November 1, 2012 from Logistics Management – “Supply chain and logistics software and technology providers RedPrairie and JDA Software announced today that two companies and its affiliates have entered into a definitive merger agreement…
An industry source estimated that combined revenues will be in the $1 billion to $1.2 billion range, which would make them the largest best of breed provider of supply chain management software..”
180 View – The consolidation continues but this time it’s with supply chain management (SCM) and not ERP, which for some may lead to the question about what is the difference between SCM and ERP. I poked around for a good explanation of the differences and found the following at http://www.ehow.com/how_7553610_distinguish-between-erp-scm-software.html – “ERP, or enterprise resource planning, is a software system that covers company business processes including purchasing, inventory, planning, sales order management and financial management. SCM, or supply chain management, can also refer to a software system or an area of management. SCM software can overlap with ERP business processes, but tends to be focused on flow of supply, value added processes, and distribution of product including warehousing and distribution centers.” In my opinion, SCM is a best of breed solution when it comes to very challenging logistics related to transportation and warehousing. It also applies when linking different organizations each with their own ERP system across the supply chain.