A Körber Supply Chain system (company photo)
Körber Supply Chain, a unit of Hamburg-based Körber AG, is acquiring order management and freight audit assets from enVista, with the KKR-backed joint venture looking to more than double to $1 billion in revenue in 5-6 years as it pursues larger firms like Manhattan Associates and Blue Yonder.
Through the acquisition, which closes in September, Körber will add enVista’s Enspire platform, including a cloud-based order management system (OMS) and distributed order management (DOM) to Körber’s WMS to complete a suite of fulfillment solutions. It cements a partnership that goes back more than a dozen years.
Jim Barnes, CEO of enVista, will help lead Körber’s strategic direction, unified commerce and freight audit and pricing (FAP) practices, reporting to Chad Collins, CEO of software for Körber Supply Chain. As an owner, Barnes will continue as an enVista director and contribute to strategic leadership.
Körber will acquire enVista’s offices in India, Canada, the UK, Singapore and Australia and a portion of enVista’s Carmel, IN headquarters. enVista will retain a development and operations presence in India. KKR took a 40% interest in Körber Supply Chain in March of this year for an undisclosed sum.
Körber Supply Chain, with 1,800 global employees, offers voice and robotics solutions in addition to its WMS. The company says it has more than 4,200 customers across industries in 70 countries, with ecommerce/retail, manufacturing and 3PL being the top three categories.
enVista partner and co-founder John Stitz will become the new CEO, with the company retaining its global supply chain consulting, IT managed services, Microsoft, robotics and automation solutions, with 400 of its 850 employees moving over to Körber.
“I look forward to leading enVista in its next chapter and evolution,” Stitz said in a release. “The future of enVista is bright. We are excited to focus on growing enVista as the leading supply chain consulting, enterprise business applications and robotics and automation firm in the market. We have an incredible team, recognized clients and a portfolio of global solutions in place to support our growth trajectory.”
“Looking at the competitive landscape, we have many strengths but had some weakness around OMS and DOM,” Richard Stewart, EVP of Americas for Körber Supply Chain, told Multichannel Merchant. “This definitely helps customers by giving more of an end-to-end feel especially in ecommerce fulfillment. It brings capabilities from the moment a consumer thinks about buying something, getting it sourced correctly from the right DC, and into the four walls where we play strongly.”
Stewart added enVista also brings a “deep skillset” in freight audit for facilitating transportation spend, an increasingly critical capability for shippers dealing with rising carrier costs and capacity issues across the supply chain.
Barnes said having the heft of KKR in the picture adds leverage for investing in sales and engineering, as well as potential acquisitions, which he will advise on as part of his strategic role. A possible IPO down the road as well as the targeted unicorn run rate is not out of the question, he said.
“It’s a win-win for both parties,” he said. “We could not have found a better strategic partner, where our mission and vision are very aligned. It’s already been a 13-14-year relationship. I like where we’re going and I like the organization.”