SAP nabs top spot in supply-chain niche

German software maker SAP unseated i2 Technologies in the market for supply chain management (SCM) software in 2002, as the industry continued to slump overall. A report from research firm Gartner said sales of new licenses for SCM software, which helps companies track products and materials as they move from suppliers to consumers, fell to $2.1 billion in 2002, a 20.5 percent drop from $2.7 billion in 2001.

The company said SAP grabbed an 11.6 percent share of the market in 2002, up from 9.9 percent the previous year. Dallas-based i2 saw its share shrink, accounting for just 6.6 percent of the market last year compared with its leading 14.8 percent share in 2001. Oracle, Ariba and Manugistics rounded out the top five.