A new technology company that believes it has the vision and experience to transform how mines and heavy industry design, build, and manage their operations has arrived.

FORTAI is a Sudbury, Canada-based advanced technology and product manufacturing company “focused on delivering innovative value chain management and savings to the mining industry while providing profitable growth to investors and shareholders.”

FORTAI’s ADMMIT® technology is an autonomous mobile inventory management system built for dynamic environments such as mines. It tracks, delivers and manages material movement in real-time, from purchase to consumption and links to planning and inventory controls. The company is also developing a customisable and mine-ready container called the SmartCube®, that works with the ADMMIT® platform. This combination has been described as building an Amazon-like distribution model for the mining industry.

“Our vision is to deliver optimal value at every link of the mining production chain,” explained FORTAI President Trang Tran-Valade. “The industry is looking for transformative ways to meet or exceed production targets. We are building a material tracking and inventory system purpose-built for mining – one that’s as robust as those used by world-class logistics and retail companies.”

SmartCubes® integrate with ERP systems to provide real-time management of materials, a better understanding of material usage, and the ability to re-deploy unused materials from one location to the next.

SmartCubes® can be configured to hold a majority of materials from small tools and fasteners to shotcrete bags and machine parts. Equipped with integrated sensors, workers can move items and the ERP system will instantly update to maintain a real-time audit trail.

Modules may also be attached to cargo skids, which can then be integrated into the ERP system for flexible tracking options for materials movement and storage.

Tran-Valade will be at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention in Toronto, with ADMMIT® dealer, SHYFTinc, to discuss this transformative technology and options for clients.

“We already have premier technology and global top-ten mining companies working with us on development and field testing, and we invite others to discover how it can optimise their operation,” said Tran-Valade.

An experienced business leader and engineer, Tran-Valade founded SHYFTinc in 2018 and grew the team to 20 employees before establishing FORTAI. Prior to that, she worked at BESTECH and progressed in a variety of engineering, research and development, and administrative leadership roles.