Accel-KKR, a leading technology-focused investment firm, today announced that it has closed on a carve-out acquisition of the Shipper TMS portion of the Supply Chain Optimization (SCO) software business portfolio owned by Wabtec Corporation. The Shipper TMS business provides cloud-based multi-modal shipment management applications to customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Industrial shippers, carriers, logistics providers, and bulk terminal operators know the Shipper TMS business by two leading product brands, ShipperConnect and ShipXpress.

This is a strategic acquisition to Accel-KKR’s platform investment in PINC, a Gartner “Best of Breed” digital yard management software solution leader. Accel-KKR completed a significant growth equity investment in PINC on June 16, 2020. Multi-modal TMS and analytics solutions such as those offered by this Shipper TMS business is one of several growth strategies in support of PINC’s goal to expand its digital yard management and transportation management solutions to help clients optimize complex supply chains.

Shippers, such as those moving bulk commodities in the energy, mining, agricultural, metals and chemical verticals, turn to multi-modal shipments (e.g. rail and truck) due to the reliability, cost efficiency and sustainability afforded by the mix of modality as opposed to a single form of transportation. Among its key capabilities, Shipper TMS provides yard management, shipment visibility, rate management and bulk inventory management that allow for an accurate and timely flow of information to all parties from origin to the final destination.

The combined businesses will serve as a foundation for a Supply Chain Execution (SCE) platform focused on comprehensive transportation management software solutions for shippers. The platform will prioritize offerings that serve the origin and termination points in the supply chain with a specific focus on rail, truck, and terminal yard management. Combined with real-time visibility, electronic documentation, analytics, billing, rating and carrier management functionalities, the platform is well positioned to solve multiple transportation challenges in the supply chain industry.