| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Supply Chain Management |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Headquarters | Alpharetta, Ga., USA |
| Key people | R. Michael Mayoras, CEO |
| Revenue | $292.9 million (2008) |
| Employees | Approximately 1,600 (2011) |
| Website | RedPrairie.com |
RedPrairie is a privately-held supply chain, workforce and all-channel commerce software provider headquartered in Alpharetta, GA.[1] The company's solutions help ensure visibility and collaboration between manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers at over 60,000 customer sites in more than 50 countries.
Contents |
RedPrairie was originally founded by partners Jim McHugh and Doug Freeman as McHugh Freeman & Associates in 1975. Known for pioneering one of the first comprehensive warehouse management systems, used by companies to direct operations in and between stockrooms and distribution centers, the software focused on advising the movement of people and products from "field to fork". The firm’s flagship WMS product went on the market in the mid 1980s.
McHugh Freeman was later acquired by Alvey Holdings (later Pinnacle Automation) in 1989, and has been involved in producing a wide range of products for supply chain managers since the early 1990s – both software and resold hardware. These additions included advanced task management, integrated use of radio frequency equipment, bar code applicators and readers, specialty computer hardware, and others that allowed the company to take on several clients including Procter & Gamble, Compaq Computer, Pepsi-Cola, and Nabisco. During this time, McHugh Freeman continued to develop and refine their WMS solution, incorporating new developments such as RFID technology, point-and-click applications, and “off-the-shelf” software.
By 1998, the newly named McHugh Software International had acquired additional companies that contributed to an extended supply chain execution platform. These groups included Wesely Software (transportation management systems), Gagnon & Associates (labor management and engineering), and Software Architects Inc. (advanced service-oriented platforms). In addition, McHugh expanded internationally with offices in the UK and Europe.
In 2002, the company was renamed RedPrairie, and adopted a new business model that focused on the entire extended supply chain. Later that year, the company's first Asia Pacific office opened in Shanghai. The company bought European WMS provider LIS in 2004 to create the global infrastructure required to support an increasingly worldwide customer base, along with MARC WMS in 2005, and BlueCube Software and StorePerform in 2006.
RedPrairie was acquired in 2005 by Francisco Partners, a California-based private equity firm,[2] and on November 25, 2009, the company announced it had filed a registration statement for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. However, on March 24, 2010, New Mountain Capital, a New York-based private equity firm, completed its acquisition of RedPrairie, without disclosing terms of the deal.[3]
On May 11, 2010, RedPrairie announced it has completed the acquisition of SmartTurn, an on-demand inventory and Warehouse Management System (WMS) provider.[4]
On January 10, 2011, RedPrairie announced it had acquired SofTechnics, a leading retail software solutions provider, and nine days later, the company announced it had also acquired Shipper's Commonwealth, a leading on-demand transportation management provider. The company followed both acquisition announcements with a third, on February 2, 2011, announcing the acquisition of Escalate Retail.[5]
The company’s executives and practices have been recognized as some of the most important in the logistics trade by publications including DC Velocity, InformationWeek, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. RedPrairie’s product line has also expanded into store operations, workforce management, inventory management, execution management, learning management, and performance management. The company serves clients in all of the following industries:
InformationWeek - June 30, 2008
DC Velocity - July 2008
USA Today - May 30, 2008