CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
17 September 2007
Product News
Centric Software Delivers First Apparel Suite With Operational Performance Management
Centric Software announced the first web-based application suite for the apparel industry that offers collection and line planning as well as product specification and product sourcing. For the first time, the apparel industry can conduct operational performance management with a set of applications specifically designed for the entire process from line planning to introduction. This unique application suite enables apparel retailers, brands and manufacturers to speed time-to-market, cost-effectively source products for private label brands, and increase profitability.
"Our roots in collaborative product design and key performance metric visibility have given us unique expertise to develop applications that integrate functions and improve operational performance in the apparel industry," said Chris Groves, president and CEO of Centric Software . "Centric's Product Intelligence applications provide greater insight into all sources of product and business information for better decisions and execution. This apparel suite is the first to deliver the right information to multiple functions for fast, efficient response to business objectives and market opportunities."
Centric's integrated apparel suite consists of three secure web-based applications that provide immediate visibility into product specifications, sourced products, suppliers, costs, forecasts, orders and calendars. The benefits extend from the executive office to individual designers to suppliers in an easy-to-use interface. The three applications manage technical product specifications (Centric Product Specification), supplier performance and sourced product management (Centric Product Sourcing), and calendar and line planning (Centric Decision Center). All applications uniquely combine metrics entered directly into the system with live information from suppliers and in-house repositories such as spreadsheets, product databases, ERP systems, email and other documents.
Centric Product Specification creates a secure, virtual repository for all product details for collaborative product design and interactive development of thousands of items. Flexible technical data sheets provide all team members with accurate product details such as artwork, fabric, color, trim, and size charts.
Centric Product Sourcing allows retailers and manufacturers to identify and compare products, costs, and suppliers, collaborate globally and track status through highly configurable interactive dashboards. Sophisticated cost estimating considers all components of landed and distributed costs. The application manages, samples, factories, and suppliers, and measures the performance of suppliers.
Centric Decision Center , for the first time, provides operational performance management, allowing sophisticated line planning across product lines and seasons. Multi-level visibility into costs, quantities, and margins for lines and items combined with calendars from development, sourcing and sales ensures that collections meet business objectives season after season. Calendars ensure smooth hand-offs and 100% completion of development tasks. Executives gain immediate visibility into the overall success of a line and each item within it.
Customers can deploy the three Centric apparel applications simultaneously or choose to deploy one application at a time. The deployment timeframe for either approach is within months, versus the years that it typically takes to deploy traditional PLM solutions.
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