From Challenges to Solutions – Research the Right PLM

Step 1: Define company growth objectives

The starting point is to define growth priorities. More SKUs? International expansion? Private label? Wholesale? Each path carries unique requirements, often complex and adaptive. Across priorities, growth-oriented companies demand:

• Real-time visibility into product data

• Automated workflows that reduce manual work

• Seamless collaboration across teams and vendors

• Compliance and sustainability tracking built-in

• Cloud accessibility for distributed teams

Step 2: Compare legacy vs. modern PLM

When evaluating solutions, it is important to be realistic about where legacy PLM falls short:

Feature

Centric PLM

Legacy PLM

Real-time collaboration✅ Cloud-native, always on❌ Limited, siloedData integration✅ Seamless with ERP, PIM, DAM❌ Slow, expensiveBOM creation✅ 50% faster with templates❌ Manual, error-proneSpreadsheet reliance✅ 93% reduction❌ Heavy relianceGo-live success✅ 100%❌ Risk of failure/delaysScalability✅ Modules added as companies grow❌ Rigid, costly upgrades

Step 3: Identify the right partner

Selecting a PLM provider goes beyond the software. The right partnership strengthens collaboration, accelerates adoption and drives long-term growth. Here’s what to look for:

• Proven expertise: Centric PLM serves fashion, footwear, outdoor, home goods and more

• Ease of implementation: Simple setup with minimal IT expertise required, delivering accelerated time-to-value.

• Useradoption: Centric PLM consistently earns the highest satisfaction rates in the market

• Continuous innovation: Multiple yearly releases ensure the platform evolves alongside company needs

Step 4: Focus on ROI

What’s the ultimate goal of any PLM implementation? A positive return on investment (ROI)? Therefore, asking potential vendors for real-time metrics is the best vetting approach (instead of relying on vague promises).

With Centric PLM, customers achieved:

• $1M annual savingsthrough fewer errors and faster decisions

• 174% increase in styles launched with the same headcount

• 40% fewer spreadsheets cluttering product workflows

• 50% faster BOM creation through reusable templates

• Up to 60% faster time to market – Read

Step 5: Align technology with strategy

A modern PLM platform delivers ROI far beyond data management. Centric PLM drives measurable impact by linking technology directly to strategic goals.

• Boost User Productivity: Eliminate manual work and version confusion with one digital workspace

• Accelerate Speed to Market: Streamline samples, approvals and product launches to protect margins

• Improve Margins: Gain early visibility into costs and sourcing for smarter decisions

• Cut Operational Costs: Replace disconnected tools, reduce errors and simplify compliance

• Scale with confidence: Expand product lines and markets without adding complexity

Moving Forward

The right PLM decision starts with recognizing the challenges and researching solutions. When evaluating options, remember, data alone isn’t enough. Achieving desired growth requires knowing how to use data and tools that transform information into actionable insights.

Centric PLM empowers teams to make faster product and sourcing decisions, launch on time and scale with sustainability in mind.