10 June, 2019

KEEN Kicks Future into High Gear with Centric PLM

CAMPBELL, Calif., 11 June, 2019 – Centric Software is delighted to announce the release of a success story about its customer, KEEN.

KEEN, an outdoor lifestyle brand based in Portland, Oregon, was founded in 2003 on the strength of the rugged hybrid Newport sandal. The company has expanded its categories to kids, boots, bags, work gear and apparel.

Aaron Hellickson, Product Development Technology Manager at KEEN, recalls that the company’s methods for managing product development were unable to meet the challenges of shrinking time to market, globalization of product portfolios and margin pressures.

“Our product development process was Excel and email-heavy, leading to a lot of confusion about which version of what document was sent when. We had ‘many sources of truth’ and it was slowing us down. We needed a solution to keep pace with current company growth and set a foundation for scalable future growth.”

Today, KEEN is experiencing impressive benefits after just one season powered by Centric PLM. The company has streamlined its complex global supply chain and dramatically improved efficiency, with one team able to cut their report output time by 50%. Problems are now identified and solved earlier during product development. “PLM gives other parts of the business visibility to what’s happening on the product creation floor,” says Hellickson. “It has opened up communication between the different stakeholders across the organization.”

How did KEEN transform their operations with Centric PLM?

Read the full story to learn more

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KEEN (www.keenfootwear.com)

Driven by a passion for life outside, KEEN is a values-led, independently owned brand from Portland, Ore., that’s on a mission to create original and versatile products, improve lives, and inspire outside adventure. Founded in 2003, it launched a revolution in the footwear industry with the introduction of the Newport adventure sandal and has donated more than $15 million to non-profit organizations and causes around the world to promote responsible outdoor recreation, including conservation efforts to protect open spaces. KEEN strives to show the world through its products and its actions that a business for good can actually be good for business. By giving back, reducing impact, and activating communities and individuals to protect the places where we work and play, KEEN puts its values in motion and takes action to leave the world a better place.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods. Centric’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB provides innovative PLM technology and key industry learnings for emerging brands. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) offers a fully visual, transformative experience via large touch-screens and mobile devices, revolutionizing group decision making and creative collaboration while dramatically condensing time to market and product innovation. Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016 and 2018.

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