EXE, i2 Collaborate on Supply Chain Software

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 6/1/1999

Two leading providers of logistics software have formed an alliance to market their applications as a total supply chain solution. EXE Technologies Inc. of Dallas and i2 of Irving, Texas, have announced that they will co-market each other's software and collaborate on making their software interoperable. EXE Technologies, which provides supply chain execution software, is best known for its warehouse management systems (WMS), while i2 Technologies sells advance planning and scheduling (APS) as well as transportation management (TMS) applications.

Under the deal's terms, i2 will market EXE's Exceed family of warehouse management systems (WMS) packages. In return, i2 has named EXE a marketing partner for such i2 applications as Global Logistics Manager, Transportation Manager, and Transportation Optimizer.

"This collaboration is expected not only to expand both companies' customer bases but also to provide businesses throughout the world with a competitive edge by offering a total supply chain solution," says Ray Hood, EXE president and CEO. "It will be a unique relationship in that EXE and i2 will extend their cooperation to include sales, services, and joint integration of products."

EXE's alliance with i2 comes on the heels of a similar deal signed earlier this year with Vastera of Chantilly, Va., which provides international trade software. In order to offer shippers an array of supply chain applications, distribution software companies have begun forming vendor alliances as an alternative to a merger or buyout.

In a related development, EXE Technologies Inc. has formed an alliance with the consulting firm Tompkins Associates Inc. Under that deal's terms, Tompkins will help EXE provide a supply chain solution for the automotive industry. Software makers often sign on with consulting firms to provide installation services for software customers.