Formic argues that manufacturers must stop collecting 'supposed to' metrics and start aligning data with the specific roles and goals of their operations teams.
The FPI platform emphasizes customer-driven metrics, built around the genuine needs communicated by manufacturers.
Formic
In today’s manufacturing environments, due to the proliferation of sensors, dashboards, and automated KPIs, data is everywhere. Then why is the universal feeling among packaging and processing manufacturers one of frustration? Whether companies and their operators are willing to admit it or not, just because they have the data, doesn’t mean they are sure if it’s the right data, and they certainly don't feel like they're using it effectively. Call it a data paradox.
This was the core message delivered by Molly Garrison, a Product Manager at Formic, during her PACK EXPO Las Vegas Innovation Stage session “From Data Overload to Insight: What Manufacturing Teams Really Need to See.”
"The majority of companies that I have spoken with or worked for do not feel like they’re doing the best job they can do," Garrison said, drawing on her extensive background on the shop floor and in operations. "It doesn't matter whether you are a really big company or a small single-facility company."
Collecting data just because it’s there Many organizations chase metrics simply because they can be collected, or because they are perceived as necessary—what Garrison called, the "supposed to" data.Formic
Garrison believes the current state of manufacturing data is characterized by overload and misalignment. Many organizations chase metrics simply because they can be collected, or because they are perceived as necessary—what she calls, the "supposed to" data. This focus diverts attention from the operational pain points that truly keep teams up at night: staffing challenges, order fulfillment pressures, and the sheer flood of disconnected information.
When disconnected from real-world objectives, data ceases to be an asset and, in turn, becomes a burden. It stalls decision-making and buries the key insights needed for continuous improvement. The operational teams—the ones who need to drive action—are often left up to their eyeballs in irrelevant numbers.
Garrison proposed that the only way to transform this "data burden" into an "operational asset" is through alignment. Data must be tailored to the specific roles and goals of the people using it.
For an operations team, this means prioritizing metrics that directly translate into actionable steps. A line lead needs to see clarity on cycle times and bottleneck locations, not just a high-level financial summary. When data is curated and visualized to address a team’s immediate goals, it achieves three critical outcomes:
Clarity: Teams quickly understand what is happening and why.
Buy-in: Because the data is relevant to their job, teams trust it and are motivated to use it.
Empowerment: It facilitates powerful, continuous improvement.
Easily accessible, actionable data.FormicFormic’s Blueprint for Insight
Using the Formic Product Intelligence (FPI) platform as a real-world example, Garrison demonstrated how the right metrics and visualizations can deliver this alignment.
The FPI approach focuses on creating an environment where data is intuitive yet requires minimal training to be effective. Instead of forcing an entirely new, complex system, the solution is designed to be plug-and-play, providing an immediate, clear impact.
Crucially, the FPI platform emphasizes customer-driven metrics, built around the genuine needs communicated by manufacturers. By providing real-time automated data, the platform ensures that any operational change—from a process tweak to a new piece of equipment—can be measured immediately, allowing teams to see the effect and sustain positive changes.
By adopting this approach, manufacturers can move beyond the era of simply tracking information. They can begin to build up the maturity in their data infrastructures and transition from feeling overwhelmed by endless dashboards to wielding a powerful asset that supports, rather than stalls, truly decisive action on the shop floor.
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Many organizations chase metrics simply because they can be collected, or because they are perceived as necessary—what Garrison called, the "supposed to" data.Formic
