Kalmar, part of Cargotec, and Forterra (previously RRAI) have signed a cooperative development agreement for autonomous terminal tractor systems.
Kalmar will be in charge of building the automation-ready terminal tractor, including drive-by-wire solution integration, as well as the Kalmar One fleet management system, which will be used to oversee automated terminal tractor fleet operations.
Forterra will be in charge of integrating its AutoDrive platform to enable autonomous terminal tractor operations.
Forterra is a provider of autonomous technologies for ground-based movement in the workplace. The company was an early investor in the realm of autonomous technology. The company has previously provided autonomous solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense and off-highway commercial applications.
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Josh Araujo, CEO, of Forterra, said: “This agreement brings together our vast experience in developing world-class autonomous systems and Kalmar’s extensive experience in port and terminal automation with their market-leading terminal tractor product. We believe AutoDrive is the best platform to create a compelling new offering for the container and trailer-handling market.”
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Juuso Kanner, Vice President, Automation Business Line, Kalmar, added: “We believe that there is huge potential in automating terminal tractors in terms of safety and productivity. This development agreement is the next exciting step in our innovation journey after the successful RoboTractor pilot done in Norway.
“Now we will leverage our extensive experience in straddle carrier automation, which has been adopted by a number of leading container terminals around the world.”