In the early days of supply chain software, two of the biggest players to emerge from a sea of startups were Manugistics and i2 Technologies. As of last month, it appears both will be owned by JDA Software.

JDA announced it has signed a deal to acquire Dallas-based i2 Technologies for $346 million in cash. JDA bought Manugistics two years ago, moving JDA from a retail-focused software provider into the manufacturing sector. In a statement on the i2 acquisition, JDA's CEO Hamish Brewer said: "By acquiring i2 we double our addressable market in manufacturing to include discrete manufacturing, complementing our current market leadership in process manufacturing and strengthening our retail and transportation management presence. With the experience gained from the successful acquisition of Manugistics in 2006, the addition of i2 is comparatively an incremental and logical step for JDA." According to company officials, i2 has more than 400 customers in a variety of manufacturing and service industries. i2's solutions focus on seven broad areas: supply management, planning, retail, inventory, manufacturing, logistics and channel management.

The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Editor's Note: This story originally ran on Purchasing.com on August 11. To get the most updated information on supply chain technology trends, subscribe to an RSS feed here.