Footwear PLM

TRENDS

Collection Brief

Design

Sample

Sample Reviews

Fit Samples

Fit Sessions

Sales Samples

Production

Commitment

Top of Production

Purchase Order

Shipment Tracking

DC Management

Factory Compliance

Stock on Shelf

Step Toward PLM Success

Centric Footwear PLM provides one place for product data and a digital workspace where footwear companies can collaborate faster, streamline communication, save time spent searching for information and analyze progress with detailed reporting and unparalleled visibility. Centric Software has developed a suite of PLM innovations to suit all sizes and types of footwear business. Check out which Centric Footwear PLM solutions are best suited to your business below.

Centric 8 PLM

Centric Software's original flagship PLM solution covers every stage of the product lifecycle, from concept to retail. Centric 8 PLM's out-of-the-box functionality, modular structure and Agile Deployment methodology makes it possible to choose which modules you need most for your footwear business, implement fast and in stages if necessary and get working on the system quickly and easily without time-consuming and expensive customization. Centric PLM gives footwear companies a reliable knowledge base of materials, models and previous collections that can be used by all departments, from R&D to marketing. It provides transparency between departments, making it easier for everyone to see what is happening in each one by driving all product related activities from design to sourcing to retail, resulting in streamlined operations and reduced costs. Find out more

PLM-Connected Mobile Apps

Want to discover how you can track product performance and drive innovation right from your mobile device? Ditch your clipboard to document factory compliance and streamline your audit process during on-site visits, transform your quality assurance process by retiring paper-based evaluations and improve product quality, reduce risk and deliver the best products to the market – all from your phone. Check our industry-leading mobile apps for PLM, allowing you to work and collaborate in Centric Footwear PLM any time, from anywhere. Go mobile

Centric Digital Boards

Centric has developed a family of digitally-connected, visual boards for desktop, mobile and large touchscreen devices that are an exciting development in optimizing group decision-making and collaboration beyond the traditional boundaries of PLM, meeting rooms and email chains. Footwear companies need to implement digital collaboration tools strategically to be sure that the technology is flexible enough to mirror your particular way of working and brand DNA–and Centric's digital boards are all about flexibility.

The Digital Concept Board links creative teams including design, merchandising and sourcing in a digital sandbox to enable what-if scenarios for collection development. Work to financial targets or create playfully from design inspirations–the Concept Board adapts to the way your footwear business works.

Transform global and regional buying sessions with Centric’s state-of-the-art Digital Buying Board. Used to maximize assortment value by central and regional merchandisers, buyers, retail wholesale sellers and product teams, this board links with Centric Footwear PLM to streamline informed and cost-effective merchandising and buying.

Hungry for more?

Centric SMB

Centric SMB is Centric Software’s SaaS (software as a service) cloud-based PLM solution for emerging enterprises. If your footwear brand hasn't yet reached the stage where you're ready to invest in a large-scale footwear PLM solution, Centric SMB can help you to expand retail and international presence and better manage product development as your business grows. Centric SMB’s flexibility allows footwear companies to adjust PLM to suit their needs as they evolve and move to Centric 8 PLM easily in a later phase if desired. Learn More

What About Tariffs?

The new trade policies imposed by the US administration are putting a lot of pressure on global footwear brands and manufacturers, just at a time when creating and selling footwear has never been so complex. That’s why more and more footwear companies are adopting footwear PLM solutions to navigate the complexity of international trade, manage ever-changing government policies and, more importantly, stay competitive and grow. Read our blog post with Californian sandal and footwear leader Cobian to find out more! Read blog

How to Build a Successful Business Case for Footwear PLM

Discover a family of highly visual, digital boards for desktop, mobile and large touchscreen devices that connects to Centric Footwear PLM to transform collaborative decision-making for outdoor brands from ideation to assortment planning to retail. Forget sticking physical images on boards in meetings and catching up on confusing email threads–take out your device and start collaborating in real time.

1: Identify your challenges

Define the challenges you face before you acknowledge potential solutions. Be completely honest and ask each department to add to the list – never assume you know what they struggle with.

2. Research solutions

Evaluate a variety of solutions so that decision makers will be confident that you made time to find the best fit for your footwear business. There are three basic options: A modern PLM solution. Cloud-based, market-driven, mobile, configurable solutions focused on best practices and on innovation that drive collaboration across the entire product lifecycle and deliver benefits such as higher margins and reduced time to market. An older PLM / PDM solution. Legacy solutions that originated in a need to store CAD/CAM files and other product design drawings in the automobile and aerospace industries. These don’t handle the complete product lifecycle in the way that a modern, footwear-focused PLM can. An older solution is less likely to evolve at the same pace that your business does or be as flexible as you would like. A homegrown system. Tailored to your business, which is its main advantage, but it will take a lot of time and money to build compared to an out-of-the-box solution. And will likely not grow with you or be very flexible.

3: Convey ROI

Calculating your potential Return on Investment (ROI) may sound like a difficult task, but once you quantify each benefit in terms of cost savings or business growth, you determine the real value of footwear PLM.

The next step

Now that you've identified your challenges, it's most likely clear that a modern footwear PLM solution will provide the best foundation and opportunities for growing your business. If your business case succeeds, it’s time to get your PLM project on the road.

Want to learn more? Read our Ebook on building a business case for PLM

Read Ebook

Ready to Get Up and Running with Centric Footwear PLM?

Interested in taking the next step? Find out more about how Centric Footwear PLM solutions can help your footwear business with a personalized demo and discussion with our industry experts.

Jump Into Action with Centric Footwear PLM

What if there was one single source of the truth for everyone? There is with Centric Footwear PLM.