Forte, PAS to join Swisslog WDS under a single brand name

Nov. 29, 2016 – Effective Jan. 4, 2017, Forte and Power Automation Systems (PAS), will join Swisslog WDS Americas under a single brand name and corporate structure.

Swisslog WDS Americas will continue to be headquartered in Newport News, Va., and will now have a Midwest office at the former Forte headquarters in Mason, Ohio, and west coast office at the former PAS headquarters in Salida, Calif. Employees in the Mason and Salida offices will join more than 2,500 colleagues at Swisslog worldwide, supporting customers in 50 countries.
 
“We look forward to continuing to serve our current and future clients as one Swisslog,” said Markus Schmidt, president WDS Americas. “We will do this by offering a full spectrum of innovative solutions ranging from light automation to the most advanced robotics. You can count on our continued dedication to a deep understanding of our customer’s business, a thorough analysis of their data and an unwavering commitment to customer support.”

Swisslog acquired Forte Industries in April 2015 and has operated the company as a separate business unit focused on consulting, systems integration and warehouse execution software for companies primarily in the e-commerce and multi-channel retail segments. Since the acquisition, the company has been working to integrate its operations and enhance its offerings with Swisslog’s automation solutions.

Similarly, the acquisition of Power Automation Systems (PAS) was announced in April 2016 at MODEX and was immediately integrated with Swisslog under the leadership of vice president Michael Felbinger.

Swisslog is part of the Kuka Group, a global supplier of intelligent automation solutions.