Logistics technology provider Descartes Systems Group has added another takeover target to its portfolio of acquisitions, saying today that it has paid $36 million to buy QuestaWeb, a provider of foreign trade zone (FTZ) and customs compliance solutions.
The move provides Ontario-based Descartes with a new tool for offering cloud-based customs and regulatory compliance solutions. Users such as logistics services providers (LSPs) and importers can apply the software to automate processes and comply with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulatory requirements for operating a foreign trade zone in the U.S.
Founded in 2001, Clark, New Jersey-based QuestaWeb says it offers a centralized global database that unifies import, export, logistics, compliance and financial processes including U.S. Customs clearance, foreign trade zone, landed costs, Harmonized Tariff Schedule classifications, export licensing, denied party screening, product catalog, tracking, event management and international document repository.
“In today’s complex and dynamic regulatory environment, technology is crucial to ensure that supply chains are compliant and efficient at each step along the way,” Ken Wood, executive vice president for product management at Descartes, said in a release. “The addition of QuestaWeb’s FTZ solution brings an important capability to our Global Logistics Network and will help our customers manage the entire foreign trade zone process, allowing them to minimize duties, fees and taxes while remaining compliant with CBP regulations.”
The acquisition is the latest deal in a string of buyouts by Descartes, which has bought up dozens of smaller firms in recent years, most recently including the e-commerce shipment tracking firm ShipTrack in a $19 million deal that could rise to $38 million if firm hits performance goals.
