PLM – Make the Best Choice; Implement It Right

Selecting the best-fit PLM solution and then implementing it for your organization is not an easy decision as there is no universal "right" choice. It is essential to have a highly objective evaluation process. Making a sub-optimal choice can have serious repercussions for years to come as such decisions are usually difficult to change. Having chosen a PLM system, planning for its implementation in phases helps split the decision-making process and also allows for incremental investments.

The Importance of CAD – PLM Integrations in Apparel

The typical fashion product lifecycle requires data entry by several different departments within the company – as well as several different suppliers and manufacturers. The importance of accuracy of information to create a "single version of the truth" and achieve effective collaboration between all parties is critical. Instantaneous and accurate information flow between CAD, PDM and PLM speeds the development process, reduces costs, avoids errors in production and maintains consistency in quality and fit.

Enterprise Class Scalability in PLM 

Investing in retail systems, applications and infrastructure is an important decision that has long-term implications. When evaluating retail solutions, it is critical that the systems not only perform well under current conditions, but that they can efficiently support future growth. Retailers should demand technical scalability and ensure that the solutions that they choose are proven to handle the potential transaction volumes of the future. The solution provider should demonstrate successful performance tests with real customer data that prove that applications can not only efficiently scale, but also maintain required performance levels.

PLM and Supply Chain Management: A Strategic Imperative

Investments in PLM provide benefits including faster time to market and improved cost control. These investments protect competitiveness by enabling the organization to become more efficient and nimble throughout the product's lifecycle, including through the supply chain. Robust supply chain management is a critical element of a comprehensive PLM program. For manufacturers worldwide, ensuring synchronized and efficient participation throughout the value chain is critical to ensuring that the right product is delivered to the right place at the right time.

Why a Vendor's Industry Experience is Critical

With all the promise PLM systems offer, some high profile fashion companies continue to struggle with massive, multi-year system implementations with little results to show. Some vendors lack the real-world domain experience needed to implement their software in the apparel/fashion industry quickly and effectively. These and other unfortunate realities are prompting many new buyers to place greater emphasis on the industry-tailored capabilities and support offered by vendors with deep domain experience.