This should have been a quiet week leading into Memorial Day weekend. But as you can see from the list below, it was anything but quiet, with the biggest boom coming yesterday: E2open’s acquisition of BluJay Solutions.

• E2open to Combine With BluJay Solutions, a Leading Cloud-Based, Logistics Execution Platform
• project44 Acquires ClearMetal Inc.
• Manhattan Associates Unveils the Industry’s Fastest and Smartest Multi-modal Transportation Optimization Engine
• New 3Gtms Release: Highlights for 3Gtms Version 21.1
• DAT Selects Leading Supply Chain Visibility Platform FourKites to Provide Unparalleled Transparency and Visibility into Truckload Freight
• Indian logistics SaaS startup FarEye raises $100 million (TechCrunch)
• Mapping and logistics startup NextBillion raises $6.25M (VentureBeat)
• Uber Freight: Introducing Shipper Platform in Canada
• Gorillas’ Ten Minute Grocery Delivery to Launch in the U.S.
• Bed Bath & Beyond Expands Same-Day Delivery With DoorDash (AdWeek)
• Flytrex expands drone deliveries for Walmart, local retailers in North Carolina (Retail Dive)
• Sea change: global freight sails out of the digital dark ages (Reuters)
• Warehouses Look to Robots to Fill Labor Gaps, Speed Deliveries (WSJ – sub. req’d)
• Drivers unions push Congress to regulate driverless trucks (Supply Chain Quarterly)
• Shipping’s Carbon-Cutting Fuel Tanks So Far Remain Empty (WSJ – sub. req’d)

E2open Acquiring BluJay Solutions

First, here are some details from the press release:

• Enhances E2open’s supply chain execution capabilities with BluJay’s leading transportation management software and global trade capabilities
• Transaction represents implied enterprise value of $1.7 billion
• Combined business projected to have an annualized pro forma FY22 revenue of over $550 million and over $200 million in adjusted EBITDA
• Expands E2open’s network with 50k network participants, $40 billion in annual commerce spend and 1.9 billion transactions, and expands TAM by over $9 billion

Second, what is the bigger story here?

Since it’s the start of Memorial Day weekend and many of you will probably be on vacation by the time you receive this, I’ll explore that question in a future post. For now, I’ll just say that there are big changes happening in both the supply chain software and logistics service provider industries — with the scale and scope of trading partner networks, coupled with technology platforms and the “network effects” they enable, becoming a greater differentiator.

And with that, have a happy weekend!

Song of the Week: “Break It Down Again” by Tears For Fears