Descartes’ Income Improves for 4Q, Year

Logistics software firm Descartes Systems Group said its fourth-quarter profit improved from a year ago on higher revenue and acquisitions.

Net income rose 24% to $3.6 million from $2.9 million a year earlier. Sales for the fiscal quarter ended Jan. 31 rose 10% to $44.3 million, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said.

For the year, net income rose 57% to $15.1 million, and sales rose 13% to $170.9 million. Descartes reports its earnings in U.S. dollars.

Descartes made several acquisitions late last year, including a $29.7 million purchase in November of Airclic Inc., a provider of mobile cloud-based systems that help companies automate paper-based processes.

Airclic brings expertise in food service industry in particular, said Chris Jones, Descartes’ executive vice president of marketing and services.

“They do a lot of work in that particular arena that adds a lot of value,” he told Transport Topics.

Airclic also has incorporated “other specific things on the transportation side . . . that we can combine with our other technology in those markets,” Jones said.