Formica Standardizes its Global Infrastructure on VergeOS, Replacing VMware and StarWind

VergeIO, the developer of VergeOS, announced that Formica, a global high-pressure laminate manufacturer and part of the Broadview Group, has standardized its worldwide infrastructure on VergeOS.The deployment replaces a VMware vSphere environment with StarWind vSAN and now runs across 13 sites, including two data center clusters.

Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware prompted Formica to reassess what it wanted from its infrastructure. A lean IT team supporting a global operation needed less hand-holding, tighter integration between compute and storage, and a self-healing platform. VergeOS answered all three.

“Formica cannot assign one person to the hypervisor and another to SQL,” said Matt Collier, technology architect, Formica. “The team moves between systems and needs the environment to hold itself together.”

Formica evaluated a broad field of KVM-based platforms before selecting VergeOS. The decision came down to enterprise support, hardware freedom, and a single integrated product that delivered both the hypervisor and the vSAN from one vendor. VergeOS did not require reference hardware, so Formica repurposed equipment it already owned rather than replacing it.

Results appeared quickly. New sites reach a working state in under 10 minutes. Scheduled processing jobs that ran 40 to 50 minutes on VMware dropped to about 25 minutes on VergeOS. Built-in resiliency, delivered through synchronization and ioGuardian repair servers, protects data across the company’s data centers. Day to day, the platform mostly manages itself.

“I can go days without having to look at the Verge cluster,” said Collier.

Collier ran the evaluation with Andy Hawes, Formica’s Service Delivery Manager for Europe. “When Andy and I sat down and demoed Verge, and saw how easy it was to deploy, I don’t think I’m wrong in saying we both just went wow,” said Collier.                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The move also changed the economics of hardware. In Taiwan, Formica deployed new AMD EPYC clusters. At its European data center, the team repurposed existing hardware and extended its service life to 2034, avoiding a forced refresh. A platform that supports both the newest hardware and the oldest gives Formica the flexibility to spend on what it needs, rather than what a vendor requires.

“Formica is exactly the kind of customer VergeOS was built for,” said George Crump, CMO, VergeIO. “A capable team, a global footprint, and a mandate to do more with less. They replaced two products with one platform and got their time back.”

Formica continues its rollout. Three additional edge sites are queued for North America, and the company’s remaining data center will migrate off VMware and StarWind onto VergeOS. Formica expects to complete the remaining sites in Asia and Europe by the end of 2027.