they're up; they're down

After two years of declines, revenues for companies that sell supply chain management software increased by 4 percent in 2004 to just under $5.5 billion. According to AMR Research, revenue growth was widely varied among SCM vendors. AMR's study, Market Analytix Report: Supply Chain Management, 2004-2009, stated that 14 vendors saw revenue increase by more than 10 percent, while seven vendors saw revenue shrink by more than 10 percent.

"For SCM providers, the past four years have been a tough ride, leaving many vendors to question their strategy while seeing the emergence of a new set of market leaders," says Lora Cecere, vice president of research at AMR. "The applications that sell today have changed, as has the way customers buy."

The report noted that SAP remained the market leader for the second consecutive year with an 11-percent share. Rounding out the list of the top 10 SCM software vendors were i2 Technologies, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Manhattan Associates, IBS, Manugistics, Info Global Solutions, Swisslog and RedPrairie. PeopleSoft was acquired by Oracle in December 2004.