7 technical support, preventative and corrective maintenance, equipment swapping at no extra cost, and lead times of 10 weeks or less.
