Blue Yonder says Yantriks acquisition will allow retailers to predict demand, then proactively position inventory

Supply chain technology vendor Blue Yonder has acquired a provider of cloud-based commerce and fulfillment micro-services in a move to help companies predict what end-consumers may buy before they order it, and proactively position inventory and labor to meet those needs.

Scottsdale, Arizona-based Blue Yonder said Thursday it had acquired Yantriks Inc., a Westborough, Massachusetts firm founded in 2014 that says its software helps retailers unify their inventory and fulfillment data into a single platform.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal marked Blue Yonder’s latest maneuver to digitalize supply chain operations by integrating its platforms with other technology providers. Earlier this week, the well-funded company—which recently gained new financial backing when Panasonic bought a one-fifth share of the company—said it had built a link between its transportation management platform and the digital freight matching startup Loadsmart.

“Companies, more so than ever before, are seeking to deliver products to customers with unprecedented velocity, at promised delivery times, with optimized costs through complete plan-to-order-to-fulfillment alignment,” Blue Yonder CEO Girish Rishi said in a release. “The combination of Yantriks and Blue Yonder brings together end-to-end systems that begin with the very start of the shoppers’ journey and allows the entire supply chain to be organized around their preferences and choices.”

Following the acquisition, Blue Yonder’s “Luminate Retail” solutions will evolve to become “Luminate Commerce,” encompassing all areas of the commerce experience including inventory, space, pricing, workforce, and store operations. 

According to a blog post from Blue Yonder’s executive vice president and chief development officer, Desikan Madhavanur, the move was a reaction to the “unstoppable” growth of e-commerce that requires retailers to offer customers more choice and flexibility in the supply chain process. By adding Yantriks’ software, Luminate Commerce will enable real-time inventory visibility and order fulfillment, end-to-end supply chain visibility, and personalized consumer experiences, the company said.

More specifically, current users of Yantriks order fulfillment software will now gain access to Blue Yonder’s “Luminate” artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital fulfillment platform. Meanwhile, current Blue Yonder customers will now be able to use Yantriks’ customer-facing transactional systems and order services, which will be merged with Blue Yonder’s predictive planning, forecasting, and fulfillment solutions, the company said.

“With the addition of Yantriks’ order orchestration capabilities, Blue Yonder customers will now be able to connect real-time market demand using AI and ML with their existing supply chain solutions,” Blue Yonder said in an email. “For the first time, Blue Yonder can help customers predict what end consumers and B2B customers may buy before they order to proactively position available inventory and labor to fulfill their needs.”

With our acquisition of @Yantriks, our Luminate Commerce solution offers 3 key capabilities: real-time inventory visibility, omnichannel fulfillment, and personalized consumer experiences. Learn more about its capabilities on our blog. https://t.co/Fy2hClXZd4 pic.twitter.com/tYupcPGZEI

— Blue Yonder (@BlueYonder) July 23, 2020