Epicor To Be Acquired By Investing Firm KKR

Nine days after the Wall Street Journal reported that Apax Partners was considering a sale of Epicor Software, Epicor announced Tuesday that is has agreed to be acquired by global investment firm KKR. Terms were not disclosed for the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of August.

Apax Partners, a London-based private equity firm, bought Epicor for about $1.04 billion in 2011 and eventually merged it with rival Activant Solutions. Apax tried selling Epicor in 2014 but ended up pulling out after turning down offers it deemed to low from bidders, some which were reportedly worth around $3 billion.

Epicor’s software assists manufacturing, distribution and retail businesses with sales and supply-chain management. It is one of the leading technology providers for distributors, with more than 7,000 distributors using its software, according to Epicor's website.

"Our top priority continues to be delivering cloud-ready, market-leading solutions paired with a world-class customer experience," said Joe Cowan, president and CEO of Epicor. "KKR shares our vision of providing innovative technology with a clear focus on helping customers grow business, not software. This is an exciting time for Epicor, and I am extremely appreciative of Apax's support during the last five years."

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Infor Acquires Retail-Demand Software Firm Predictix

Enterprise software firm Infor is acquiring Predictix LLC and merging the company’s consumer-demand forecasting technology into its own supply-chain management systems for retailers.

Infor had invested $25 million in Predictix  in January.

The company is buying out the other investors of Atlanta-based Predictix, which mines data from the internet and other sources to predict demand trends for retailers including Home Depot Inc. and Whole Foods Market Inc.

The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, follows Infor’s $675 million acquisition in August 2015 of GT Nexus, another provider of cloud-based software for retailers.

Infor and Predictix said subscriptions to the Predictix analytics software grew 40 percent last year and have accelerated since Infor’s initial investment, according to the report.

Maurice Sporting Goods Selects IBS Dynaman WMS

Advanced WMS features and ability to meet aggressive growth plans sealed purchase decision. 

International Business Systems (IBS), a global leading integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management System (WMS) and supply chain provider, today announced that Maurice Sporting Goods, the largest family-owned and operated sporting goods distributor in the world, has selected IBS Dynaman WMS to streamline processes and more fully automate the growing needs of its distribution operations in North America.

Much of Maurice Sporting Goods' dramatic growth in the past several years has been driven by a growing portfolio of sporting goods products in a widening number of categories. This has led to higher SKU counts and increased shipping volumes, prompting the search for a more advanced WMS.

The company selected IBS Dynaman WMS to help control its distribution center operations, from receiving through put away, real-time inventory management and pick-pack-ship functions. Dynaman's value-added services component will be used to meet client outbound order assembly and kitting requirements. The investment in the new WMS system is a significant part of Maurice Sporting Goods' overall commitment to providing world-class logistics support to both its vendors and its retail customers.

"We consider it a great privilege to add Maurice Sporting Goods to our growing list of world-class companies impacting the retail/e-commerce supply chain," said Bob Carver, IBS Director of Sales, Dynaman Division. "Maurice is today's leader in the outdoor sporting goods retail industry, in part by providing efficient distribution. We are honored that it has selected IBS Dynaman to further advance its distribution operations."

"The need for a new WMS became critical for us as SKU counts and shipping volumes greatly increased among our four primary distribution centers," said Michael Olshansky, Maurice Sporting Goods CTO. "IBS definitely demonstrated that Dynaman is a superior WMS product, and its distribution expertise made us feel confident in accomplishing our aggressive global expansion plans."

About IBS
International Business Systems (IBS) is a leading global integrated ERP, WMS and supply chain distribution software solution provider. For more than 35 years, we have helped customers such as WORLDPAC, Fidelitone, Associated Pharmacies, Inc., GILLIG, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Miele Inc., Tri Literal LLC, Mighty Auto Parts, Victory Packaging Inc. and many more streamline, automate and accelerate their distribution network processes, and drive profitability and efficiency. For more information visit www.ibs.net.

About Maurice Sporting Goods
Maurice Sporting Goods, Inc. is a family-owned wholesaler of sporting goods products in the fishing, hunting, outdoor recreation, marine, fitness/athletics, sports licensing and outdoor gift categories, serving mass retailers and independent dealers throughout the United States, Canada and other international markets. For more information, refer to www.maurice.net.

For more information, please visit www.ibs.net or contact:

Renee Truttmann
Chief Marketing Officer
+1 760 201 6243
renee.truttmann@ibs.net

Advanced WMS features and ability to meet aggressive growth plans sealed purchase decision.

