Trimble agrees to buy TMS vendor Kuebix in bid to build unified logistics platform

Supply chain technology provider Trimble Inc. said today it has agreed to acquire the transportation management system (TMS) vendor Kuebix, a move it says will create a single logistics platform for all participants in the supply chain and enable the industry's transformation toward more digital processes.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Trimble said the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. 

Trimble will then fold Kuebix into its Transportation Sector division, alongside other recent acquisitions such as the shipment tracking software provider 10-4 Systems Inc.

The move addresses inefficiencies that occur when shippers, carriers, and intermediaries operate with "fragmented" TMS software, Sunnyvale, California-based Trimble said. Buying Maynard, Massachusetts-based Kuebix will allow Trimble to break down those technology barriers, enable actionable visibility, and improve collaboration by delivering a single logistics platform for all those trading partners, the company said.

Trimble envisions a new approach that will use a software-as-a-service (SaaS), multi-tenant, cloud platform to optimize the entire logistics process from order management to financial settlement. Using that tool could improve efficiency and asset utilization for carriers, while giving shippers access to expanded capacity and reduced costs, the company said.

The acquisition will ultimately enable Trimble to bring together its network of private fleet and commercial carrier customers, which collectively represent more than 1.3 million commercial trucks in North America, with Kuebix's community of more than 21,000 shipping companies. The combination will create a powerful new platform for planning, execution, and freight demand-capacity matching, Trimble said.

"Combining Kuebix's innovative platform and rapidly-growing community of shippers with Trimble's history of innovation, strength and scale will provide a transformative transportation supply chain solution that creates new opportunities for collaboration throughout the logistics ecosystem," James Langley, senior vice president, Trimble Transportation, said in a release. "This combination will help carriers uncover inefficiencies in their network, make better decisions, optimize operations and transform the way the transportation industry works."

We are excited to announce our planned acquisition of Kuebix [@KuebixTMS] and look forward to welcoming them into the Trimble family! Together, we look forward to transforming and connecting the #transportation logistics ecosystem. Read more: https://t.co/aRLdtYaFsU pic.twitter.com/fEXFIHEWUs

— Trimble Transportation (@Trimble_Trans) January 9, 2020