ARI Network Services has acquired Direct Communications Inc. (DCi), a leading provider of differentiated product content and electronic catalog software serving manufacturers, distributors, jobbers and independent retailers in the $300 billion automotive aftermarket. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
"The acquisition of DCi will accelerate ARI's growth in the automotive aftermarket and is consistent with our strategy to grow the business both organically and through strategic acquisitions," said ARI President and CEO Roy W. Olivier. "The acquisition allows ARI to further expand the reach of our data-driven eCommerce websites and automotive point-of-sale software and will propel the development of new technologies to serve the 500,000 businesses in the automotive aftermarket."
DCi has been a leader in the automotive aftermarket since its 1981 founding by Nile Cornelison. The SEMA hall-of-famer played an important role in the establishment of many industry data standards, including ACES and PIES, as well as proprietary data formats used by major resellers. DCi's product data and enhanced product content is delivered to every automotive distribution channel, reaching more than 60,000 resellers and millions of consumers.
DCi will maintain its headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, under the continued leadership of Mark Toebben, who will assume the role of VP and GM of DCi, an ARI Company.
"At DCi, our mission is to link buyers and sellers and provide solutions for every type of business in the automotive aftermarket," said Toebben. "For almost 35 years, we've dedicated ourselves to that mission, and I'm excited to come together with ARI to provide a much wider range of complete solutions for businesses across the aftermarket from a single-location speed shop to a multi-location warehouse distributor to large and small manufacturers."
"We expect the DCi acquisition to generate incremental revenue of approximately $4 million and be accretive to EBITDA for fiscal 2016," said ARI CFO William A. Nurthen.
ARI Network Services offers a suite of SaaS, software tools, and marketing services to help dealers, manufacturers and distributors in selected vertical markets Sell More Stuff!(TM) - online and in-store. Its products are powered by a proprietary data repository of enriched original equipment and aftermarket electronic content spanning more than 17 million active part and accessory SKUs and 750,000 equipment/vehicle models.
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