FORTE OPENS FIELD OFFICE IN CHARLOTTE

FORTE, a Swisslog company, is pleased to announce the opening of a new field office in Charlotte, N.C., to support FORTE's commitment to serving the beverage industry. Prominent industry experts Jim Smith and Sean McCarthy have been hired to lead the field office, set to be fully operational in February.

Together, Smith and McCarthy plan to create a Beverage Center of Excellence by building an integrated sales and engineering team and leveraging FORTE's completely objective, equipment-agnostic approach to distribution center design and systems integration projects as well as FORTE's expertise in warehouse execution systems (WES).

With an extensive background in sales, engineering and beverage distribution automation, Smith will serve as the general manager and director of sales. McCarthy, with more than 15 years of experience delivering automation technology in a variety of industries, will serve as Director of Engineering.

"The beverage industry is increasingly demanding innovation in distribution center technology and automation," said Smith. "We're planning to build a team whose experience in that industry is second to none. Backed by the deep bench of warehouse automation and warehouse software professionals at FORTE and parent company Swisslog, we believe we will be a compelling partner for beverage manufacturers and distributors."

FORTE managing director A.K. Schultz commented, "By combining FORTE with Swisslog, we now offer the widest spectrum of automation solutions, from picking, conveyor and sortation systems through the latest goods-to-person technologies integrated with advanced robotics. And we have the expertise to help our clients build a solid business case for the solution that precisely meets their requirements. Adding Jim Smith and Sean McCarthy to the FORTE team is an opportunity for FORTE to help great beverage companies become even greater."

This announcement comes on the heels of the acquisition of FORTE by Swisslog, a global provider of integrated logistics solutions for warehouses, distribution centers and hospitals. Swisslog's expertise in automated storage and retrieval systems and other goods-to-person technologies combined with FORTE's capability in conveyer and sortation systems and leadership in warehouse execution systems has resulted in a powerful partnership that better serves their combined customer base.

About FORTE
FORTE, a Swisslog company, is a leading warehouse automation and warehouse execution software (WES) company focused on optimizing distribution centers for many of the world's fastest growing companies. FORTE's business model brings a completely objective, equipment-agnostic approach to planning, designing and implementing automated material handling systems. By combining FORTE's experience with Swisslog's global expertise in designing, developing and delivering best-in-class automation solutions, the companies form an Automation Powerhouse™. To learn more, visit www.forte-industries.com or www.swisslog.com/na.