October 20th, 2015

arena Selects Centric Software Product Lifecycle Management

Italian performance swimwear brand breathes new life into processes with Centric 8 PLM

LOS GATOS, Calif., Oct. 20, 2015 – arena, creators of competition and leisure swimwear, have selected Centric 8 PLM to power a long-term strategy of continued innovation and international expansion.

Founded by the “father of sports sponsorship,” Horst Dassler, arena’s development of cutting-edge men’s, women’s and children’s swimwear has, for more than forty years, been propelled by what the company calls a deep and enduring “water instinct.” Dassler, a scion of the Adidas dynasty, was inspired by swimmers’ performance at the 1972 Munich games to research materials and designs to improve the performance of aquatic athletes.

Today, the brand has a broader audience. arena creates collections for swimmers, triathletes, and all water-sports lovers in a range of markets all built on that same elemental connection to water. arena ’s innovation-driven internationalization has translated into record revenues.

As General Manager for Brand Development, Giuseppe Musciacchio, explains, “Our destiny is to continue to grow, and this global success has accelerated our need for a fully integrated process and technology.”

“The need for such integration is why we felt it was the time to kick off a new strategic project,” Musciacchio continues, talking about arena’s decision to work with Centric Software. “Our absolute priority is now to use PLM to refine our core line planning, budgeting, and collection development. Centric 8 will also allow our product teams to better assess the market performance of individual products. And our management will be able to make better decisions as a result.”

Performance in and out of the water remains critical to arena, with the brand citing its work with universities and research institutes as being instrumental to continued success. arena’s experimentation with hydrodynamic technologies and new materials has resulted in numerous innovations, such as the Powerskin racing swimwear series, the Cobra Ultra goggles, and the “Freestyle Breather,” a revolutionary system to used to develop improved breathing technique for freestyle swimming.

That thirst for invention, Musciacchio believes, is one that Centric Software shares. “Everyone in the market knows of Centric,” he says, “and we were impressed by their forward-thinking mobile portfolio and clear, visible attitude to rapid innovation.”

In selecting a PLM provider, arena sought the right mix of vision, technology, expertise, and user experience that would together secure a partnership for the next decade.

“Our users recognize the potential of PLM and are excited by the way that Centric 8 will streamline complex processes,” Musciacchio explains. “It was the users’ recognition of Centric as the best on market that influenced our decision. We have high expectations because we know that we are doing something that will truly change the life of our company.”

Speaking about arena’s decision to adopt Centric 8 PLM, Centric Software CEO Chris Groves says, “We are excited to work with arena, a partner that understands that PLM’s reach adds both an immediate operating advantage and a long-term strategic benefit.”

“Critical to any brand’s identity and on-going evolution is what arena refers to as ‘being in your element,’” Groves continues. “Whether it’s creating products that help athletes and families swim faster or designing technologies to create better products, innovation without compromise is essential. Innovation is a common element that we share with arena. I’m thrilled to be able to support the future of their decades-long appreciation for the water and for what people can achieve both in and out of it.”

arena Italia S.p.A (www.arenawaterinstinct.com)
Since 1973, arena has created and marketed waterwear products for competitive swimmers and swimming fans worldwide, and is universally recognized as one of the premium brands of high quality swimwear and equipment. Over the last 40 years, arena has developed strong expertise in creating best-in-class products with particular focus on the pool segment, while also expanding into leisure and beach wear.

Today the arena brand has a presence in 116 countries around the globe. With direct representation through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Italy, France, Germany/Austria and the United States, the group also employs a network of 35 qualified business partners in more than 100 countries, while the Japan-based Descente Ltd owns and manages the brand in 11 countries of the Far East.

arena’s ties to the world of sport, and swimming in particular, are reinforced through sponsoring activities at different levels, including governing bodies, national federations, athletes and clubs.

In an historic agreement signed in early 2014, arena became the principal sponsor and technical partner of the swimming world’s governing body, FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation). In addition, arena is a long-time partner of LEN (Ligue Europeenne de Natation), and technical sponsor and official supplier to many swimming federations including the United States, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Croatia, Norway, South Africa, Ukraine, Romania, Czech Republic and Estonia. For the first time in its history, arena was selected official supplier of the Team England Aquatics squad for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)
From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software builds technologies for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, and consumer goods. Its 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 Cloud 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, and was named one of Red Herring’s Global Top 100 private companies.

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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Media Contacts:

arena
Cristina Cantoni: Global Pr Communication Manager _ arena water instinct
Ph. +39 0733 956268, M.+39 3346879249, c.cantoni@arenawaterinstinct.com

Centric Software
North America: Mary Nowak, Talking Points Professionals, +1 970 416-8877, mnowak@talkingpointspro.com

Europe: Mariateresa Rubino, Simply MOD, +39 389 457 3163, mariateresarubino@simplymod.it