Public | |
Traded as | |
Industry | |
Founded | May 22, 1981 |
Headquarters | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada |
Area served
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Worldwide |
Key people
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Products | Software-as-a-service applications for logistics and supply chain management |
Services | Descartes Global Logistics Network |
Revenue | US$ $203.8 million (FY 2017) |
Number of employees
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1000+ |
Website | www |
The Descartes Systems Group Inc. (commonly referred to as Descartes) is a Canadian multinational technology company specializing in logistics software, supply chain management software, and cloud-based services for logistics businesses.
Descartes is perhaps best known for its abrupt and unexpected turnaround in the mid-2000s after coming close to bankruptcy in the wake of the dot-com bubble collapse. It is also known as one of the earliest logistics technology companies to adopt an on-demand business model and sell its software as a service (SaaS) via the Internet. The company operates the Global Logistics Network, an extensive electronic messaging system used by freight companies, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, customs brokers, government agencies, and other interested parties to exchange logistics and customs information.
Headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Descartes is a publicly traded company with shares listed on the (NASDAQ: DSGX) and (TSX: DSG). It has offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific region.
Descartes was founded in 1981.
In 1998, the company made an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange, where its common shares trade under the DSG. Descartes was first listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market in 1999, with common shares trading under the symbol DSGX. Descartes’ share price peaked during the dot-com bubble and then fell precipitously in the subsequent crash.
In 2001, Descartes switched its business model from selling full-featured enterprise software licenses to providing on-demand software on a subscription basis, becoming one of the first SaaS providers in the logistics sector. After years of losses, Descartes came close to bankruptcy in 2004, prompting it to aggressively restructure. The company cut 35% of its workforce and initiated a sweeping transformation of its corporate culture.