JDA buys i2

JDA bought i2 Technologies earlier this week for $346mil.

JDA Chief Executive Officer Hamish Brewer expects that this latest move -- supported by its 2006 purchase of Manugistics as well as nine other acquisitions in 10 years -- will further strengthen its position in the global manufacturing market for supply chain planning and optimization solutions.

This is more broadly supply-chain technology than my narrow trade promo focus (though there are obvious overlaps), so I don't have the knowledge to discuss whether it's a good deal or not, but the analysts quoted in this Consumer Goods Technology article are sure doing a great job of controlling their enthusiasm, for example:

"The roll-up of assets in the supply chain planning market will have little effect on options for the consumer products market. Despite a lot of marketing on penetration of the consumer products market by i2, the only application where the company was able to gain traction was transportation planning. We expect that it will have little effect on these IT investments or the use of these technologies." - Lora Cecere, Research Director, Consumer Products, AMR Research