FOLSOM, Calif., August 6, 2015 – International Business Systems (IBS), a global leading integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management System (WMS) and supply chain provider, today announced that Maurice Sporting Goods, the largest family-owned and operated sporting goods distributor in the world, has selected IBS Dynaman WMS to streamline processes and more fully automate the growing needs of its distribution operations in North America.
Much of Maurice Sporting Goods' dramatic growth in the past several years has been driven by a growing portfolio of sporting goods products in a widening number of categories. This has led to higher SKU counts and increased shipping volumes, prompting the search for a more advanced WMS.
The company selected IBS Dynaman WMS to help control its distribution center operations, from receiving through put away, real-time inventory management and pick-pack-ship functions. Dynaman's value-added services component will be used to meet client outbound order assembly and kitting requirements. The investment in the new WMS system is a significant part of Maurice Sporting Goods' overall commitment to providing world-class logistics support to both its vendors and its retail customers.
"We consider it a great privilege to add Maurice Sporting Goods to our growing list of world-class companies impacting the retail/e-commerce supply chain," said Bob Carver, IBS Director of Sales, Dynaman Division. "Maurice is today's leader in the outdoor sporting goods retail industry, in part by providing efficient distribution. We are honored that it has selected IBS Dynaman to further advance its distribution operations."
"The need for a new WMS became critical for us as SKU counts and shipping volumes greatly increased among our four primary distribution centers," said Michael Olshansky, Maurice Sporting Goods CTO. "IBS definitely demonstrated that Dynaman is a superior WMS product, and its distribution expertise made us feel confident in accomplishing our aggressive global expansion plans."
About IBS
International Business Systems (IBS) is a leading global integrated ERP, WMS and supply chain distribution software solution provider. For more than 35 years, we have helped customers such as WORLDPAC, Fidelitone, Associated Pharmacies, Inc., GILLIG, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Miele Inc., Tri Literal LLC, Mighty Auto Parts, Victory Packaging Inc. and many more streamline, automate and accelerate their distribution network processes, and drive profitability and efficiency. For more information visit www.ibs.net.
About Maurice Sporting Goods
Maurice Sporting Goods, Inc. is a family-owned wholesaler of sporting goods products in the fishing, hunting, outdoor recreation, marine, fitness/athletics, sports licensing and outdoor gift categories, serving mass retailers and independent dealers throughout the United States, Canada and other international markets. For more information, refer to www.maurice.net.
For more information, please visit www.ibs.net or contact:
Renee Truttmann
Chief Marketing Officer
+1 760 201 6243
renee.truttmann@ibs.net

- See more at: http://www.ibs.net/en/company/news/2015/Maurice-Sporting-Goods-Selects-IBS-Dynaman-WMS/#sthash.GaUMeH7K.dpuf

Epicor Eclipse Distribution ERP Introduces New Levels Of Efficiency

Epicor Software Corporation, a provider of business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organizations, recently announced the general availability of the latest version of Epicor Eclipse, its wholesale distribution enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for distributors in the electrical, plumbing and HVAC sectors. Eclipse v.9.0 features a refreshed user interface (UI) and technical innovations that foster business efficiency and productivity.

This version of Epicor Eclipse delivers a new user experience with a completely new main window, menu structures and navigation panels; a new Web widget to view other Web sites in the main window; and new "Metro-style" widgets with configurable widget size, color and notification method. The visually appealing, task-focused and user-friendly graphic interface of Eclipse v.9.0 will help employees accomplish more in their daily work and provide better customer service.

In addition, a number of innovations have been introduced to support increased business efficiency for distributors. These include a new volume rebate tracking system for vendor purchases, an eBulletin Board for critical announcements, an all-new chat-format messaging system, an improved central purchasing process, faster material returns, and new optional integration to Avalara for tax calculation and filing services.

For more information on the new release of Epicor Eclipse, call 1.800.776.7438 to speak with an Epicor solutions specialist, or email info@epicor.com.

Epicor Eclipse version 9.0 home screen 
 

Apax Partners Puts Epicor Software on the Block

Epicor Software Corp., a private-equity owned company that assists other firms with sales and supply-chain management, is on the block and seeking as much as $3.5 billion, said people familiar with the matter.

The company, purchased by London-based buyout firm Apax Partners for around $1.04 billion in 2011, is working with Jefferies Group LLC to seek buyers. Valuations for the company differ, but people around the deal say Epicor could fetch between $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion, including debt.

Epicor, based in Austin, Texas, serves the distribution, manufacturing, retail and services industries world-wide. It posted sales of $978.3 million in 2013 and carries about $1.3 billion in debt, according to public filings.

