Supply chain planning software vendor E2open Inc. has merged with business process software provider Steelwedge Software Inc. in an effort to build a platform that combines planning with execution, the companies said Monday.

The merger allows the firms to match Steelwedge's planning services with E2open's operational capabilities, Steelwedge CEO Pervinder Johar said in a release. "Our clients have told us that simply focusing on planning is not enough and they need the ability to execute what they plan," Johar said.

Pleasanton, Calif.-based Steelwedge provides sales and operations planning (S&OP) and integrated business planning (IBP) solutions. Its cloud-based planning platform helps companies align product, sales, demand, supply, strategy, operations, and financial decisions, according to Steelwedge.

The news is the latest maneuver by Austin, Texas-based E2open to position itself to challenge German software giant SAP SE and Scottsdale, Ariz.-based JDA Software Group Inc. at the top of the fast-growing market for "control tower" services. Control tower software allows a business to draft a playbook of appropriate reactions to a potential supply chain crisis. The software diagnoses the cause of the disruption and allows the company to simulate the effects of a range of preselected choices, measure their impact across the entire chain, and choose the best option.

In 2016, E2open acquired Terra Technology in a merger the companies said would combine Terra's demand-forecasting capabilities with E2open's network of production and distribution planning, offering a single source for end-to-end visibility.

"E2open's goal is to be the one place, in the cloud, for companies to operate their supply chains in real time," E2open CEO Michael Farlekas said in the statement announcing the Steelwedge merger. "Adding S&OP capabilities increases the breadth of solutions we can offer to our customers."