QAD Inc. is a software company that provides

enterprise resource planning Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the integrated management of main business processes, often in real time and mediated by software and technology. ERP is usually referred to as a category of business management software—typically a sui ...

(ERP)

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. ...

and related enterprise software to manufacturing companies. The company has customers in over 100 countries around the world. On June 28, 2021, it was announced that

Thoma Bravo Thoma Bravo, LP, is an American private equity and growth capital firm with offices in San Francisco, Chicago and Miami. It is known for being particularly active in acquiring software companies and has over $114 billion in assets under manage ...

would acquire QAD Inc. in an all-cash transaction with an equity value of approximately 2 billion.

History

QAD was founded in 1979 by Pamela Lopker, who serves as president. QAD initially developed proprietary software applications for manufacturing companies in Southern California. In 1984, QAD announced MFG/PRO, which was built using

Progress Software Progress Software Corporation (Progress) is an American public company that offers software for creating and deploying business applications. Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts with offices in 16 countries, the company posted revenues ...

Corporation's Fourth Generation Language (4GL) and relational

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases s ...

. MFG/PRO was one of the first software applications built for manufacturers following the

APICS APICS, currently known as the Association for Supply Chain Management is a not-for-profit international education organization offering certification programs, training tools, and networking opportunities to increase workplace performance. F ...

principles. MFG/PRO was also one of the first applications to support closed-loop Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II), as well as operation in open systems. QAD software supports lean manufacturing principles and interoperates with other systems via open standards. QAD stock began trading as of its

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...

(IPO) on August 6, 1997. In 2003, a product called Supply Visualization (since rebranded to Supplier Portal) was first hosted in a multi-tenant configuration for QAD customers and those customers' suppliers, establishing QAD as a player in providing

Software-as-a-Service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is cons ...

(SaaS) software for manufacturers. QAD Supplier Portal continues to allow customers and their authorized suppliers to share information about inventory, scheduling, purchase orders, shipments, Kanbans and more. In 2006, QAD announced a user interface called .NET UI, and in 2007 its core product suite name was changed from MFG/PRO to QAD Enterprise Applications. QAD began their cloud apps in 2003, and in 2011 officially launched QAD On Demand, which was later named QAD Cloud ERP. In 2015, the QAD Cloud ERP software was enhanced further when the Channel Islands User Experience (UX) initiative was launched in phases, named after the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. In 2017, the QAD Enterprise Platform was released as a way to deliver functionality to users utilizing the Channel Islands UX in QAD Cloud ERP. In 2019, QAD renamed its software portfolio to QAD Adaptive Applications. In addition, QAD's flagship ERP software was renamed QAD Adaptive ERP, which features the Adaptive UX and is built on the QAD Enterprise Platform. QAD sells its products and services to companies in six main manufacturing industries: automotive,

consumer products A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike a intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good, but t ...

high tech High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...

nology, food and

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoo ...

industrial equipment Industrial technology is the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler, and more efficient. The industrial technology field employs creative and technically proficient individuals who can help a company ac ...

and life sciences. The company's software portfolio is called QAD Adaptive Applications, which is headlined by QAD Adaptive ERP. QAD Adaptive Applications is designed to streamline the management of

manufacturing operations Manufacturing operations concern the operation of a facility, as opposed to maintenance, supply and distribution, health, and safety, emergency response, human resources, security, information technology and other infrastructural support organizat ...

, supply chains, financials, customers, technology and business performance. QAD Adaptive ERP is marketed as SaaS software using

cloud computing Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage ( cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over mu ...

Acquisitions

* Sep 20, 2006 - QAD acquired Precision Software, a company delivering transportation, global trade and

supply chain management software Supply-chain-management software (SCMS) is the software tools or modules used in executing supply chain transactions, managing supplier relationships and controlling associated business processes. Supply chain management maximizes the efficiency of ...

. (2019 - Precision Software renamed t
QAD Precision
* Nov 6, 2006 - QAD acquired FBO Systems, Inc., a Georgia-based company and leading provider of enterprise asset management (EAM) products and professional services. * Jun 30, 2006 - QAD acquired Bisgen Ltd., a UK-based company whose product is tailored to the unique sales force and marketing automation needs of manufacturers. * Apr 22, 2008 - QAD acquired FullTilt Solutions’ product suite, including Perfect Product Suite, called master data management (MDM) for Internet-enabled commerce. * Jun 7, 2012 - QAD acquired DynaSys, a European provider of collaborative demand and supply chain planning software. (2019 - DynaSys rename

* Dec 31, 2012- QAD acquired CEBOS, a provider of quality management and management system standard software and services. (2019 - CEBOS rename

2020 - "QAD CEBOS" division name dropped and all solutions absorbed) * Aug 22, 2018 - QAD acquired PT Iris Sistem Inforindo (PT Iris), a distributor and system integrator for QAD software operating across South Asia, primarily in Indonesia. * Jan 5, 2021 - QAD acquire
Allocation Network GmbH
a provider for strategic sourcing and supplier management, based in Munich, Germany. * Apr 6, 2021 - QAD acquire
Foreign Trade Zone Corporation
a provider of cloud-based Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) software and consulting services based in Mobile, Alabama.
FTZ Corp
renamed t
QAD Precision Foreign-Trade Zone
* Dec 14, 2021 - QAD acquire
WebJaguar
founded in 2000 by Bachir Kassir, an ex-Apple engineer, and headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, the company powers over 1,000 eCommerce stores. (WebJaguar renamed to QAD WebJaguar] * Feb 1, 2023 - QAD announced it had acquired the

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

-based workforce provider, Redzone.

Acquisition by Thoma Bravo

On June 28, 2021, QAD announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by

, a private equity investment firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sector, in an all-cash transaction with an equity value of approximately 2 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, QAD shareholders will receive $87.50 per share of Class A Common Stock or Class B Common Stock in cash. Upon completion of the transaction, QAD will become a

private company A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...

to continue investing in the development and deployment of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and related enterprise software for manufacturing companies around the world. Anton Chilton will continue to lead QAD as CEO, and the company will maintain its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California. The QAD Board of Directors formed a special committee composed entirely of independent directors to conduct a robust process and negotiate the transaction with the assistance of independent financial and legal advisors. Following the special committee's unanimous recommendation, members of the QAD Board other than Mrs. Lopker, who recused herself, unanimously approved the merger agreement with Thoma Bravo, and recommend that QAD shareholders adopt and approve the merger agreement and the transaction. Other QAD shareholders filed a lawsuit concerning the merger, seeking millions of dollars in damages from Mrs. Lopker and other defendants, which is scheduled for trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery in October 2023. The acquisition of QAD by Thoma Bravo was completed in early November 2021. Following the completion of the transaction, Mrs. Lopker intends to retain a significant ownership interest in the company and will continue serving the QAD Board.

References

{{reflist Software companies based in California Software companies established in 1979 Companies based in Santa Barbara, California ERP software companies American companies established in 1979 1979 establishments in California 1997 initial public offerings Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Software companies of the United States 2021 mergers and acquisitions Private equity portfolio companies Privately held companies based in California

History

Acquisitions

Acquisition by Thoma Bravo

See also

References