Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

ERP vendor Aptean buys a second British software firm

Acquiring Merlin follows deal to take over System Integration Trading, expands share in food processing logistics technology.

aptean Screen Shot 2022-10-24 at 2.07.20 PM.png

The Atlanta-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) software vendor Aptean has taken another step to expand its role in the U.K. region, announcing today that it has acquired the British ERP vendor Merlin Business Software Ltd.

Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Chesterfield, England, Merlin calls itself a provider of enterprise business solutions tailored to wholesalers and distributors, including those serving the industrial supply, building supply, and food and beverage industries.


Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The purchase follows another acquisition of a British ERP software firm by Aptean, when the Georgia company in 2021 bought Systems Integration (Trading) Ltd., which is likewise a provider of ERP and manufacturing execution system (MES) solutions to the U.K. food processing industry.

According to Aptean, buying Merlin will enhance its ability to support wholesalers and distributors in the U.K. “We are excited to expand capabilities for wholesalers and distributors to our ERP offerings in the UK,” Duane George, GM of EMEA and APAC at Aptean, said in a release. “Merlin’s talented and experienced team delivers tailored software supported by exceptional customer service. Like Aptean, Merlin is committed to meeting customer needs with focused expertise.”
 

 

The Latest

More Stories

photos of forklifts in warehouses

2025 IFOY Awards nominees announced

Seventeen innovative products and solutions from eleven providers have reached the nomination round of the IFOY Award 2025, an international competition that brings together the best new material handling products for warehouses and distribution center operations.

The nominees this year come from six different countries and will compete head-to-head during a Test Camp that will be held March 26 and 27 in Dortmund, Germany. The Test Camp allows hands-on evaluation and testing of products based on engineering and operational design. In contrast to the usual display of products at a trade show, The Test Camp also allows end-users and visitors to the event the opportunity to experience these technologies hands-on as they would operate in a facility.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Happy interesting New Year

While Christmas is always my favorite time of the year, I have always been something of a Scrooge when it comes to celebrating the New Year. It is traditionally a time of reflection, where we take stock of our lives and make resolutions to do better. I’ve always felt that I really didn’t need a calendar to remind me to kick my bad habits in favor of healthier routines. If I was not already doing something that was good for me, then making promises I probably won’t keep after a few weeks is not really helpful.

But as we turn the calendar to 2025, there is a lot to consider this new year. The election is behind us, and it will be interesting to see how supply chains react to the new administration. We’ve been told to expect sharp increases in tariffs, like those the president-elect issued in his first term. Will these cause the desired shift away from goods made in China?

Keep ReadingShow less
a blurred image of a forklift in a warehouse

Lift Truck Roundtable: An inside look at a volatile market

Roundtable participants:

MARTIN BOYD, CMO, Big Joe Forklifts

Keep ReadingShow less
trends in robotics

IFR: five trends will drive robot growth through 2025

As the global market value of industrial robot installations passes its all-time high of $16.5 billion, five trends will continue to drive its growth through 2025, according to a forecast from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

That is important because the increased use of robots has the potential to significantly reduce the impact of labor shortages in manufacturing, IFR said. That will happen when robots automate dirty, dull, dangerous or delicate tasks – such as visual quality inspection, hazardous painting, or heavy lifting—thus freeing up human workers to focus on more interesting and higher-value tasks.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo of containers at port of montreal

Port of Montreal says activities are back to normal following 2024 strike

Container traffic is finally back to typical levels at the port of Montreal, two months after dockworkers returned to work following a strike, port officials said Thursday.

Canada’s federal government had mandated binding arbitration between workers and employers through the country’s Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) in November, following labor strikes on both coasts that shut down major facilities like the ports of Vancouver and Montreal.

Keep ReadingShow less