Rapidly moving from selection to implementation means that the company, maker of brands including Silver Jeans, 1921 Jeans and Bootheel Trading Co. by Sheryl Crow, is able to use the PLM system in current-year product cycles. "Our next steps involved tying in our Hong Kong facilities," says Mark Lamont, vice president of apparel services at Western Glove. "The completion of this step in early September-just 12 weeks after we purchased the Centric 8 PLM system-marked a huge step forward for us in the competitive marketplace."

"We selected Centric for several reasons, including its ease of use and fast implementation," says Lamont. "The system's out-of-the-box functionality enabled us to replace our prior system quickly and completely, and now is allowing us to roll out the new system quickly to other areas of our business." The Centric 8 system, he continues, "is accelerating and easing our 2010 product line expansion, which is critical to the company in the current global economy."

Western Glove Works, which sells to mid- and high-end major chains, independent retailers and boutiques, is implementing Centric's Product Specification, Product Sourcing, Calendar Management and Line Planning modules across all product lines. The company plans to deploy Centric 8 this year to users in sales offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles and New York, to design and merchandise staff in Winnipeg and Montreal, and to several suppliers in Asia.

The ability to implement Centric 8 right "out of the box," without requiring customization, is proving essential to the fast rollout, says Lamont. That lack of customization is one of the guiding principles in Centric's rapid implementation methodology, according to Chris Groves, president and CEO of Centric. "We embedded in our products the domain expertise, business processes and practices that are common within the apparel and consumer goods industries," he explains. "Out-of-the-box functionality is a core element in our goal to have customers realize value within one product cycle."

The widely adopted, central repository of information - the "single version of the truth" that Centric 8 provides - allows companies like Western Glove to more closely manage product costs and margins, enhance staff efficiency and innovation, and achieve those critical shorter cycle times, says Groves. "Centric 8 is about delivering value within one product cycle. After all, an industry that expects to wait 12-18 months or more for benefits is an industry that is willing to tolerate late product launches, miss market window, and accept missed revenue opportunities, excessive costs, eroding margins and lost profits."

Western Glove Works (www.westerngloveworks.ca)
Western Glove Works, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is one of North America's largest designers, wholesalers and distributors of mid-luxury and premium denim jeans and tops. Product lines include Silver, 1921, DVB and JAG Jeans, and the Bootheel Trading Company collection by Sheryl Crow.

About Centric Software, Inc. (www.centricsoftware.com)

Centric Software is a leading provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions for makers of hard and/or soft lines in the fashion and consumer goods industries. Centric 8 delivers easy-to-use functionality to manage critical, inseparable business processes, including product development, sourcing, line planning and profitability management, through a modularized system that implements and delivers value rapidly.

With Centric 8, companies are able to cut costs and inefficiency, speed new products to market, drive margin improvement, and improve global collaboration and compliance. Global enterprises including INTERSPORT France, Christine Laure, Balenciaga, KlimUSA, Bass Pro Shops, Bravo Sports, Longchamp, Silver Jeans Co. and United Stationers use Centric solutions to achieve revenue growth, reduce costs and deliver trend-right products to their customers.

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