After purchasing Epicor, Apax merged it with another rival software-maker, Activant Solutions Inc., which was previously owned by Hellman & Friedman LLC, JMI Equity and Thoma Bravo LLC. In 2012, Epicor paid $155 million to acquire another smaller rival, Solarsoft Business Systems, from Marlin Equity Partners.

In 2012 and 2013, Epicor issued $340 million and $350 million of new debt respectively, to fund dividends to its private-equity owner, according to S&P Capital IQ LCD. 

A sale of Epicor would follow private-equity deals involving similar software companies. Earlier this year, Blackstone Group LP and GIC Private Ltd. paid $750 million for a minority stake in human-resources software company Kronos Inc. in a deal that valued the company at $4.5 billion including debt. And in late 2013, Hellman & Friedman acquired insurance software maker Applied Systems Inc. for $1.8 billion including debt.

Write to Mike Spector at mike.spector@wsj.com, Gillian Tan at gillian.tan@wsj.com and Dana Mattioli at dana.mattioli@wsj.com

Seacore Seafood Relies on VAI S2K Software to Drive Unmatched Growth and Improved Economies of Scale

Leading Seafood Supplier and Distributor Hastens Route Management, Order Entry and Delivery while Improving Account Receivables Management and Inventory Accuracy

 

Seacore Seafood, Canada’s leading importer, distributor and custom processor of fresh and frozen fish, seafood and live lobsters, has achieved and sustained remarkable growth in the most efficient way possible, due in part to the installation of S2K ERP software from VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.). Recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, Seacore capitalized on its inward and outbound logistics to make its consumer brand, OceanPrime, widely available across North America while managing more than 5,000 fresh and frozen items in inventory.  

From its state-of-the-art 75,000 square foot facility in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan, Ontario, Seacore houses its three distinct divisions – OceanPrime, Fisherman’s Depot and Seafood Depot – which serve thousands of consumer, retail and wholesale customers. Its extensive network of inward and outward logistics allows Seacore to buy seafood directly from the source – whether it’s trailer trucks picking up seafood in New England or Florida, flights arriving from the Philippines and Europe or shipments from Asia and South America. This allows Seacore to provide a wide variety of fresh, high-quality seafood ranging from crab legs from Alaska to barrmundi from Australia and salmon from Ireland.

To keep up with the growing demand for its products, Seacore automated many of its core business functions, including inventory management, accounting, route management, order entry, logistics and retail point-of-sale by installing VAI’s S2K software five years ago. Since then, Seacore has realized tremendous business benefits from this installation including:

• Improved Accounts Receivables Management
• 85% of Seacore’s account receivables are current which is almost unheard of in the food industry.
• Faster Customer Delivery Rates and Reduced Order Picking Time
• Seacore has hastened its truck routing process by 50%, ensuring extremely high levels of prompt customer delivery. Through the S2K Route Manager, Seacore was able to see all of its orders as well as the number of orders per route and then make the business decision on how to set up the deliveries most efficiently. And through the bulk and Wave picking, Seacore reduced its order picking time by 40%, which further increased its already impressive on-time delivery rates.
• Streamlined Fish Cutting Process
• By automating fish cutting, Seacore took three or four steps out of the process and made it 80% more efficient than it was previously. This allowed Seacore to save time and service more customers, thereby growing its business exponentially.
• Up-to-the-Minute Consolidated Financials
• Seacore can now view its consolidated financials at the push of one button – so they can see instantly how retail sales are faring hour-to-hour or minute-by-minute each day. This is especially important during busy seasonal periods like the Christmas holidays when the retail division realizes a 1000% sales increase.
• Greater Inventory Accuracy
• With three distinct divisions sharing a master inventory, Seacore wanted to do automatic transfers within each company in real-time. VAI customized the S2K installation so that if one Seacore division used an item that was purchased by another company, an automatic transfer would be made and the inventory along with the ledger accounts would be auto-adjusted to keep everything in balance. The S2K installation also introduced BIN locations to the Seacore warehouse, allowing the Seacore staff to know the exact location of an item especially when there are multiple pallets.
• Faster Order Entry
• Seacore was able to hasten order entry as well as meet specific customer requirements. For example, a customer may want only certain items sold to their locations and their own item numbers would have to appear on invoices. With S2K, Seacore can not only create order guides from their past history or from a custom list, but they can also restrict a customer to only buy those items.
• Automatic Real-Time Traceability
• Seacore can now do full traceability on where their seafood is coming from and how it was caught – information which has become increasingly important to retailers such as Whole Foods as well as its consumers.  With S2K, Seacore can now provide this information to customers in real-time.
• Integrated Point-of-Sale
• VAI customized the S2K implementation so that Point-of-Sale was completely integrated in real-time. This allowed Seacore to instantly see the inventory moving to Seacore’s retail store division from their warehouse.  Seacore was also able to add seafood industry-specific items to the POS implementation such as Catch Weights and a wide variety of unit measures that would normally have to be scanned.

