RedPrairie Software Review

An Independent Supply Chain Management Software Review

RedPrairie is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and manages over 25 global offices providing services to 60,000 customer sites in more than 50 countries. The company has put commerce in motion for the world's leading companies for over 35 years. RedPrairie built its reputation in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), and then expanded into transportation, work force management and multi-channel retail execution. They have been recognized by logistics and IT trade journals as a leader in supply chain execution systems.

RedPrairie was founded in 1975, by Jim McHugh and Doug Freeman under the name McHugh Freeman & Associates. The company's initial success was in the automation of storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) for warehouses and distribution centers. After being acquired by Alvey Holdings (later Pinnacle Automation) in 1989, McHugh Freeman (RedPrairie) continued to expand their offerings becoming a pioneer in full featured WMS solutions. Their clients included brand names such as Procter & Gamble, Compaq Computer, Pepsi-Cola, and Nabisco.

By 1998, the newly named McHugh Software International had acquired other software vendors extending their supply chain offerings to transportation management and work force management. The company also started expanding internationally with offices in the UK and Europe. The company renamed itself to RedPrairie in 2002 and continues to acquire companies as they expand their leadership in the supply chain execution systems market. Acquisitions since 1996 include:

• 1996 Weseley Software – Transportation Management
• 1998 Software Architects, Inc. (SAI) – Warehouse Management
• 1998 Gagnon & Associates – Work Force Management
• 2004 LIS – Warehouse Management
• 2005 RangeGate – Retail-to-Store Home Delivery
• 2006 ALTA (from H-P) – Build-to-Order Manufacturing Planning
• 2006 MARC WMS - Warehouse Management
• 2006 StorePerform – Retail Execution
• 2007 GEOCOMtms – Fleet Management
• 2010 SmartTurn – Inventory and Warehouse Management
• 2011 SofTechnics – Retail Inventory Management
• 2011 Shipper's Commonwealth – Transportation Management
• 2011 Escalate Retail – All Channel Retail Commerce

RedPrairie's aggressive growth strategy is based on acquisitions and internal development to bolster their core WMS and TMS offerings, and to expand into new markets.

Red Prairie was acquired in 2005 by Francisco Partners and then in 2010 by New Mountain Capital; both are private equity firms. In 2010, the company moved their headquarters and key executives from Milwaukee WI to Atlanta GA. The Milwaukee office continues to operate and add employees. Red Prairie reported revenues of $261 million in 2009, $300 million in 2008 and $254 million in 2007.

The focus for the rest of this supply chain software review is on RedPrairie's core WMS and TMS offerings for their larger, more sophisticated clients with demanding and complex needs.

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