History

For more than 30 years, FORTE has been engineering and building many of the world’s most flexible, scalable and profitable distribution networks.

1980

Forte Industrial Equipment Systems Inc. is founded as a regional material handling distributor by Gene Forte.

1983

FORTE designs and builds the world's first personal computer (PC) assembly and distribution center for the IBM PC, and subsequently develops the entire distribution network with seven additional distribution centers throughout the country.

1990

FORTE transforms the industry by pioneering the "Design/Build" methodology in the distribution sector of the supply chain. Design/Build provides single-source accountability and total objectivity for consulting engineering and systems integration, and drives significant cost out of the supply chain.

1993

FORTE designs and builds the world's first automated mail order pharmacy for Hooks SuperX (now CVS Pharmacy).

1995

FORTE designs and installs one of the industry's first print-and-apply automated label application systems and WMS integrations. FORTE's work helps set industry-wide design specifications for the systems that are still in use today.

1996

FORTE completes one of the industry's first WMS integration projects with a highly automated material handling system.

1997

FORTE designs and builds the Beiersdorf® and totes>>ISOTONER® distribution centers, two of the first fully automated DCs to use Manhattan Associates® PkMS WMS.

FORTE develops Automation Director®, one of the industry's first warehouse control system (WCS) software packages for conveyor and sortation control.

2000

FORTE introduces CONTINUIM™ Project Delivery System, a systematic methodology to Plan, Design, Build and Optimize distribution operations. CONTINUIM has been rigorously applied to all FORTE engagements since its introduction.

2006

FORTE introduces Agent Framework™, an agent-based architecture for software development designed to address the challenges of highly complex, real-time, interactive and disparate systems. This development approach enables the FORTE software suite to easily scale and adapt as new client investments are made in automation technologies, ensuring the lowest total cost of ownership and greatest return on those investments.

2007

FORTE introduces Integration Director™ WCS software, the industry's leading real-time, multi-directional middleware that allows any number of systems to communicate and interface in real time. The new versions of Integration Director and Automation Director are subsequently installed in more than 30 operations, controlling four PLC brands and seven WMS applications.

2010

FORTE introduces Health Monitor™, an intelligent, proactive monitoring and notification system that identifies and reports system anomalies to facilitate rapid problem resolution as well as provide critical data for analytics.

FORTE introduces Simulation Director™, an advanced simulation and emulation tool for providing full software life-cycle support for the FORTE software suite. This advanced technology addresses all aspects of the question: Will it work?