8 January, 2024

Portwest Increases Efficiency & Drives Innovation with Centric PLM

Safety workwear giant implements Centric PLM to streamline workflows and prioritize eco-conscious innovation

CAMPBELL, Calif., January 9, 2024 – Market leader in safety workwear, Portwest, successfully launched their Centric PLM™ implementation as part of their strategic digital transformation. The project, delivered on-budget, already boasts high user-adoption rates and enhanced team communication. Centric Software® provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source, buy, make, price, allocate, sell, and replenish products such as fashion, outdoor, luxury, multi-category retail, grocery, food & beverage, cosmetics & personal care and consumer electronics to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Portwest, a proud family-owned and managed business with over 120 years’ experience, is the fastest growing safety, workwear and PPE manufacturer and distributer worldwide. With a global distribution network and customer service staff in over 130 countries, 5,500 plus employees worldwide, four factories, nine global sales offices, 11 international warehouses and more than 400 safety styles across 10 ranges, Portwest is a global ‘one-stop-shop’ for all workplace safety needs.

The drive to innovate runs deep in Portwest’s brand DNA. This led them on the search for a powerful and dynamic solution to streamline complex business processes, empower innovation and improve team communication.

“As a fast growing and ever-evolving company it became apparent to us that efficiency and standardization of how we communicate and develop our products was crucial,” says Paula Fink, Product Manager and PLM Lead at Portwest. “We wanted to streamline our administrative tasks to free us up for increased innovation and development.”

Valuable time and creative potential were being lost by teams using disparate systems and processes and communicating through email. Because of their large and highly technical range, manually updating compliance and tech packs had become a lengthy and error-prone process, and Portwest needed a solution to bolster sustainable product and fabric development.

After a thorough assessment process, Portwest chose Centric PLM for its ‘single source of truth’ and broad functionality, which would empower teams to achieve their objectives. “We had seen Centric in operation and were impressed with the technicality and usability,” shares Fink.

Portwest’s implementation was a major undertaking due to their sheer size and large volume of legacy product information, for which they required a highly tailored PLM configuration. The project is a resounding success, thanks to Centric Software’s expertise in delivering best of breed solutions, with users going live on Centric PLM.

Portwest had a dedicated PLM project team working with Centric on the implementation, and highlights the collaborative, supportive and responsive nature of the relationship as one of the keys to success. “The collaboration with the team at Centric was well balanced and we felt supported throughout the process,” explains Fink.

“We went through a few rounds of advanced configuration but stayed within budget,” continues Fink. “The benefit of this was that our internal project team gained a better understanding of the software and we found it easier to tailor the system to our needs.”

Since launching their Centric PLM project, Portwest has achieved high user adoption rates and improved communication company wide. “User-adoption has been great; users of all abilities have embraced the system and information is always easily accessible in real-time,” praises Fink.

The team expects more measurable results in the future, particularly with their streamlined packaging and branding updates. “Centric is helping us to track any changes to product materials,” says Fink. “With PLM’s ‘single version of the truth’ we hope to increase our range of eco-conscious products and fabrics to meet the challenge for our industry to become more sustainable.”

“We are thrilled that Portwest has chosen Centric PLM to streamline processes and free up their teams to focus on innovation,” says Chris Groves, CEO of Centric Software. “Centric Software is proud to partner with a company with a legacy of excellence and commitment to innovation and sustainability.”

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Portwest (https://www.portwest.com) Portwest is a global manufacturer and distributor of workwear, safetywear and PPE. Established in 1904, Portwest is the fastest growing workwear company in the world with a global distribution network and customer service staff in over 130 countries. Portwest is a family-owned business and continues to be managed by the 4th generation of the Hughes Family. Innovative production and design by an in-house team of experts lies at the heart of the Portwest advantage. Employing over 5,500 people worldwide, Portwest has a team of world class designers who specialise in flame-resistant and high-visibility workwear, hand and foot protection, PPE and wearable technology. Market leaders in safety, Portwest’s award winning team is constantly researching the latest trends and innovations which meet and exceed customer’s needs. Portwest catalogue features 1,400+ safety styles across 6 product ranges making Portwest a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all safety requirements. Portwest own four ultra-modern factories in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Italy and Albania, giving full control over their exceptional quality, lead times and ethical sourcing. Portwest’s reputation for technical know-how, rigorous implementation and attention to style and detail is well proven. Consistent colours, fabric qualities, good fit and competitive pricing are taken as a given by customers. With warehousing in 11 global locations (UK, USA, Canada, China, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Poland) and customer support staff in 130+ countries ensure unrivalled customer service is never far away.