News
WMS leader Mantis merges with leading logistics IT provider ecovium
18.01.2022
ecovium Group and Mantis join forces to offer integrated, state-of-the-art Supply Chain Execution (SCE) solutions on an international level by combining platforms for TMS, shipping, customs and WMS.
Logistics IT specialist ecovium, a leading provider of SCE software and hardware solutions for Supply Chain processes, and Athens-based Mantis Group, a leading international WMS vendor, announced their merger under the umbrella of the ecovium Group today. The merger takes effect immediately and supports ecovium’s goal of establishing the German-headquartered company internationally as a provider of sustainable logistics solutions. Ecovium and Mantis join forces to offer integrated SCE solutions, especially to companies seeking global coverage and support. The transaction was supported by FSN Capital Partners, a leading Northern European private equity firm and advisor to the FSN Capital Funds. FSN Capital, with €4 billion in assets under management and offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Munich, is ecovium’s lead investor.
»Logistics is increasingly global, spanning multiple companies. Our customers must meet diverse requirements more and more quickly because logistics processes know no borders. A single IT provider is no longer able to support all processes. That’s why we have positioned ourselves as a group with interlocking logistics modules. Through the complementary portfolio and know-how of Mantis, we can offer our customers international supply chain management solutions.«
Jasmino Burkic, CEO ofecovium Group
ecovium emerged from the 12 companies of the MHP Solution Group in 2021. The company was founded in 1999 in Neustadt am Rübenberge, Germany, and since then has grown to become a leading logistics solutions provider in Germany and the German speaking regions, with 300 employees at 12 locations serving more than 3,000 customers.
With 120 employees and offices in 9 countries as well as many qualified partners, Mantis is present in 30+ countries in Central-Eastern Europe, Israel, USA / Canada & Latin America, Middle East & North Africa and Asia-Pacific. Mantis’ flagship Logistics Vision Suite (LVS) is an innovative WMS / logistics software suite that can be easily adapted for enterprises with sophisticated warehousing & distribution operations and automations. More than 600 enterprises, many of them leading multinationals, representing all major industries (3PL, Retail, Wholesale / Distribution & Manufacturing) and selling channels (traditional & multichannel e-commerce) rely on Mantis to manage, optimize, and automate their distribution and e-fulfilment centers.
With the strategic move of Mantis joining the ecovium Group, both companies are taking an important step in their respective growth strategies.
»Enterprises are looking for comprehensive and seamlessly integrated SCE software suites and turn-key solutions with a proven track record in their particular vertical markets and geographical regions. Following this market trend, we have been actively looking to join forces with successful logistics software and solutions providers with a complementary portfolio and geographical coverage. In this context, ecovium is an ideal match for Mantis. The merger will make ecovium a global provider, backed by leading private equity firms, with a 360-degree SCE solutions portfolio. With this positioning, ecovium will play a key role in international markets.«
Yiannis Panagiotopoulos, CEO ofMantis
As a result of the merger, the ecovium Group will become a global software and solutions provider with a total of more than 400 employees at 21 locations worldwide serving about 4,000 customers in a wide range of industries.
»We are very impressed with Yiannis Panagiotopoulos and his team. They have done an outstanding job in establishing Mantis as a leading WMS provider with global reach, and their extensive expertise complements our strategy perfectly. We are very much looking forward to working together to enable our customers to work sustainably, fairly and economically at all process levels and to set the course for new approaches in logistics«, concludesJasmino Burkic.
Robin Mürer, Partner atFSN Capital Partners, sees the merger as a highly attractive investment opportunity: »The logistics software market is growing quickly, fueled by the explosive growth of e-commerce and the increasing complexity of supply chains. In addition, the market is still highly fragmented, and we see a clear consolidation opportunity. Our diligence has shown that Mantis is a recognized leader on an international level in the WMS market and is viewed very favorably by its customers and partners. We therefore believe that this merger will enable ecovium to become a global provider of a comprehensive logistics software portfolio, well positioned for further growth.«
Ecovium and FSN Capital were advised by GLNS, Alvarez & Marsal, Crosslake, Frank Partners, Telescope Advisory and Zepos & Yannopoulos. Mantis was advised by STIFEL, Grant Thornton and Kyriakides Georgopoulos.