JDA Software to buy i2 Technologies

JDA Software Group on Friday announced plans to acquire supply-chain management competitor i2 Technologies for a net purchase price of approximately US$396 million.

This is the second time that JDA Software and i2 Technologies have tried to merge to be better able to compete with market leaders SAP and Oracle.

Last year a deal between the two companies ended up falling apart. That deal was valued at $346 million.

Merging the two companies makes even more sense today compared to year ago, according to JDA Software.

The economic crisis has resulted in companies increasingly looking to supply chain management as a way to improve their fortunes, it said.

The combined company will be able to offer a more complete portfolio of products and services for manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail and services industries.

The deal is also expected to create annual savings of approximately $20 million, according to JDA Software.

The company will have approximately 3,000 employees. About 1,200 will come from i2 Technologies. The combined annual revenue will be about $617 million.

The new offer is structured as a combination of cash, debt financing and common stock.

To ensure that the deal goes through this time, an alternative deal structure has also been set up. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year, according to a statement.