Edwards Garment Replaces Legacy System with Centric PLM to Accelerate Product Development and Improve Visibility

Historic North American uniform provider modernizes product creation with Centric Software

CAMPBELL, Calif., May 5, 2026 – Centric Software® is pleased to announce that Edwards Garment has selected Centric PLM™ to drive product development efficiency and visibility. Centric Software delivers innovative, integrated, end-to-end AI-powered enterprise solutions to take products from concept to commercialisation. Fashion, luxury, footwear, outdoor, home, consumer electronics, food & beverage, cosmetics & personal care as well as multi-category retail teams can plan, design, develop, source, comply, buy, make, price, allocate, assort, sell and replenish products to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Founded in 1867, Edwards Garment is a uniform and apparel company serving distributors across North America. Headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the company provides professional workwear for industries including transit, security, healthcare administration, hospitality and corporate environments. Its portfolio spans polos, dress shirts, suits, trousers, skirts and customised apparel programmes produced through a design division in Vancouver, Canada.

As Edwards Garment expanded, limitations in its previous PLM system created inefficiencies in development. Manual data entry and repetitive tasks slowed timelines and increased the risk of errors. “When I joined the company a few years ago, my biggest struggle was adding a point of measure as it came in without the mark or tolerance. We had to fill it in manually, which can cause errors,” says Barb Kuphal, Senior Technical Services Manager at Edwards Garment. She adds that delays were especially problematic in a fast-moving market. “That’s too long in an industry where speed to market is top of mind. We need it done and we need it done quickly.”

After evaluating several vendors, Edwards Garment selected Centric PLM based on positive industry feedback, system flexibility and alignment with internal needs. “We always do research behind each system,” Kuphal explains. “I know two companies currently that use Centric and they both had good things to say.” Demonstrations also highlighted capabilities that match real workflows. “They have multiple views, so if one person wants to view their tracking one way and if someone else wants to do it a different direction the flexibility is there.”

Edwards Garment expects efficiency gains through reduced manual work, improved visibility and streamlined coordination across teams. The system will be used by merchandising, technical design, quality assurance and external vendors, with marketing teams accessing product data for launches. “I’m hoping for at least 20% time savings just by avoiding all the extra clicks,” Kuphal says. “Anything to improve our efficiency will be a benefit.”

Looking ahead, the company sees Centric PLM as a foundation for improved collaboration across locations and stronger control of product information. “We’re approaching 50,000 SKUs across roughly 320 styles,” says Bryan Kiel, Director of Marketing at Edwards Garment. Migrating thousands of specifications into a single platform will streamline communication with partners and enable faster decision-making.

“We are delighted to partner with Edwards Garment, a company with more than 150 years of history and a strong reputation in the highly specialised uniform industry,” says Fabrice Canonge, CEO of Centric Software. “Centric PLM delivers the visibility and structure required to drive precision, quality and speed across complex uniform programmes.”

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