ERP software vendor JD Edwards & Co announced Thursday that it has acquired The Premisys Corp, a privately-held Chicago-based provider of sales engineering automation software. Although financial terms of the deal were not officially disclosed, it was widely reported that the purchase price was $12m, paid in a combination of cash and stock. The deal marks the first acquisition for Denver-based JD Edwards since the company went public in September of 1997 and is expected to give the company a major boost in the area of supply chain management. Premisys’ CustomWorks sales automation technology will be integrated with JD Edwards’ OneWorld product and the two say the combination will enable manufacturing companies to integrate such sales automation capabilities as technical drawings, product data management, quotes, proposals, manufacturing, customer service, field service and financials. JD Edwards is set to offer the combined product immediately, with pricing based on customer requirements. JD Edwards also said the deal fits into the company’s make, buy or partner strategy for attaining leadership in key vertical markets. There is virtually no overlap between the two companies’ customer bases, according to JD Edwards, which also said that it was among several firms bidding to acquire Premisys. The company can’t be expected to add much to JD Edward’s top line, however, as its 1998 revenues were just $4m, while its new owner has an annual run rate of nearly $950m. All 28 Premisys employees will be offered employment with JD Edwards.
