BIRKENSTOCK Will Accelerate Time to Market with Centric PLM™

CAMPBELL, Calif., November 3, 2020 — Global lifestyle brand BIRKENSTOCK has opted for Centric PLM and is in the midst of further streamlining product development processes, improving time to market and collaboration among teams. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury, consumer goods and home décor companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

BIRKENSTOCK is a world-renown lifestyle brand and the German footwear industry’s biggest employer, with around 4,300 employees worldwide and a heritage that can be traced back as far as 1774. Selling shoes in more than 100 countries across the world, the company works with a focus on quality, function and wellbeing across footwear, sleeping systems and natural cosmetics categories. A traditional, sixth-generation and family-run business based mainly in Germany, BIRKENSTOCK also operates its own sales offices in the United States and Canada as well as in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Switzerland the United Kingdom and Dubai.

With the dramatic growth in recent years, BIRKENSTOCK is now taking the opportunity to implement an innovative IT solution aimed at supporting the entire Product Creation process. The fantastic growth of BIRKENSTOCK has helped to highlight the increasing need to enhance daily business efficiency. This IT solution will allow the Product Creation team to better focus on key business areas and dedicate more time to the valuable end consumer, and their needs.

After having Centric PLM implemented, BIRKENSTOCK will benefit from a fully centralized database. With a single source of truth, the company will be able to standardize the whole product development process – from initial concept through to mass production.

Having one globally-accessible system will also lead to enhanced data quality, especially product master data throughout all product divisions. Thanks to the optimized workflows, BIRKENSTOCK’s product creation department is going to be capable of eliminating non-value-added tasks and focusing its energy more on innovating and creating.

The reasons for choosing Centric Footwear PLM were driven by configuration flexibility. After an implementation team assembled hands-on workshops focused on criteria such as “coverage of functions”, “user-friendliness” and “industry experience and background”, BIRKENSTOCK knew that Centric’s intuitive out-of-the-box functions would provide a good basis for a shorter implementation time compared to other software solutions. Centric’s market-driven, flexible and scalable approach gives the teams at BIRKENSTOCK peace of mind that more functions and modules can be developed as required, with fashion and consumer industry best practices built-in.

“It’s very exciting to see BIRKENSTOCK opting for Centric,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “The company has a great history, with a focus on making their customers’ lives easier and better; an ethos we share. We look forward to helping this iconic brand expand its global footprint.”

Learn more about Centric Footwear PLM

BIRKENSTOCK (www.birkenstock.com)

BIRKENSTOCK is a global lifestyle brand with a heritage in iconic footwear, rooted in the creation of the BIRKENSTOCK footbed. The brand that can be traced as far back as 1774 is guided by the notion of quality and function in all its actions and across categories. The concept of all-round wellbeing is developed into footwear, sleeping systems and Natural Cosmetics, increasingly translating the lifestyle vision of the brand heritage. With more than 4,300 employees worldwide, this traditional, sixth-generation family-run business is also one of the German footwear industry’s biggest employers. BIRKENSTOCK was already using the term “footbed” in the 1910s, giving it the meaning which is commonly understood by consumers all over the world to this day – as a synonym for outstanding comfort when walking and standing. By the early 1970s, BIRKENSTOCK had become a global player. Manufactured in Germany, the sandals are now sold in more than 100 countries on all continents. BIRKENSTOCK also has a growing range of closed shoes, children’s shoes, and occupational footwear, as well as specialist products for orthopedic retailers, socks, bags, and belts. In 2017, BIRKENSTOCK added sleep systems and natural cosmetics (BIRKENSTOCK NATURAL SKIN CARE) to its portfolio of products. BIRKENSTOCK has 16 sites in Germany, in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Bavaria, and Saxony. The long-standing family-owned enterprise also operates its own sales offices in the United States and Canada as well as in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Dubai and India.

Centric Software (centric-staging.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer goods and home décor. Centric’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB provides innovative PLM technology and key industry learnings for emerging brands. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) offers a new fully visual and digital experience for collaboration and decision-making and includes the Centric Buying Board to transform internal buying sessions and maximize retail value and the Centric Concept Board for driving creativity and evolving product concepts. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs.

Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016 and 2018.

Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc.. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.