Formic

Formic is a robotics-as-a-service provider founded in 2020 and formally launched in 2021, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was built to let small and mid-sized manufacturers add robotic automation without upfront capital spending, targeting food and beverage, consumer packaged goods and metal fabrication plants that could not otherwise afford industrial robots.

Formic designs, installs and operates robotic cells for tasks such as palletizing, case packing and machine tending, then charges customers a fixed monthly or hourly fee instead of a purchase price. Its Cortex software layer runs vision models and anomaly detection while Core handles safety-rated motion control, and the company remotely monitors and maintains the equipment for manufacturers such as Land O’Frost and Bacardi.

1. Zero CapEx model: Deploys robotic cells for a fixed monthly fee instead of an equipment purchase.

2. Palletizing: Uses vision-guided robots to stack varying product shapes automatically.

3. Case packing: Automates pick-and-place packing for rigid and flexible packages.

4. Machine tending: Loads and unloads CNC mills and injection molding machines.

5. Remote monitoring: Tracks cell performance and flags anomalies via the Cortex AI layer.

6. Managed maintenance: Provides ongoing service and uptime support without in-house robotics staff.