Infor Continues Buying Spree, to Acquire Datastream

Enterprise solution provider adds asset performance management and catalog services specialist to portfolio

Enterprise solution provider adds asset performance management and catalog services specialist to portfolio

Greenville, SC — January 5, 2006 — Enterprise solution provider Infor started the new year off with yet another acquisition, this time targeting asset performance management and catalog services specialist Datastream Systems in a $10.26 per share cash deal.

The two companies' boards have already approved the acquisition, which is subject to Datastream shareholder approval and certain other conditions. Infor said it has commitment letters for equity and senior debt financing necessary to fund the purchase price of the acquisition.

The parties said they would work to close this transaction "as soon as reasonably possible," with an expected completion date in the second quarter. The combined company reportedly will have 24,700 customers in 140 countries.

Larry Blackwell, Datastream's CEO, suggested that his company's customers would benefit from the combined entity, which will continue to support and develop Datastream's products.

Infor offers integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain solutions designed for manufacturers and distributors. Given the asset-intensive nature of Infor's customer base and target markets, the provider apparently felt that Datastream's asset performance management solutions would address a key business need common among Infor's customers and target markets.

"Infor is changing what customers expect from an enterprise software provider by assembling and integrating best-of-breed solutions and professionals with deep industry knowledge that is unrivaled in the industry," said Jim Schaper, Infor's chairman and CEO. "We are filling a void in the market for customers that want one source for all of their industry-specific enterprise applications."

Infor, formerly known as Agilisys, has been on an acquisition tear, swallowing companies such as daly.commerce, Geac, Lilly, MAPICS, Mercia Software and NxTrend as it assembles a broad offering to bring to market. Its solutions now cover supply chain planning, relationship management, demand management, enterprise resource planning (ERP), warehouse management, marketing-drive distribution and business intelligence.


Additional Articles of Interest

— Procurement business process outsourcing is a growing trend, but best practices for BPO success are still being written. For insights on how to ensure your BPO project meets its goals, read "Five Success Factors for Procurement Business Process Outsourcing," sidebar to the cover story "Rising to the Challenge of the Outsourced Supply Chain" in the October/November 2005 issue of Supply and Demand Chain Executive.

— With U.S. manufacturers increasingly challenged by global rivals, American Axle & Manufacturing's Abdallah Shanti believes that the best way to compete is to collaborate. Read more in "Uniting for a Competitive Edge," in the December2003/January 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.

— Looking to bring new operational analytics solutions online? Here are five simple steps that every enterprise should take. Read "Bringing Operational Analytics Online — 5 Easy Pieces," an SDCExec.com exclusive.


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