Buyout Of Software That Manages Product Returns

Manhattan Associates Inc. wants to expand its supply-chain software's reverse-logistics capabilities, which help companies manage the all the products that are returned. The vendor says it's buying the rights to software from ReturnCentral Inc. and will integrate it into Manhattan Associates' Trading Partner Management suite to provide customers with end-to-end returns management.

ReturnCentral's software will add a return-policy rules engine, decision-support mechanisms to help companies determine the best places to move inventory that needs to be returned to stock, liquidated, or scrapped. It also brings automated return-merchandise authorizations to help generate advanced shipping notifications, and workflow and drag-and-drop mechanisms to improve ease of use.

The additions will beef up an already popular component of Manhattan Associates' supply-chain management suite: it will enhance the current returns functionality in the Warehouse Management System, which has been one of the fastest-growing warehouse-management systems in the past five years, according to the ARC Advisory Group.

Manhattan Associates says it expects the acquisition to close later this month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.