Zilingo acquires Sri Lankan SaaS firm nCinga for $15.5m

Singapore-based Zilingo has acquired Sri Lankan software-as-a-service company nCinga Innovations for US$15.5 million to bolster its position as a global digital supply chain enabler.

Photo credit: Zilingo

Founded in 2013, nCinga provides an all-encompassing solution for the apparel, manufacturing, and telecom industries, offering an integrated digital ecosystem that enables fast data insights.

With the acquisition, Zilingo plans to drive the adoption of nCinga’s Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software, which can help factories automate operations by enabling access to real-time data, according to a statement.

It will be available to Zilingo’s network of 6,000 factories and 75,000 businesses, giving them access to previously untapped markets, the company said.

The MES software is the latest addition to Zilingo’s full-stack technology platform aimed at making the supply chain fair, transparent, and connected. The company said it plans to leverage its global reach to bring the technology to manufacturing hubs such as Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Turkey, among others.

In addition, the fashion technology platform said that the acquisition will bring new features to its customers in the US, Europe, and Australia, where transparency over the supply chain and manufacturing processes have traditionally been lacking.

Just last month, Zilingo announced plans to invest US$100 million to build out its fashion supply chain business in the US amid its ongoing expansion in the country. It said the move was part of its accelerated growth plans in new markets such as Australia, Europe, and the Middle East.

The startup also raised US$226 million in a series D round earlier this year from Sequoia Capital, Burda Principal Investments, Sofina, and Singapore state-linked funds Temasek and EDBI to bankroll its global expansion efforts.