Logistics software firm Descartes Systems Group Inc. said today it has purchased Appterra, a supply chain software provider whose platform is designed to support faster data flow between trading partners. The all-cash deal is valued at $5.8 million. However, Descartes could shell out an additional $1.6 million if Appterra meets revenue-based targets in each of the first two years following the deal.

Waterloo, Ont.-based Descartes will add the new property to the suite of supply chain visibility tools it calls the "global logistics network," a collaborative web of logistics firms that pool their standards to facilitate global shipping and compliance through digital data exchange.

Appterra, based in Flower Mound, Texas, provides a cloud-based network that automates supply chain processes among global trading partner. Appterra's main product is a cloud-based platform called Itzeze (pronounced "it's easy") that replaces electronic data interchange (EDI)-based communications with a collection of collaborative commerce applications that streamline data flow between trading partners.

The acquisition is the latest in a flurry of purchases for Descartes. Earlier this year, it acquired order fulfillment software vendor Pixi Software GmbH. In 2015, it acquired MK Data Services LLC, a denied-party screening application provider, BearWare Inc., a product-tracking and inventory-replenishment platform, and Oz Development Inc., a supply chain automation tool provider.