With more than 200 vendors, the warehousing software market is due for a shakeout. When the dust settles, it's likely just two categories of players will remain.
James Cooke is a principal analyst with Nucleus Research in Boston, covering supply chain planning software. He was previously the editor of CSCMP?s Supply Chain Quarterly and a staff writer for DC Velocity.
RedPrairie Corp.'s recent acquisition of SmartTurn signals the growing importance of on-demand software applications in the warehouse management systems (WMS) market. In case you missed the news, RedPrairie, a developer of traditional supply chain execution solutions, in May bought SmartTurn, a provider of on-demand warehouse management applications. SmartTurn is one of a handful of players in this niche market. Others include Vigna (which markets an application called HWY905 WMS), Four Soft Ltd. (4S eLog WMS), 7Hills Business Solutions (eBizNet WMS), and Synergy Logistics (Snapfulfil WMS). By adding the SmartTurn app to its portfolio, RedPrairie can now offer a WMS solution to DC operations of all sizes and levels of complexity.
The Web-based approach to software delivery provides a sharp contrast to the traditional way of doing business. Historically, WMS vendors sold licenses to customers for the use of their software, which the customers then had to install on their own servers. In addition to the licensing fees, customers had to pay for maintenance and software upgrades whenever the vendor issued a new release. And in many cases, they had the added expense of systems integration work needed to get the WMS to "talk" to any other applications they were using. Given all the costs, it's no surprise that only large companies have been able to afford these solutions.
Under the on-demand model, by contrast, vendors "rent" their software to customers for a modest monthly fee. The advantages to companies with limited budgets are obvious. For one thing, they avoid a huge upfront capital outlay for software licenses. For another, deployment is quick and easy. The vendor hosts the application on its own servers; all a user needs to gain access to an on-demand application is a Web browser—there's no need for a lengthy software installation or for systems integration work. On top of that, the software vendor usually maintains the application and provides updates as part of the service, which is a big selling point for small or medium-sized customers that lack in-house IT resources.
Despite those attractions, the on-demand WMS vendors have yet to capture more than a fraction of the overall WMS market. Chad Eschinger, an analyst at Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc., estimates that sales of hosted WMS solutions accounted for a mere 5 to 6 percent of the $800 million global WMS market last year. Part of the problem, says Dwight Klappich, another Gartner analyst, is that on-demand WMS solutions are simply not competitive with the more elaborate licensed packages.
Klappich has a point. On-demand WMS solutions tend to be basic applications; they keep tabs on the receipt and disbursement of stock, interface with RFID and bar-code scanning equipment, and not much else. The licensed WMS packages, on the other hand, offer features that go well beyond inventory management to include functions like slotting optimization and labor management.
But many distribution centers don't need a high level of sophistication. They simply want an accurate count of inventory and the ability to provide inventory visibility to their supply chain partners.
That's why I believe that the WMS market is about to split into two groups, one that specializes in high-end solutions I'll call the Lexus models, the other offering low-end packages I'll dub the Corollas. The Lexus vendors will serve larger companies that demand more sophisticated solutions, while the Corollas will cater to smaller companies with relatively simple needs.
Although there are more than 200 vendors of WMS solutions today, that's far more than the market can support. I believe the industry is headed for a period of significant consolidation that will thin the vendor ranks to just a handful of players—two or three Lexus vendors and a small number of on-demand players.
What will be interesting to watch is how the market dynamics shift in the next few years. Because they charge less for their wares, I don't foresee the Corolla vendors making significant inroads into the Lexus players' market share in terms of revenue dollars. But I'll bet it will be a very different story when you look at each group's share of total WMS installations. By that measure, at least, it's likely that within a few years, the on-demand players will have pulled way out ahead of the competition.
Supply chain planning (SCP) leaders working on transformation efforts are focused on two major high-impact technology trends, including composite AI and supply chain data governance, according to a study from Gartner, Inc.
"SCP leaders are in the process of developing transformation roadmaps that will prioritize delivering on advanced decision intelligence and automated decision making," Eva Dawkins, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Composite AI, which is the combined application of different AI techniques to improve learning efficiency, will drive the optimization and automation of many planning activities at scale, while supply chain data governance is the foundational key for digital transformation.”
Their pursuit of those roadmaps is often complicated by frequent disruptions and the rapid pace of technological innovation. But Gartner says those leaders can accelerate the realized value of technology investments by facilitating a shift from IT-led to business-led digital leadership, with SCP leaders taking ownership of multidisciplinary teams to advance business operations, channels and products.
“A sound data governance strategy supports advanced technologies, such as composite AI, while also facilitating collaboration throughout the supply chain technology ecosystem,” said Dawkins. “Without attention to data governance, SCP leaders will likely struggle to achieve their expected ROI on key technology investments.”
The U.S. manufacturing sector has become an engine of new job creation over the past four years, thanks to a combination of federal incentives and mega-trends like nearshoring and the clean energy boom, according to the industrial real estate firm Savills.
While those manufacturing announcements have softened slightly from their 2022 high point, they remain historically elevated. And the sector’s growth outlook remains strong, regardless of the results of the November U.S. presidential election, the company said in its September “Savills Manufacturing Report.”
From 2021 to 2024, over 995,000 new U.S. manufacturing jobs were announced, with two thirds in advanced sectors like electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries, semiconductors, clean energy, and biomanufacturing. After peaking at 350,000 news jobs in 2022, the growth pace has slowed, with 2024 expected to see just over half that number.
But the ingredients are in place to sustain the hot temperature of American manufacturing expansion in 2025 and beyond, the company said. According to Savills, that’s because the U.S. manufacturing revival is fueled by $910 billion in federal incentives—including the Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—much of which has not yet been spent. Domestic production is also expected to be boosted by new tariffs, including a planned rise in semiconductor tariffs to 50% in 2025 and an increase in tariffs on Chinese EVs from 25% to 100%.
Certain geographical regions will see greater manufacturing growth than others, since just eight states account for 47% of new manufacturing jobs and over 6.3 billion square feet of industrial space, with 197 million more square feet under development. They are: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee.
Across the border, Mexico’s manufacturing sector has also seen “revolutionary” growth driven by nearshoring strategies targeting U.S. markets and offering lower-cost labor, with a workforce that is now even cheaper than in China. Over the past four years, that country has launched 27 new plants, each creating over 500 jobs. Unlike the U.S. focus on tech manufacturing, Mexico focuses on traditional sectors such as automative parts, appliances, and consumer goods.
Looking at the future, the U.S. manufacturing sector’s growth outlook remains strong, regardless of the results of November’s presidential election, Savills said. That’s because both candidates favor protectionist trade policies, and since significant change to federal incentives would require a single party to control both the legislative and executive branches. Rather than relying on changes in political leadership, future growth of U.S. manufacturing now hinges on finding affordable, reliable power amid increasing competition between manufacturing sites and data centers, Savills said.
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.