Blue Yonder is an American software and consultancy company, providing supply chain management, manufacturing planning, retail planning, store operations and collaborative category management solutions headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company has more than 4,000 corporate customers in the manufacturing, distribution, transportation, retail and services industries. Companies acquired over time include Yantriks, BlueYonder, RedPrairie, i2 Technologies, Manugistics, E3, Intactix, and Arthur.
History
In 1983, James Donald Armstrong founded JDA in Calgary, Alberta as a Canadian IBM mid-range software provider. In 1985, Armstrong sold the business and, along with Frederick M. Pakis, formed the US-based JDA Software, Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio. After signing a contract with a Phoenix-based automotive retailer in 1987, all eight JDA employees relocated to headquarters in Arizona. After 10 years of operation as a privately held firm, JDA went public on March 15, 1996, re-purchased the original Canadian company, and re-established presence in Canada. In 1998, JDA completed its first acquisition, the Arthur Retail division. In April 2000, the company announced the acquisition of Intactix division. In September 2001, JDA acquired E3 Corporation. JDA acquired Manugistics in July 2006. On November 5, 2009, JDA announced its intent to acquire i2 Technologies, a Dallas-based provider of supply chain management software. The acquisition was completed in January 2010. In June 2010, Dillard's Department Stores won a $246 million judgment against i2, claiming damages from use of two supply chain management systems. JDA announced efforts to reduce or reverse this judgment, noting Dillard's still used the software and had done so since 2000. On December 21, 2012, New Mountain Capital bought JDA Software for $1.9 billion and took it private. On August 8, 2016, JDA was reported to be exploring its sale to Honeywell International Inc. The sale was challenged on August 16, 2016 by The Blackstone Group, giving an alternative to JDA by offering a financing plan. On January 30, 2017, Girish Rishi succeeded Bal Dail as CEO. On July 2, 2018, JDA announced an agreement to acquire Blue Yonder GMBH. The acquisition was completed on August 7, 2018. On February 11, 2020, JDA announced that it was renaming itself to Blue Yonder, Inc. On July 23, 2020, Blue Yonder announced the acquisition of Yantriks.
