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July 24th, 2018

On Sprints Forward with Centric

CAMPBELL, Calif., July 24, 2018 – On, the Swiss running shoe company known for its innovative CloudTec® shoe technology, has selected Centric Software to provide its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

On was founded in Switzerland in 2010 by former top athlete Olivier Bernhard and his friends David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti. Seeking the perfect running shoe that would provide enough cushioning to offer a soft landing, but enough firmness to propel the runner forward, they came up with a unique sole technology that combined these qualities and released their first shoe: the Cloudsurfer. On is currently the fastest running shoe brand on the planet, and in just over eight years, has become a global brand that is sold in more than 4,000 outlets in over 50 countries.

On’s rate of growth and the addition of a new line of performance clothing brought challenges, explains Marc Maurer, Chief Operations Officer at On, and led them to begin a PLM selection process in 2017.

“We’re growing very fast, and the whole company is digitally transforming,” says Marc Maurer. “We knew a PLM system would help centralize and organize information that currently exists across different departments and files. We wanted to minimize the risk of losing information due to misunderstandings and make it easier for people to get the information they need.”

“For instance, our marketing and customer service people need to ask the R&D department the same questions on a daily basis,” he explains. “Having a central repository of accessible information they can check will save time and allow people to focus on their jobs. We want to make it easy for all our newly-hired people to find information, rather than sending queries to other departments.”

After getting an overview of various PLM providers, On decided to do some in-depth comparison workshops with Centric and two other solutions. In a survey of On’s designers and product developers who tested the systems, Centric came out on top.

As Maurer explains, “The survey responses focused on how user-friendly and logical Centric PLM is. Centric’s Excel-like interface is a big advantage, as people who had never worked with a PLM system before felt comfortable using it. We were impressed by Centric’s flexibility and knew that we could adjust the system to suit our needs as we continue to grow. We have new people joining us all the time, and don’t have time to do full training days every month. With a short introduction, people can jump right into Centric PLM.”

On began using Centric’s Field Testing mobile app earlier this year and are looking forward to beginning a full PLM implementation.

“We expect Centric will make it possible to work more efficiently,” says Maurer. “We’ll save time, and therefore money. It will give us a reliable knowledge base of materials, models and previous collections that can be used by all departments, from R&D to marketing. PLM will provide transparency between departments, making it easier for everyone to see what is happening in each one.”

As Maurer concludes, “We have already begun working with Centric on the Field Testing app, and our cooperation as partners has been great. We see this as a long-term partnership that will be mutually beneficial. There is potential for us to evolve together as new needs arise in the future.”

“We would like to welcome On again to the Centric family,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “On has revolutionized the running shoe market with innovative technology and is on course to continue their amazing rate of growth. We’re delighted On chose our PLM solution to provide a digital foundation for expansion and will continue to be close partners in the future.”

 

On (www.on-running.com)

On is a young Swiss company that was founded in 2010 by three-time World Duathlon Champion and multiple Ironman Winner, Olivier Bernhard, and his friends David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti with one mission; put the fun back into the run. This company is spearheaded by a dedicated team of sports scientists, world-renowned athletes and innovative designers all working together to create the ultimate running sensation.

Seven years after being founded, On is the fastest growing company in the running industry. On has its headquarters in Zurich (Switzerland) plus offices in Portland (Oregon, USA), Yokohama (Japan), Melbourne (Australia) and Sao Paulo (Brazil), and is now available in more than 4’000 specialty running stores in over 50 countries.

In addition to this rapid growth, On has won, and continues to win, design and technology distinctions all over the world. The most recent of these accomplishments is the ISPO Product of the Year and Gold Award for the Best Performance Shoes 2017/18. On’s CloudTec® sole is patented worldwide.

 

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods.  Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) is a visual, fully digital collection of boards for touch-based devices like iPad, iPhone and large-scale, touch-screen televisions. Centric VIP transforms decision making and automates execution to truly collapse time to market and distance to trend. Centric’s flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality, and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB packages extended PLM including innovative technology and key industry learnings tailored for small businesses.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM in 2016 and Frost & Sullivan’s Global Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2012. Red Herring named Centric to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015, and 2016.

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

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