Here we are again. A new year. Another exciting announcement.

Around this time back in 2018, we announced our acquisition of GoSimple, a foodservice trade promotion management solution and claims processing provider. In just one year, together, we doubled the GoSimple business. That’s right. We have twice as many GoSimple customers today because of our combined strengths.

I’m back to tell you that the growth focus continues and today we’re announcing that Blacksmith Applications has acquired T-Pro Solutions of Columbus, Ohio.

Blacksmith Acquires T-Pro

This is a strategic event for us. T-Pro Solutions, a retail trade optimization provider, offers best-in-class trade promotion optimization (TPO) solutions to CPG manufacturers in retail markets. The acquisition presents an incremental opportunity to serve customers, driving even stronger ROI for their trade investments.

I am thrilled that the T-Pro team chose Blacksmith. As Terry Ziegler, CEO of T-Pro Solutions, said: “This partnership is a defining moment in the industry.”

Please read below for the full press release.

Paul Wietecha

President & CEO, Blacksmith Applications

Paul Wietecha

Powerhouse technologies for CPG companies seeking revenue growth and trade promotion optimization solutions.

 

Blacksmith Applications, a leading provider of SaaS-based trade promotion management software for consumer packaged goods manufacturers, announced today its acquisition of T-Pro Solutions of Columbus, Ohio.

T-Pro provides trade promotion optimization solutions to CPG manufacturing companies of all sizes and categories. The state-of-the-art TPO application empowers customers to make more informed and more profitable decisions related to in-store marketing investments. T-Pro’s predictive and prescriptive analytics have resulted in an incremental 3-5% annual return on spending for customers – an achievement that can’t be taken lightly in an industry often challenged to achieve revenue growth.

The combined company, which manages more than $10 billion in annual promotional spend, will provide best-in-class end-to-end trade promotion and optimization solutions that serve the needs of CPG companies of all sizes across all channels. Blacksmith will retain the T-Pro brand and offering as the principal TPO solution for retail customers, and it will continue to be offered to new clients seeking a user-friendly set of tools for data harmonization, real-time post-event analytics, and constraint-based optimized planning. Going forward, Blacksmith Applications will invest in product enhancements and extensions to meet the needs of both T-Pro and Blacksmith Applications clients.

“The Blacksmith Applications team is on a mission to help customers make sense of and get the most from all their data. T-Pro fits really well into that model. Together we will close the loop and offer the most innovative trade ecosystem in the market,” said Terry Ziegler, CEO of T-Pro Solutions. “This partnership is a defining moment in the industry, positioning our collective organization as a powerhouse in CPG technology. The entire dedicated and passionate T-Pro team is a testament to the organization’s growth and commitment to transforming the CPG industry. We are all excited to be part of the Blacksmith family.”

Terry Ziegler will join Blacksmith Applications’ senior leadership team as General Manager of the T-Pro product division after the transaction.

“I’ve had an eye on T-Pro for some time. Terry Ziegler and the T-Pro team have built an excellent product – just look at the clients who trust them and have jumped on board to leverage their AI over the past few years,” said Paul Wietecha, President and CEO of Blacksmith Applications. “This transaction will allow us to outpace the competition. Together, we will broaden our presence across channels as a single market leader.”

The needs that Blacksmith Applications addresses are urgently relevant based on recent research from the POI (Promotion Optimization Institute). 86% of consumer goods companies told POI, via their 2017 POI TPx and Retail Execution Survey, that they are not satisfied with their ability to manage trade promotion*. The results also indicate a concerning trend by which the level of satisfaction has declined five percentage points from the prior year’s survey.

As an organization with tiered end-to-end solutions for both retail and foodservice, Blacksmith Applications will be able to dramatically transform the CPG manufacturing industry by opening a window to total trade spend transparency.

Blacksmith Applications will leverage T-Pro’s investments in AI to enhance the client experience. The combined Blacksmith Applications will continue to expand strategic investments in advanced analytics and technology solutions that make sense of complex data. Blacksmith Applications, which is backed by Strattam Capital, has a long history of partnering with the world’s largest CPG companies and it looks forward to continued success with existing and incorporated customers.

 

*Source: POI Vendor Panorama, 2017