Oracle Corp. paced the technology sector's relentless pursuit of solution vendors by spending close to $4 billion to acquire Hyperion Solutions Corp., a provider of performance management solutions ($3.3 billion), and Agile Software Corp., a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software ($495 million).
Of course, Oracle is far from being the only acquisitive software company, as more than two dozen supply chain technology vendors have changed hands in recent months. Interestingly, webMethods was acquired for $546 million by a German software company in what's thought to be one of the biggest software deals ever for the European IT industry, and the acquirer wasn't SAP (it was Software AG). SAP's recent acquisitions, meanwhile, have been on a relatively smaller, more strategic scale (MaXware and OutlookSoft). The following scorecard highlights significant corporate moves since our last update in the April 2007 IW.
| Company/Product | Parent Company | Transaction Type | Technology |
| Agile Software Corp. | Oracle Corp | acquisition | product lifecycle management |
| Aldata Solution | Sauna Acquisition | acquisition | supply chain management |
| Alignent Software Inc. | Sopheon | acquisition | product roadmapping software |
| Blue Agave Software Inc. | i2 Technologies Inc. | acquisition | replenishment software |
| CIMNET Inc. | Invensys Systems Inc. | acquisition | manufacturing execution systems |
| ClearOrbit Inc. | TAKE Solutions Inc. | acquisition | supply chain execution |
| Cyco Software | BlueCielo ECM Solutions | name change | engineering content management |
| DataMirror Corp. | IBM Corp. | acquisition | data integration |
| ESYNC | TranSystems | merger | supply chain consulting |
| Hyperion Solutions Corp. | Oracle Corp. | acquisition | business intelligence |
| IBS AG | Siemens AG | acquisition | manufacturing execution systems |
| Innovate IT | Kewill Systems | acquisition | service logistics |
| Inxight Software | Business Objects | acquisition | business intelligence |
| JCIT International | DemandPoint | merger/name change | demand flow technology |
| KNOVA Software Inc. | Consona Corp. | acquisition | knowledge management |
| MaXware | SAP | acquisition | identity management |
| NC Graphics Ltd. | PTC | acquisition | CAM software |
| OutlookSoft Corp. | SAP | acquisition | performance management |
| Pelion Systems | DemandPoint | merger/name change | lean manufacturing software |
| SLIM Technologies | Optiant | acquisition | supply chain network design |
| Smartag | FCI | acquisition | RFID tags |
| Spotfire Inc. | TIBCO Software Inc. | acquisition | business intelligence |
| TMT Software Co. | TMW Systems Inc. | acquisition | fleet maintenance software |
| Ventyx | Indus/MDSI | name change | service delivery management |
| W&H Systems Inc. | Goods Movement Inc. | acquisition | material handling logistics solutions |
| WebMethods Inc. | Software AG | acquisition | business integration software |
| Workbrain Corp. | Infor | acquisition | workforce management |
| WTS | Agility | acquisition | international transport logistics |
See Also
About the Author
Dave Blanchard
Senior Director of Content
Focus: Supply Chain
Call: (941) 208-4370
Follow on Twitter @SupplyChainDave
During his career Dave Blanchard has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. He also serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its second edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.