Boston — Supply and contract management software vendor Emptoris Inc. kicked off its annual user conference yesterday by introducing a new chief executive and a new version of its flagship product, updated with more than 250 features geared toward eliminating risk in the procurement process.
Patrick Quirk, an ERP and supply chain veteran, has been appointed CEO following the departure of Emptoris founder and former CEO Avner Schneur in August. Schneur remains in an advisory role with Marlin Equity Partners, the private investment firm that acquired Emptoris in December 2008.
Marlin buys companies that are in situational distress, not operational distress, said Bill Atkinson, group president of technology at Marlin. Emptoris was viewed as a healthy company that needed to be realigned in the face of a dynamic marketplace. Procurement, Atkinson said, is becoming a strategic weapon for driving cost out of an organization. Marlin’s interest in the area has prompted it to acquire more than 15 supply chain companies. One of them is Servigistics, which it acquired in July and merged with the service network division of Click Commerce, purchased in May.
When Marlin invests in a company, it makes a commitment to grow the business by taking a leadership position in the market and by acting responsibly, Atkinson said during his welcome address at the Emptoris Empower 2009 conference yesterday. He went on to praise Schneur for his vision and ability to build a strong company. But it was time for change, he said.