1H 2020 Distribution & Logistics M&A Report

For decades we’ve witnessed the changes and challenges facing distribution networks and the logistics of navigating a global economy. From a factory in China to a doorstep in Denver, the evolution of supply chain management has been startling. But as it turns out, 1H 2020 is showing us we’re just getting started. In the first half of 2020, we witnessed what happens when supply and distribution chains are strained by the unexpected. We see a significant demand for companies that can assemble and manage the complex resources needed to operate flexible supply chains efficiently and without disruption while meeting both producer and consumer demands. In supply chain technology, there’s a growing demand for more service, more value, and faster and cheaper shipping that address Transportation Management Solutions (TMS), Warehouse Management Solutions (WMS), and Order Management Solutions (OMS). As consumers were getting used to a “buy it now, get it now” environment, 2020’s global COVID pandemic sent shock waves through distribution networks. The pandemic shined a spotlight on the importance of the global supply and distribution environment more than any single event in recent decades. We’ve been through port strikes and work stoppages, terror attacks, economic downturns, and natural disasters. But nothing compares to this year’s global lockdown in terms of scope and unintended and unexpected cross-sector spillover…