Inside Blue Yonder's Acquisition of One Network Enterprises

Blue Yonder, a prominent player in the supply chain management space, continues to solidify its position as an industry leader.

The company’s latest move, acquiring One Network Enterprises, marks another significant step in its strategy to offer more robust, real-time supply chain solutions.

The closing of its acquisition of One Network Enterprises, at a value of US$839m, is its third acquisition since Q4 2023.

With increasing volatility and disruptions across the global supply chain, it’s no longer sufficient for companies to rely on periodic updates about their inventory, capacity and resources. 

With the addition of One Network’s commercial technology, Blue Yonder customers can now collaborate in real time with trading partners upstream and downstream across all tiers of their supply chain. 

Blue Yonder offers customers a multi-enterprise, multi-tier network ecosystem, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered supply chain assistants to identify, monitor, analyse and resolve problems, and a simplified process to onboard and work with trading partners.

Blue Yonder’s strategic acquisition 

On 2 August 2024, Blue Yonder, the leading global provider of digital supply chain transformation, completed its acquisition of One Network Enterprises in a strategic move that significantly enhances its ability to facilitate real-time collaboration and data-sharing across the entire supply chain.

The acquisition allows Blue Yonder’s customers to gain real-time insights into inventory levels, the movement of raw and finished goods, and other critical supply chain activities.

This integration is vital in a landscape characterised by increasing volatility and frequent disruptions- meaning retailers, manufacturers and logistics service providers (LSPs) face the pressing need for greater transparency and agility.

Blue Yonder’s incorporation of One Network’s technology equips its customers with tools for achieving multi-enterprise transparency and unifying plans and actions across the supply chain.

Traditional methods that rely on periodic updates are becoming obsolete; real-time data is essential for maintaining agility and making informed cross-functional decisions.

The acquisition introduces a multi-enterprise, multi-tier network ecosystem into Blue Yonder’s portfolio. This includes AI-powered supply chain assistants designed to identify, monitor, analyse and resolve issues swiftly.

It also simplifies the process of onboarding and collaborating with trading partners, offering customers real-time visibility into inventory and capacity.

This facilitates better alignment of supply with demand, swift resolution of issues and efficient resource orchestration across the network.

Notably, One Network will continue to operate independently, serving its government clients with tailored solutions.

“One Network’s industry-leading commercial technology will seamlessly be integrated into the Blue Yonder Platform.

"Their supply chain network and intelligent control tower deliver superpowered insights to businesses looking to fortify their supply chains,” comments Duncan Angove, CEO at Blue Yonder.

“Our customers can boost visibility, agility and speed thanks to a single source of truth provided by the Blue Yonder Platform and the digital network, all enhanced by our AI assistants, solvers and predictions.

"This allows customers to see issues both downstream and upstream in real time, so they can avoid disruptions and make better decisions.

"From One Network’s capabilities to its forward-looking mission, the company perfectly embodies Blue Yonder’s vision to transform the supply chain."

Strengthening presence and future outlook

The acquisition of One Network bolsters Blue Yonder’s capabilities, enabling customers to navigate market volatility more effectively, plan with enhanced precision and meet growing customer expectations while simplifying supply chain complexities.

The enhanced features include improved real-time visibility across various supply chain tiers, optimised resource management and seamless collaboration across a global network of over 150,000 trading partners.

These advancements ensure that planning objectives are efficiently executed and critical key performance indicators (KPIs) are optimised.

Moreover, the acquisition amplifies Blue Yonder’s presence in Dallas, which is now designated as the company’s Global Innovation Centre.

This location has seen extensive hiring to support the company’s growth.

During its annual customer conference, ICON, held in May, Blue Yonder introduced its AI Innovation Studio in Dallas. This facility hosts design-led AI Agent workshops with customers.

“There is a growing fascination with generative AI among senior executives,” continues Duncan.

“There’s now a widespread hunger for initiatives that drive productivity across customer experience and supply chain operations to help supplement the talent and labour shortage.

"With our recent acquisition of One Network and our continuous investment into AI, Blue Yonder is poised to help companies succeed in these endeavours.”

A state-of-the-art Customer Experience Centre will also be established in Dallas to showcase Blue Yonder’s latest innovations in transforming complex global supply chains.

This acquisition follows the acquisitions of Doddle in November 2023 and flexis AG in February 2024.

Collectively, these deals represent nearly US$1bn in mergers and acquisitions, highlighting Blue Yonder’s commitment to reshaping and advancing global supply chains.

“Blue Yonder is building the supply chain of the future,” Duncan adds.

“To succeed in today’s business environment, planning and logistics teams need to make decisions faster.

"They need to collaborate with more partners. They need faster responsiveness to disruptions.

"One Network’s multi-tier and multi-enterprise network has a large role to play here, and we’re proud to join forces with them to make a lasting difference.”

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