There's a lot of speculation over the past two days in the business press concerning which enterprise software vendors will be next to be acquired. Siebel is most frequently mentioned. But the one that strikes me as most intriguing is Manugistics, a Tier I supply chain management vendor. Interestingly, one of the investors in SSA GT is General Atlantic Partners, which was one of the original investors in Manugistics. If SSA were to acquire Manugistics, it would give SSA a premier brand in supply chain management, a strong installed base in consumer product manufacturing and distribution, and a foothold in the aerospace and defense industry, through Manugistics' ownership of Western Data Systems (WDS), an ERP system that is well-established among large A&D contractors.
Information Week has a good summary of the events of the past week in vendor consolidation and potential next targets.
