November 11, 2026
Centric Software Wins PCIAW® Best Product Development Technology Award 2026
Centric PLM brings our specifications, certifications and supplier information into one place, enabling our teams to manage changes more efficiently and maintain consistency across products. It's encouraging to see technology that addresses the real challenges facing our industry receive this recognition.
— Emily Yeomans
Centric PLM recognized for advancing product development across workwear, uniforms and PPE
CAMPBELL, Calif., November 11, 2026 – Centric Software®, a leader in AI-powered product lifecycle management and concept-to-commercialization solutions, announces that Centric PLM™ has won the Best Product Development Technology Award 2026 from the Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide (PCIAW®). Presented at the PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards 2026 in London, the award recognizes Centric Software’s contribution to transforming product development across the global professional clothing industry through artificial intelligence, digital collaboration and advanced product lifecycle management.
Workwear, uniform and personal protective equipment (PPE) brands and manufacturers face growing demands for wearer safety, durability, traceability and circularity, alongside emerging requirements such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Digital Product Passports (DPPs). Managing complex specifications, extensive size ranges, supplier collaboration, testing and certifications requires accurate, connected product data throughout development.
Centric PLM unifies these processes in one digital platform, replacing spreadsheets and disconnected systems. Bills of materials, sizing and certification data stay connected to each product, so teams across multiple factories work to the same standards. A full version history tracks every change, reducing the risk of outdated information reaching production.
Leading professional clothing brands and manufacturers using Centric PLM include Blåkläder, Carhartt, First Tactical, Helly Hansen, Hultafors Group, Portwest, Schöffel and Supertouch. Dovetail Workwear uses Centric PLM to manage the complexity of its inclusive sizing strategy, while Hultafors Group transformed its sustainability documentation in preparation for France’s AGEC legislation. Customers report measurable efficiency gains. Medical uniform brand Jaanuu cut bill of materials creation time by 50% and spreadsheet use by more than 40%, Westmoor Manufacturing reduced its costing process from approximately two weeks to two days and Duluth Trading Co. eliminated more than 80 costing spreadsheets
UK workwear and PPE manufacturer Supertouch is one of the latest to adopt Centric PLM.
"Workwear and PPE have to meet strict safety and compliance requirements, so accurate, consistent product data is essential," says Emily Yeomans, Product Developer and Designer at Supertouch. "Centric PLM brings our specifications, certifications and supplier information into one place, enabling our teams to manage changes more efficiently and maintain consistency across products. It's encouraging to see technology that addresses the real challenges facing our industry receive this recognition."
Centric AI Studio™, an embedded generative AI module launched earlier this year, enables designers to explore new concepts, silhouettes, colorways and variations within approved material libraries and sourcing requirements, then convert AI-generated concepts into editable vector files. Combined with 3D visualization, teams evaluate designs earlier and reduce unnecessary physical samples. Suppliers contribute directly through shared specifications and controlled workflows, and mobile access keeps teams connected on factory visits.
Sustainability is built into everyday product decisions rather than treated as a reporting exercise. Composition management updates finished-product composition as specifications change, certification management keeps supporting documentation visible and material traceability shows where fabrics and components are used. Centric DPP builds on this product data, preparing businesses for EPR, DPPs and evolving traceability requirements.
"We’re proud and grateful to receive this recognition from PCIAW®," says Kristen Salaun-Batby, CMO of Centric Software. "Professional clothing protects and equips people in some of the most demanding jobs in the world. Our vision is to connect every stage of the product lifecycle with AI, digital collaboration and trusted product data, so the teams behind these products can move faster, meet rising safety and traceability demands and design with circularity in mind. This award belongs to our customers and our people, who turn that vision into reality every day."
Read PCIAW’s article on Centric Software’s award win
Discover how Centric PLM empowers workwear, uniform and PPE product development
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About PCIAW (www.pciaw.org)
PCIAW® is the global association for the professional clothing, workwear and PPE industry. It brings together buyers, suppliers and experts through membership, industry initiatives, knowledge sharing and events, including the annual PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards.
About Centric Software® (www.centricsoftware.com)
From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides an innovative and AI-enabled product concept-to-commercialization platform for retailers, brands and manufacturers of all sizes. As experts in fashion, luxury, footwear, outdoor, home, cosmetics & personal care as well as multi-category retail, Centric Software delivers best-of-breed solutions to plan, design, develop, source, comply, buy, make, price, allocate, sell and replenish products.
Centric PLM™, the leading PLM solution for fashion, outdoor, footwear and private label, optimizes product execution from ideation to development, sourcing and manufacture, realizing up to 50% improvement in productivity and a 60% decrease in time to market.
Centric Planning & Pricing™, a cloud-native solution powered by Centric AI that unifies planning, pricing and inventory optimization, enabling retailers and brands to increase sell-through, improve margins and optimize inventory efficiency from pre-season through in-season execution.
Centric Market Intelligence™ is an AI-driven platform delivering insights into consumer trends, competitor offers and pricing to boost competitively and get closer to the consumer, driving up to a 12% increase in average initial price point.
Centric Visual Boards™ pivot actionable data in a visual-first orientation to ensure robust, consumer-right assortments and product offers, dramatically decreasing assortment development cycle time.
Centric DPP, a standalone, open solution, connects and governs enterprise product data to create, register, publish and maintain Digital Product Passports at scale, with native Centric PLM™ and Centric PXM™ connections extending product transparency from product creation through commercialization, customer engagement and circularity.
Centric PXM™, AI-powered product experience management (PXM) encompasses PIM, DAM, content syndication and digital shelf analytics (DSA) to optimize the product commercialization lifecycle resulting in a transformed brand experience. Increase sales channels, boost sell through and drive margins.
Centric Software’s market-driven solutions have the highest user adoption rate, customer satisfaction rate and fastest time to value in the industry. Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, appearing regularly in world-leading analyst reports and research.