Amber Road shoots down E2open offer

E2open had made a $300 million offer for global trade management software provider Amber Road, but the company’s board said the offer wasn’t in shareholders’ best interest    The global trade management software provider Amber Road on Monday rejected a $300 million offer by supply chain software company E2open.
   The offer, which valued publicly traded Amber Road’s stock at $10.50 per share, was backed by Insight Venture Partners. The offer price valued Amber Road’s shares at a 52 percent premium over their value Feb. 9.
   “Consistent with our fiduciary duty, we routinely evaluate strategic options to maximize value for our stockholders, and we remain committed to considering any credible strategic alternative that would help achieve this objective,” said Barry Williams, chairman of the board at Amber Road. “While we welcome constructive input from all parties that share this goal, the unsolicited offer advanced by E2open is not in the best interests of the company and its stockholders. We continue to firmly believe that executing our existing strategic plan is the best means of maximizing value for our stockholders and satisfaction for our customers over the long term.”
   Amber Road provides trade compliance and global logistics software to importers and exporters. It went public in 2014. E2open, which is publicly traded on the NASDAQ, offers a broad suite of supply solutions, including demand planning, inventory management, and sourcing and procurement.
   Interest in the global trade management software space seems to be gathering momentum, as the market recognizes the importance of automating customs documentation and duty minimization processes. Amber Road is also one of the industry leaders in terms of maintaining an up-to-date repository of customs content globally. Along with compliance and international logistics software, Amber Road also provides tools to help with product development and supplier management.