Descartes bets big on MacroPoint

The logistics software company will pay $107 million for freight visibility provider MacroPoint, one of the hottest properties in logistics technology.    The global logistics software provider Descartes has never been shy about making acquisitions.
   The company has built a mini-empire of users across its logistics, transportation, and trade compliance solutions by being highly acquisitive with an ultimate goal of driving users and its users’ partners to its Global Logistics Network. It has done so by buying innovative point solutions in various niches and bringing them under a single roof.
   Descartes took another giant step in that direction Tuesday with the acquisition of transportation visibility provider MacroPoint. The $107 million deal will see Descartes gain access to one of the hottest logistics tech properties on the market.
   MacroPoint primarily works with shippers, freight brokers and transportation management system software companies to provide real-time visibility into every domestic freight load. The technology is especially useful for brokered loads where the ultimate cargo owner has little to no visibility into a shipment it hasn’t directly arranged. The primary benefit is increased efficiency through automated status updates, replacing status check phone calls that can distract drivers and are more labor-intensive. 
   The privately-held company has grown rapidly in recent years, as companies sought automated status updates for their loads to better plan and account for delays and other disruptions. The company also had designs on taking its solution to other global regions and modes.
   MacroPoint’s network includes more than 2 million trucking assets and drivers, connecting through integrations to on-board electronic logging devices (ELDs), transportation management systems (TMS), GPS-enabled smart phone applications and location-based mobile phone triangulation.
   The company uses this data to help brokers, logistics service providers and shippers track the locations of deliveries in trucks. MacroPoint can also use this content to provide transportation brokers and shippers with predictive freight capacity to help identify early opportunities for additional freight moves.
   “Consumers expect to see the location and progress of shipments from the point of order to delivery,” Ken Wood, executive vice president of product management at Descartes, said of the purchase. “With leading e-commerce retailers and other shippers demanding that their transportation providers provide real-time location-based information, the business-to-business market now has the same expectation of full visibility into transportation moves. To meet this expectation, MacroPoint has established what we believe is the preeminent network of connected vehicles and location-based content in North America.”
   According to a statement from Descartes, Cleveland-based MacroPoint has annual revenues of $12.5 million. The deal includes $87 million in cash – $7 million of cash on hand and the balance from Descartes’ existing acquisition line of credit – and $20 million in Descartes shares.
   “We believe that the combination of Descartes’ Global Logistics Network with our cloud-based, real-time load visibility platform creates a truly differentiated offering that helps customers research, plan, execute and monitor multi-modal shipments around the world,” said MacroPoint Chief Executive Officer Bennett Adelson.