Control.com - Nerds in Control

Fortna manufactures conveyor systems that they control with a PC based control system (FortnaPlus) running on QNX. I an looking for experiences with the system, either good or bad, to let me know how well it has worked for other people. Any advice or feedback would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed Mulligan

Speaking for me, not for Starbucks. . .

Good morning Ed.

I contracted Fortna to analyize, design, cost justify, and install a $1.3 million dollar shipping system for my primary DC. The installation included a high speed-two sided sortation system, system merge, and high speed scanners all controlled by FortnaPlus (software). This system has been flawless and the results have been fantastic; more than doubled our productivity, reduced order cycle times, reduced OT, and eliminated IT downtime. The FortnaPlus software and there support-structure has been the saving grace. Like most company's, our IT department is spread thin and can not support all aspects of the business as required. Most new installs or modifications must be approved and placed on an internal priority list. Fortna stream-lined the entire process and completed all the IT requirements of the job. Fortna provided 24/7 support for all aspects of the system installed and stand by there work 100%. I hope this information has helped. If you need more details, please feel free to contact me.

I am currently running on a Fortna plus system. The software that they created has alot of options. They have the capability to create anything you want from paging maintenance to telling you when maintenance is due. The user graphics screen is pretty cool. It tells you where the problem is located , tells you whats running, and whats not. I can't say that my system started flawlessly but Fortna has came through with resonable solutions. I worked with a Bushman conveyor controls for two years prior to this and it was an OK system as well but there capabilities where limited. Fortna also does a better job at customer response. If you need more information e-mail me a phone number.

We have recently completed the automation of our distribution facility which is composed of a 23 lane bi-directional sorter and multiple high speed line, raster, and omni-directional scanners all controlled by FortnaPlus. We’ve been running FortnaPlus for 11 months to date and we are very pleased with the software’s performance, functionality, flexibility, and technical support. FortnaPlus can be run in text or graphical mode. Our preference has been graphical mode because it is easy to use and allows its users to view a scaled down representation of the system’s input and output devices in real time. There are multiple menus that allow you to perform tasks such as start and stop the system or any of its components, view system statuses, track system errors, and track container ids. FortnaPlus was also able to provide custom options such as allowing us the ability to change the lane assignments of our orders on-the-fly and it also allows us to display a status screen at the end of every lane detailing all line items on an order including how many cartons have been diverted and how many are remaining. This certainly atones to the flexibility and functionality that I mentioned earlier.
From implementation to start-up, the people at Fortna have been nothing short of supportive. Their commitment to customer support is certainly a core competency and is one of the factors that won them the job over Rapistan. I hope this information has provided you with the insight you were looking for. Should you choose to select Fortna to handle your system needs, I'm sure you'll be as pleased as we are.

We recently opened a new distribution center with automated inbound and outbound conveyor systems. The opening of the DC was very fast-track to support a new retail account for my organinzation. Fortna did a fantastic job of coordinating the implementaion of the hardware and software to support our implementation. The implementation was very complex due to the completely new systems infrastructure that we needed. The FortnaPlus software and interfaces to the WMS have functioned flawlessly. At one point during the implementation, our WMS provider estimated $50,000 for a software modification to support a desired business process. After contacting Fornta, they were able to provide the desired functionality for no additional charge. During the startup, Fortna's support was excellent. Since the startup, we have had little need for support since the software has functioned so well. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions.

I worked with Fortna Plus, Bushman and Rapistian systems Fortna plus was the best of the three control systems, Also Fortna was the best of the three groups to work with.

I am working with a client in the West that is using Fortnaplus on QNX. I need to get the basics. Any help on where to go to network with people that I can learn about this product?

Please contact me directly or reply if you can help.

Dave Meyer
dave.meyer@cdicorp.com
888 206-4264