 

“VAI’s S2K software allowed us to reach phenomenal economies of scale that could not have been attained by generic ERP software solutions,” said Sal Battaglia, director of operations, Seacore Seafood. “The S2K installation dramatically improved nearly every part of our business – from accounting and logistics to inventory and warehouse management.  By automating many of these key functions, our team can focus on critical aspects of our business such as sales and customer service.  And we feel confident that we can continue our impressive growth trajectory knowing that our business is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”

 

On Tuesday, September 25^th at 2:00pm ET, VAI will host a webinar, “S2K for Food: A Complete Solution for the Food Industry,” that will examine the unique challenges and requirements of the food industry. Attendees will learn how S2K Enterprise for Food helps distributors meet the challenges of today’s economic environment by automating and integrating business processes across the organization. To register for the webinar, please visit here.  

 

About VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.)

VAI is a leading independent mid-market ERP software developer renowned for its customized solutions and ability to automate critical business functions for the distribution, manufacturing, specialty retail and service sectors. An IBM Premier Business Partner, VAI is the 2012 IBM Beacon Award Winner for Outstanding Solutions for Midsize Businesses. VAI continues to innovate with new solutions that leverage analytics, business intelligence, mobility and cloud technology to help customers make more informed business decisions in real-time and empower their mobile workforces.  VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, NY with branch offices in Florida, Illinois and California. For more information, visit www.vai.net, follow @VAISoftware on Twitter or “like us” on facebook.com/VAISoftware.  

Dynaline Upgrades to VAI S2K Enterprise Software

S2K Enterprise 5.0 Will Improve Business Processes and Create Operational Efficiencies to Support Company Growth

VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.), an award-winning ERP software provider, today announced that Dynaline Industries Inc., a privately-held Canadian company sourcing agriculture, automotive and industrial products to major distributors across Canada and the United States, has upgraded to S2K Enterprise 5.0. VAI S2K Enterprise software helps companies manage and analyze virtually every aspect of a company’s business processes, providing the information necessary to drive educated business decisions. 

As a growing company dedicated to a niche market, Dynaline needed a dynamic system that could adapt to the industry and support its growth. Dynaline will work specifically with S2K Financial and S2K Distribution Management to further streamline operations and create efficiencies that will benefit the bottom line. With the latest upgrade, Dynaline has access to even more reporting capabilities that export directly into Excel and provide further insight into the business. As Dynaline continues to expand, the Company will look into other modules such as S2K Sales Force and Warehouse Management that directly integrate with S2K Enterprise.

“We have been working with VAI for more than five years, and we are thrilled with VAI’s ability to continually accommodate our Company’s growth and provide solutions specifically designed for our industry,” said Jennifer Otto, operations manager, Dynaline Industries. “Not only were we up and running on S2K 5.0 in only three days, but we are happy with the software’s ease-of-use. We are already using information extracted from the system to focus our efforts on specific aspects of the business.”

“VAI is pleased to continue its partnership with Dynaline with an upgrade to S2K 5.0,” said Pete Zimmerman, manufacturing segment manager, VAI. “Scalability is extremely important to a growing business, and we’ve specifically architected S2K Enterprise to expand with our customers. We are confident that Dynaline’s upgrade to S2K 5.0 will enhance the Company’s ability to achieve its business goals and we look forward to continuing to assist with Dynaline’s growth expansion with the future implementations of S2K WMS and Commerce Express solutions.”

About VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.)

VAI is an award-winning software developer and an IBM Premier Business Partner. Designed for the mid-range market, S2K Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Suite is used by a wide variety of mid-sized companies worldwide, with a number of clients in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, food and related service industries. Advanced applications such as Warehouse Management Systems, EDI, CRM, Business Analytics and e-Business provide companies the power to leverage their information technology investment. VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, New York, with branch offices in Miami, Orlando, Chicago and Oroville, California. For more information, please contact Diane Dady at 800-824-7776, ext. 236 or visit www.vai.net. 

Contact Information:

Rachel Perlmutter

SHIFT Communications

617.779.1884

rperlmutter@shiftcomm.com