Blue Yonder may get separate stock listing
Blue Yonder parent company Panasonic Holdings Corp. may make a major financial move regarding the supply chain management solutions company.
Panasonic will begin preparations for a stock exchange listing centered around Blue Yonder. This company, centered on Blue Yonder, will be positioned as a consolidated subsidiary of Panasonic, which will hold a majority of the voting rights.
The listed company is expected to consist of businesses centered around Blue Yonder, as well as complementary software from subsidiaries including Panasonic Connect’s Gemba Solutions Company and Technology Research & Development Division. However, a stock exchange listing will be subject to the approval of the relevant stock exchange and other government agencies.
In addition, there is a possibility that reorganizations of Panasonic Group will be required, or that the company will decide not to pursue a listing of a public business based around Blue Yonder. So far, details regarding the company to be potentially listed and the scope of the business, the planned listing date, the listing venue, or stock exchange have not yet been determined.
Panasonic says it decided a stock exchange listing of the Blue Yonder business would be the “optimal” way to accelerate growth globally by utilizing the capital markets. The company first plans to strengthen research and development and invest in mergers and acquisitions, as well as further its SaaS business and markets in the U.S. and Europe.
In addition, by introducing Blue Yonder solutions within the Panasonic Group and expanding to customers in the Japan market, the company aims to enhance Blue Yonder’s solutions, expand horizontally from Japan to other markets, and scale the business. In the Japanese market, the company will leverage the Panasonic Group's customer base and brand to further expand sales.
In September 2021, Panasonic acquired Blue Yonder in a deal that totaled $7.1 billion in purchase value and outstanding debt. This followed an initial purchase of 20% of Blue Yonder’s shares by Panasonic in July 2020.
The Panasonic Group has shifted to a holding company system, concentrating management resources on strategic businesses in key areas such as providing supply chain innovation and automation. Through this transformation, Panasonic says it aims to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through more efficient use of limited global resources.
Panasonic and Blue Yonder initially established a strategic relationship in January 2019 with a partnership, followed by the creation of a joint venture company in Japan in November 2019. In July 2020, Panasonic took a 20% minority ownership stake and one seat on the board of directors of Blue Yonder.
JDA Software Inc. changed its name to Blue Yonder in February 2020. JDA acquired Blue Yonder, a provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) supply chain and retail solutions, in August 2018. The company said at the time that evolving the JDA brand and name to Blue Yonder also further supported the impact of AI and ML technologies across the supply chain, logistics and retail markets.