QAD Redzone
Manufacturing software company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
QAD | Redzone (formerly QAD Inc.) is an American enterprise software company that develops cloud-based applications for manufacturers.[1] Pamela Lopker founded the company in 1979,[2] and it is headquartered in Miami, Florida. The private-equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired QAD | Redzone in 2021.[1] Sanjay Brahmawar, became Chief Executive Officer in 2025.[3][4]
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | Carpinteria, California (1979) |
| Headquarters | Miami, Florida |
Key people | Pamela Lopker (founder), Sanjay Brahmawar (CEO) |
| Products | QAD Adaptive ERP, Redzone Connected Workforce, ChampionAI agentic-AI layer |
| Owner | Thoma Bravo |
Number of employees | 1,400+ (2026) |
| Website | www |
QAD’s combined platform helps manufacturers move from a “system of record” to a “system of action,” embedding agentic AI directly into core enterprise and frontline processes.[5]
History
Origins and founding (1979)
QAD’s origins were the leather-goods and footwear business of Co-founder Karl Lopker.[2] While studying at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Lopker co-founded the sandal maker Deckers in 1975.[2] In 1979, unable to find software to help run the sandal business, Lopker and Pamela Meyer, his classmate and future wife, founded QAD to develop manufacturing software of their own.[2][6][7] Karl Lopker left Deckers in 1982 to join QAD as chief executive officer.[2] Karl and Pamela had married by then and ran the company together, establishing the manufacturing focus of QAD, and growing it until it made software for manufacturers worldwide.[2][8]
Public company and recognition (1997)
QAD completed its initial public offering (IPO) in August 1997, listing on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol QADI.[9][10] Pamela Lopker became a well-known woman in enterprise technology. She was a member of the Forbes 400, was Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, was inducted into the Women in Technology Hall of Fame in 1997, and recognized for her contributions to U.S. manufacturing by Forbes magazine as a “Hero of U.S. Manufacturing.”[11][12][13]
Private ownership and the QAD | Redzone era (2021–present)
In 2018, Anton Chilton was named CEO. Chilton had been with the company since 2004.[4]
In November 2021, the private-equity firm Thoma Bravo completed its acquisition of QAD in a transaction valued at approximately $2 billion, taking the company private.[14]
Following the acquisition, QAD expanded its capabilities beyond traditional core enterprise resource planning (ERP), focusing on converting its offering from a “system of record” to a “system of action.”[5] The strategy was supported by a series of acquisitions.[15][16][17][18][19] These included Allocation Network GmbH, Foreign Trade Zone Corporation, and WebJaguar.[20][21][22][23]
In 2022, QAD sold its former headquarters to the University of California for $100 million and is now headquartered in Miami, Florida.[24][25]
In March 2025, Sanjay Brahmawar was named CEO, succeeding Anton Chilton.[4]
Products
QAD | Redzone develops manufacturing software organized around three product lines:[26] the QAD Adaptive ERP enterprise resource planning system,[27] the Redzone connected workforce platform,[1] and ChampionAI,[28][27] an artificial-intelligence layer that spans both.[19][29] The three products help move manufacturers from “systems of record” to “systems of action.[27]
Acquisitions
In June 2006, QAD acquired Bisgen Ltd. whose customer relationship management (CRM) product was tailored to the sales and marketing automation needs of manufacturers.[30][15] In September, the company acquired transportation management software provider Precision Software.[15][31] Later that year, QAD acquired FBO Systems Inc., a provider of enterprise asset management (EAM) software.[15]
In April 2008, the company acquired the assets of FullTilt Solutions, a developer of product information management (PIM) software.[15][32][33]
QAD acquired two companies in 2012. In June, the company purhcased DynaSys, a European provider of collaborative demand and supply chain planning software, for a reported €6.0 million.[34][35] In December, QAD acquired CEBOS, a provider of quality management and management system standard software and services.[36]
In August 2018, QAD acquired PT Iris Sistem Inforindo (PT Iris), a distributor and system integrator for QAD software operating across South Asia, primarily in Indonesia.[37][38]
Allocation Network GmbH, a provider of strategic sourcing and supplier management based in Munich, Germany, was acquired in January 2021. In April of that year, QAD acquired Foreign Trade Zone Corporation, a provider of cloud-based Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) software and consulting services based in Mobile, Alabama.[22]
In December, QAD acquired California-based WebJaguar.[23]
In February 2023, QAD announced it had acquired Redzone, a connected workforce solution provider based in Miami, FL., for $1 Billion. It was QAD's largest acquisition to date.[39][4]
QAD purchased Phenix Software Inc. in October 2024.[40]