26 DC VELOCITY AUGUST 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
newsworthy
Descartes Systems Group bulked up its offerings to help
retailers collaborate with logistics service providers, acquiring Bear Ware Inc. of Cleveland for $11.25 million.
By using mobile technologies to scan cartons at each
point from a distribution center through to a storefront,
BearWare’s system helps identify inventory replenishment
needs, reduce theft and claims for lost cartons, and streamline shipment payments.
The BearWare platform also supports pool distribution,
helping retailers such as Restoration Hardware Inc. and
General Nutrition Centers Inc. (GNC) cut their logistics
costs and minimize store disruptions; the software eliminates unconsolidated direct shipments from suppliers and
retailer distribution centers into the stores. Other Bear Ware
clients include Aeropostale Inc., American Eagle Outfitters,
and Ralph Lauren Media LLC.
The move came just two days after Descartes spent $83.5
million to acquire another software company; the company
bought Columbia, Md.-based MK Data Services LLC for
its “denied-party screening” service, which allows clients to
avoid doing business with banned partners by searching for
their names on multiple government sanction lists.
MK could help Waterloo, Ont.-based Descartes play a
bigger role in the Global Logistics Network (GLN), a collaborative web of logistics firms that pool their standards
and resources to facilitate global shipping and compliance
through electronic data exchange.
The BearWare acquisition could help Descartes in two
additional ways, Descartes said. First, it will add depth to its
Routing, Mobile, and Telematics platform. That division
offers fleet-management software with a single platform for
optimizing route planning, route execution, and driver and
vehicle performance.
The new acquisition also complements Descartes’ Airclic
product, a cloud-based mobile solution that automates
“last mile” logistics processes, the company said. Descartes
created that service through an acquisition as well, purchas-
ing Airclic for $29.7 million in November 2014.
Together, these ingredients could help remove bottle-
necks that develop as retail product moves from a shipper’s
distribution center, consolidation point, or bypass facility
through third-party transportation-provider networks, and
ultimately to stores.
—B.A.
Descartes pays $11.25 million for BearWare Inc.
