JDA Software to acquire Blue Yonder

Blue Yonder delivers hundreds of millions of automated decisions and forecasts daily and will power JDA’s next generation Luminate™ platform, enabling companies to make more intelligent, profitable decisions in their digital transformations.

UK supermarket chain WM Morrisons and e-commerce company OTTO are among the leading companies utilizing Blue Yonder’s solutions to deliver differentiated customer experiences and drive operational efficiencies.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. & KARLSRUHE, Germany-- JDA Software Inc., the leading provider of end-to-end supply chain and retail solutions, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Blue Yonder, the market leader in AI solutions for retail. This acquisition reflects the increasing importance of connecting intelligent data and insights to enable more profitable Autonomous Supply Chain™ decisions and optimized customer experiences. It builds on JDA’s strategy of developing cognitive and connected solutions to power digital transformations for companies seeking to create a competitive advantage for their supply chains. The acquisition is subject to competition agency approval.

Blue Yonder – Proven Leader in AI/ML Solutions for Retail

Blue Yonder enables companies to take a transformative approach to their core processes, automating complex decisions that deliver higher profits and customer value using leading AI/ML algorithms. Blue Yonder’s proven data science capabilities will allow JDA to more quickly embed new levels of actionable intelligence across all areas of its SaaS solution roadmap, from retail/supply chain planning, to execution, to labor management and through to omni-channel delivery to create significant value realization for customers. Blue Yonder’s SaaS solutions deliver rapid time-to-value and game-changing business value.

Acquisition Will Accelerate Customers’ Digital Transformations

• The cognitive capabilities of JDA’s entire solutions portfolio – from planning to execution to delivery – will be greatly enhanced and accelerated by leveraging Blue Yonder’s advanced AI/ML capabilities.
• JDA Luminate solutions, including the first-of-its-kind Luminate ControlTower™, which connects data and enables visibility across a company’s extended supply chain, will benefit from the “brain power” of Blue Yonder’s proven cognitive capabilities and rich, deep learnings to automate more profitable business decisions.
• Blue Yonder’s intelligent Demand Forecast & Replenishment and Price Optimization solutions will further complement and enhance JDA’s own retail planning solutions, which deliver integrated, customer-centric supply chain and merchandising processes. Blue Yonder’s ML capabilities will offer immediate opportunities for JDA’s retail customers to dynamically improve their pricing, promotions, markdowns and replenishment capabilities.
• Blue Yonder’s advanced forecasting will also drive substantial benefits to fast and short lifecycle products, benefitting the fresh food chain and leading to less waste, optimized labor and improved sustainability.

As part of the world’s leading supply chain management company, Blue Yonder will be able to accelerate its growth, invest more resources to development and deliver even more innovation to customers at scale to help deliver on JDA’s vision for an Autonomous Supply Chain™. To help deliver on this joint mission, Blue Yonder founder, former CERN physicist and KIT professor Dr. Michael Feindt will provide ongoing thought and innovation leadership to both companies, and CEO Uwe Weiss will join JDA’s Operating Committee.

JDA’s acquisition of Blue Yonder is expected to close in August, subject to competition agency approval. Both companies will refrain from commenting further on the acquisition until the transaction is complete.