Infor Global Solutions, a supplier of enterprise software solutions to manufacturing and distribution industries, acquired Mercia Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of European software company Finmatica. Mercia adds 115 employees and 250 customers to Infor's 13,000 existing customers and 1,800 employees.

According to Infor, the acquisition is consistent with its global strategy of assembling high-quality software solutions and deep vertical expertise to build leadership positions in the manufacturing and distribution markets. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mercia offers two suites of supply chain planning products, which include demand planning, strategic inventory planning, distribution planning, and sales and operational planning functionality. The MerciaLincs Enterprise suite is designed for Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies with sophisticated supply chain planning requirements. The MerciaLincs PC product is a point solution that offers deep functionality for smaller companies.

Mercia's solutions are suited to the service parts (automotive, aerospace, etc.), consumer packaged goods, healthcare, and distribution industry sectors. Some of Mercia's customers include divisions of General Motors, TRW, HJ Heinz, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, Unilever, The Body Shop, Honeywell, Qantas and Smurfit-Stone.

"Mercia has a 21-year track record of success in the supply chain planning market. Their highly regarded demand planning and forecasting products will benefit Infor's existing and future customers across all of our verticals—automotive, process and discrete manufacturing and distribution," said Jim Schaper, chairman and CEO of Infor. "Mercia's solid base of customers, high customer satisfaction ratings, and team of dedicated employees will strengthen Infor's position as a leading enterprise software provider to manufacturing and distribution companies globally."

The newly acquired products will form the Infor Demand Planning Group, and will complement Infor's existing products and add new distribution channels in Asia. John Sookias has been named vice president and general manager for Infor's Demand Planning Group. Sookias was responsible for Mercia worldwide sales, marketing and professional services. He brings to his new role 15 years of international commercial management experience in the IT industry, specifically within the supply chain management market.