Blog
When Forterra’s foundation was laid over twenty years ago, it was done with one mission: to research and develop ground autonomy in support of our armed forces. Today, we leverage this past to deliver autonomous systems built for our future, and we’re proud to be the only company active on each of the Department of Defense’s ground autonomy programs.
For the better part of the last two decades, our work was known to few outside of the DoD. Our focus has been unapologetically driven not by chasing headlines or recognition but by our belief in our technology and the impact it will have on national resilience – in stark contrast to an industry rife with technological promises that lack fulfillment and artificial values aimed at near term gain.
We have been on a mission to deliver self-driving platforms for our customers. Our relentless efforts have translated to fielding more autonomous systems for the U.S. military than anyone else. We stand by our products and the impacts they make for our users and remain focused on the main thing – getting humans out of harms way.
In January, I was honored to be named CEO by our founder, Alberto Lacaze, and the Forterra Board of Managers. This honor is two-fold: it grants me the opportunity to support our employees in scaling our technology, and it enables me to continue to work alongside Alberto, one of the brightest minds in the industry and the driver of our technical innovation.
In February, we announced our rebrand to Forterra, a name that better encapsulates our focus on ground-based autonomy in the defense and industrial sectors.
Also in February, we were proud to be named as a partner to Anduril Industries and Hanwha Defense USA in pursuit of the U.S. Army’s Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) Increment II program, where we will provide our AutoDrive® vehicle autonomy solution to enable complex on- and off-road maneuvers.
And just last month, we were thrilled to announce a production deal with Kalmar to produce autonomous terminal tractors for port and logistics operations. Under the terms of the deal, we’ll work with Kalmar to jointly deliver paid pilot sales by the end of 2024, with an expected delivery date of Q1 2025. This deal, together with our partnership with Oshkosh Defense on the ROGUE Fires program, makes Forterra the first AV company in production for both Defense and Commercial sectors.
As Forterra’s CEO, I’m extremely proud of our accomplishments to date and look towards the next chapter with the team.
Thank you for your support,
Josh Araujo
