TrueCommerce announces it has acquired DiCentral

Pittsburgh-based TrueCommerce, a global cloud provider of supply chain and trading partner connectivity, integration, and omnichannel solutions, said earlier today it had acquired Houston-based global B2B and API services provider DiCentral.

A purchase price was not disclosed.

TrueCommerce officials said that by bringing DiCentral into the fold, it helps the company to expand its global network, add to its solutions portfolio, and also grow its geographic footprint. What’s more, the company added that this deal further augments TrueCommerce’s position as a leader in the digital supply chain collaboration and connectivity sector.

Established in 2000, DiCentral brings around 30,000 connections to the TrueCommerce Global Commerce Network, which has the capability to connect shippers to more than 130,000 retailers, distributors, and logistics services providers, as well as around 5,000 customers from a diverse base. What’s more, the combined TrueCommerce network is now expanded to 160,000 connections and almost 18,000 customers.

“Together, we offer intuitive integrated solutions and connectivity that solve the challenges our customers face in growing their business across an increasingly digitized, global, and complex supply chain,” said John Fay, CEO of TrueCommerce, in a statement. “We are committed to enhancing and supporting DiCentral’s platform and I am pleased to welcome DiCentral’s customers and talented team to the TrueCommerce family.”  

Thuy Mai, DiCentral CEO, will join the TrueCommerce executive leadership team and serve as the company’s Co-Chief Strategy Officer, with Todd Johnson to serve as DiCentral’s new CEO, in tandem with his current position as TrueCommerce President and COO and Fay serving as the combined company’s CEO.

TrueCommerce’s Fay provided LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman with additional details on the deal in an interview below.

LM: What drove the need for this acquisition? How long had it been planned or in the works?

Fay: We saw an opportunity to further our goal of being the leading provider of globally connected network services. DiCentral’s strength in Central Europe and Asia complements TrueCommerce’s existing strengths to both create a formidable market leader on the global stage and provide incremental value to our collective user community.

We look at the merging of these two great companies as an opportunity to create both a formidable competitor in the market as well as increase the services and solutions that we can provide our existing and future customers.

LM: What are the main benefits of this deal for TrueCommerce's customers? What does this provide to them, or offer, that may have been missing/lacking before?

Fay: There are two secular trends in supply chain driving customer needs. The first is the geometric growth of sales channels for buyers as well as suppliers. The second is the rapid adoption of digitization to help solve these complexities. The combination of TrueCommerce and DiCentral offers our customers a broader range of services, solutions and network connectivity on a truly global basis in a manner unavailable in the market today.

Our catchphrase “do business in every direction” is indicative of the challenges that our customers face.  The combination of TrueCommerce and DiCentral offers our collective customers unparalleled connectivity—to trading partners, storefronts, marketplaces, logistics providers and many more.

LM: What are the main competitive advantages of this deal from a TrueCommerce perspective?

Fay: Network scale is important to our customers. The combined company has over 160,000 trading partners accessible to our 18,000 customers across our global network. These customers will have access to our and our partners software applications in channel management, demand management, fulfillment and eCommerce channel access. Lastly, with 1,300 talented, global employees, the pace of innovation we can deliver is unmatched within our marketplace.

The depth, breadth and technological foundation of the connectivity solutions is unmatched across the competitive landscape.  As companies expand their footprints globally, there is no one that can support them with in-region resources the way our company can.