Our History
JDA has been serving the supply and demand chain for nearly 30 years:
- A Canadian Entrepreneur - 1978 to 1985
In 1978, James D. Armstrong formed JDA Software Services in Calgary, Alberta,
which grew to be one of Canada’s largest IBM midrange software providers.
- Success as Retail Software Company - 1985 to 1999
The Canadian business was sold in 1985 and Mr. Armstrong, with a partner,
formed the U.S.-based JDA Software, Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio. The company’s
vision was to deliver quality, packaged software and consulting services to
address the retail industry’s information management and transaction processing
needs. After signing a substantial contract with a Phoenix-based automotive
retailer in 1987, all eight JDA employees relocated to new corporate
headquarters in Arizona.
After ten years of successful operations as a privately-held firm, JDA became
a public corporation on March 15, 1996. We also re-purchased the original
Canadian “JDA” company in 1996 and re-established our presence in Canada.
With the financial freedom to strategically expand JDA’s
solution offering, we looked externally for complementary, high-value
solutions. We completed our first major acquisition in 1998, the Arthur Retail
division, which provided JDA with the market leader in advanced planning and
allocation software along with approximately 240 loyal customers.
- Expanding into New Markets: Consumer Goods and
Wholesale-Distribution: 2000-2005
To build upon our heritage in retail systems, we initiated a strategic plan
in 2000 to provide solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and
wholesale-distributors. This launched a period of aggressive acquisition
activity during which JDA successfully finalized and assimilated eight
acquisitions. Of these acquisitions, two in particular enabled JDA to diversify
our revenue base, expand our product offering and boost our market leadership
with companies outside of retail. These acquisitions included:
- April 2000: Intactix division, the market-leading provider of space
management solutions for retailers, suppliers and manufacturers, which added
more than 3,000 customers worldwide.
- September 2001: E3 Corporation, the global leader of inventory optimization
systems, which added 550 customers in retail and wholesale-distribution in 20
countries.
During these years JDA innovated and expanded our Store Systems with the
addition of workforce management software and a Java-based point-of-sale
application. We also established our revenue management suite by acquiring
applications for advertising, marketing and promotion management along with
trade funds management. Another key acquisition during this period enabled JDA
to offer advanced optimization and data mining applications.
- Enabling the Customer-Driven Value Chain: 2006 to
Present
To further respond to the needs of our growing customer base, JDA acquired
Manugistics in July 2006. This provider of demand and supply chain solutions
enabled us to grow our product line with supply management, demand management
and pricing, and transportation and logistics applications. It has also enabled
us to re-think the traditional way of viewing how to optimally supply goods to
the consumer. We have coined the convergence of supply and demand chain
processes involved in providing goods to the end consumer as the
“Customer-Driven Value Chain.”
JDA is uniquely positioned to support an optimized Customer-Driven Value
Chain. We can help our customers to optimally plan various aspects of their
business – from raw materials acquisition, through manufacturing and
replenishment, to the shelf. Our unbeatable combination of advanced optimization
and execution solutions deliver clearly differentiated expertise and compelling
innovation. What’s more, our solutions provide insight into customers’
behaviors and patterns, enabling proactive action as
changes occur.
Our enduring commitment to the global supply and demand chain market’s
evolving requirements has secured our leadership position. Our extensive
customer base consistently demonstrates their loyalty by extending their
investment in JDA Solutions. In fact, existing JDA customers represent more than
65% of software license sales each quarter, a true testament to the real demand
chain results that JDA repeatedly delivers.
