RedPrairie buys Vortex for workforce mobility

   Global supply chain and retail technology provider RedPrairie has acquired Toronto-based Vortex Connect, a leader in best-of-breed mobile workforce management solutions focused on real-time business-to-employee communications and operations.
   RedPrairie said it will combine its existing Enterprise Workforce Management with the newly acquired Vortex mobility platform to create a single source of mobile-enabled solutions to manage a workforce across sectors like stores, warehouses, and distribution centers.
   The hope for the acquisition is that it will enhance RedPrairie’s workforce management market by allowing the company to embed branded and supported mobile capabilities. The company expects to first introduce modules like mobile shift management and bidding, mobile communications and operations management, and employee self-service.
   The company will also use the Vortex purchase to build a “Mobility Center of Excellence” in Toronto. The center will focus on developing mobile offerings that extend supply chain activities across RedPrairie’s footprint. – Geoff Whiting