Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • IT Management

    PTC Feeds the Need for Speed

    Written by

    Dan Berthiaume
    Published April 11, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Parametric Technology Corporation, which makes product lifecycle management solutions, is rolling out its FlexPLM 9.0 application for the retail, footwear and apparel industries.

      Kathleen Mitford, vice president of vertical market strategy for PTC, said the latest version of FlexPLM, announced April 7, offers enhanced capabilities for planning, design and sourcing.

      “In footwear and apparel, it’s very important to be able to plan for your line, sourcing and material commitment,” Mitford said. “We took it to the next level to cut costs and give the customers what they want, which is increased adoption rates.”

      Mitford said FlexPLM makes it easier to plan for the upcoming season based on the previous year’s results, and then track the progress of line development. She said the product’s planning framework supports activities such as line planning, design, material planning and sourcing planning.

      In the area of design, Mitford said FlexPLM directly integrates with Adobe Illustrator, allowing designers to create illustrations in Adobe that can be saved to the FlexPLM product database.

      “We want designers to be able to work totally within Illustrator and create products within Illustrator,” she said. “The product then goes to the hierarchy in FlexPLM.”

      Mitford said designers can also pull design features such as colors, materials, trims and logos from FlexPLM libraries and apply them to Adobe Illustrator. “This helps reduce the cycle time of fast-moving fashion trends,” she said.

      In response to an increasing number of retailers entering the private label product space, Mitford said, PTC has expanded FlexPLM’s sourcing capabilities to make supply chain collaboration easier and enhance performance of activities such as issuing RFQs (requests for quote) and managing material samples.

      “The typical fashion life cycle is 30 days to six weeks,” Mitford said. “We want to do anything we can do to help create products faster and navigate the system faster.”

      To that end, Mitford said PTC focused on adding ease-of-use features such as more graphical displays, user-driven images and lists of information, and pop-up images. A tool called Quick Spec allows users to pull together information such as measurements, materials and trends on one screen to create product specifications.

      Hunter Harris and Bud Schulhafer, analysts with retail management consulting firm LakeWest Group, said specialty retailers face challenges in deploying PLM solutions.

      “Unlike ERP [enterprise resource planning] or allocation, which have already been standardized on a piece of software, PLM is just starting to go down the path of standardization,” Harris said.

      As a result, he said, standardized PLM solutions can offer specialty retailers a significant hard-dollar cost justification and fast return on investment. However, he cautioned that integration of PLM processes and systems can be difficult.

      “PLM is standardized on processes that need to be integrated into the tool,” Harris said. “And then you need to integrate the PLM tool with the underlying ERP application. It’s very good PTC can fill this need, but the solution still comes with its own unique data structure. Retailers face what degree of integration they want.”

      Schulhafer said FlexPLM’s integrated sourcing and design capabilities can offer PTC a major competitive advantage in the PLM technology arena. “I don’t see that type of connectivity in the marketplace at this time,” he said.

      Dan Berthiaume covers the retail space for eWEEK. For more industry news, check out eWEEK.com’s Retail Site.

      Dan Berthiaume
      Dan Berthiaume

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.