Aggressive growth tilt encompasses supply chain consultancy
Consultancy giant Accenture has snapped up Australian-based supply chain and logistics advisory firm GRA.
The acquisition strengthens Accenture’s supply chain and operations capabilities for public and private sector clients, it says in a statement.
Founded in 1997, GRA specialises in end-to-end supply chain and logistics strategies and operations, with clients in government, aerospace and defence and consumer goods.
It employs about 50 people and has offices in Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.
“The pandemic has accelerated the need for businesses to transform their supply chains to become more customer focused, agile, and socially responsible with the flexibility to withstand future disruptions,” Accenture Australia and New Zealand managing director Tara Brady says.
“The addition of GRA will expand our supply chain and operations capabilities to help clients with their transformation to intelligent, customer-centric supply chains supporting profitable growth.”
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Accenture’s acquisition of GRA follows other investments across Australia and New Zealand in the past 18 months, including cloud-native solutions provider Olikka in November 2020; SAP and cloud solutions technology firm Zag in October 2020; data analytics and supply chain management company Icon Integration in February 2020; business strategy and econometrics firm AlphaBeta in February 2020; specialist government consultancy Apis Group in December 2019 and big data and analytics company Analytics8 in August 2019.
“We are looking forward to starting a new chapter with Accenture and contributing our skills, culture and extensive supply chain capabilities to Accenture’s substantive network of clients and partners,” GRA partner Carter McNabb says.
“With supply chains across sectors at a pivotal junction, we are confident that this combination will enable both our team and clients to continue to grow and innovate at an accelerated pace.”
Accenture notes the terms of the transaction are not being disclosed but the Australian Financial Review pits the figure at $20-25 million.
“GRA brings deep knowledge and skills in supply chain strategy, planning and execution that complement our existing capabilities, and we are delighted to be welcoming them to the team,” Accenture in Australia & New Zealand strategy consulting head Louise May says.
“Their successful track record of delivering value across a range of industries is exceptional, and we are excited about the potential and opportunity this combination presents.”