Marubeni Accelerates Operational Efficiency with Centric PLM

Leading Japanese trading company streamlines information sharing across retailers, suppliers and partners for its Lifestyle Division

CAMPBELL, Calif., April 4, 2022 – Centric Software® announces that Marubeni Corporation has selected Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution to accelerate its business operational efficiency. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home décor, cosmetics, food and beverage, and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Founded in 1858, Marubeni Corporation is a Japan-based company with several business segments, including its Lifestyle Division which specializes in OEM and ODM manufacturing of products such as apparel and footwear. In addition, Marubeni is leveraging digital technologies and expanding points of contact with customers with a focus on the direct-to-consumer sales businesses as well as advancing efforts to contribute to sustainability.

Marubeni exchanges a vast amount of complex information internally and with business partners, including group companies, apparel/footwear retailers, and suppliers.

“Information is shared via email and chat rooms. The formats and ways of working vary greatly among each department. Too much time and effort are wasted chasing information and on manual data entry,” says Kazumichi Watanabe, Senior Operating Officer in the Lifestyle Division of Marubeni.

Seeking to create consistency across the whole product lifecycle process, including product planning and proposal, production management and delivery management, Marubeni turned to the Centric PLM solution.

With the implementation of Centric PLM, Marubeni will consolidate all information from product planning and proposal to delivery, improving the efficiency of operations and communication. By managing information with business partners on one centralized platform, Marubeni aims to improve product planning and proposal capabilities, as well as dramatically accelerate the speed of their business in the whole process.

Watanabe adds, “We are very pleased to be working with Centric Software. In addition to the standard features of the product, one of the reasons we chose Centric PLM was because of their knowledge of the fashion industry and their extensive consulting experience. They won our trust with their ability to understand our exact requirements and quickly create demos and proposals. We trust that Centric PLM will help us solve our OEM/ODM business challenges.”

“We are thrilled and proud that Marubeni, a global trading company that represents Japan, has chosen Centric as a partner in their digital transformation journey,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “In addition to driving the successful digitalization of the current business processes, we look forward to partnering with Marubeni in their efforts to pursue further sustainability initiatives.”

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Marubeni Corporation（https://www.marubeni.com/en/）

Marubeni Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries use their broad business networks, both within Japan and overseas, to conduct importing and exporting (including third country trading), as well as domestic business, encompassing a diverse range of business activities across wide-ranging fields including lifestyle, ICT & real estate business, forest products, food, agri business, chemicals, energy, metals & mineral resources, power business, infrastructure project, aerospace & ship, finance & leasing business, construction, industrial machinery & mobility, and next generation business development. Additionally, the Marubeni Group offers a variety of services, makes internal and external investments, and is involved in resource development throughout all of the above industries.

The Lifestyle Division globally provides everyday consumer products and services optimized to the end-user across a wide range of markets and industries. The core business being OEM^*1 /ODM^*2 manufacturing of products such as apparel and footwear, the Lifestyle Division is engaged in direct-to-consumer business through the use of digital technology and the expansion of customer contact points, as well as promoting sustainability initiatives, such as the establishment of a recycling-oriented business.

*1. OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer; manufacturing of products sold under the contractee’s name or brand.

*2. ODM: Original Design Manufacturer. An ODM does everything from the development and design to the production of a product that is eventually sold under another firm’s name or brand.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software® provides a Product Concept to Replenishment Digital Transformation Platform for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer electronics and consumer goods including cosmetics and personal care and food and beverage. Centric’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric PLM™, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and product portfolio optimization innovations specifically for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (CVIP) offers highly visual digital board experiences for collaboration and decision-making. Centric Retail Planning is an innovative, cloud-native solution powered by Armonica Retail S.R.L., that delivers an end-to-end retail planning process designed to maximize retail business performance. Centric Software pioneered mobility, introducing the first mobile apps for PLM, and is widely known for connectivity to dozens of other enterprise systems including ERP, DAM, PIM, e-com, planning and more as well as creative tools such as Adobe® Illustrator and a host of 3D CAD connectors. Centric’s innovations are 100% market-driven with the highest user adoption rate and fastest time to value in the industry. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs.

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, 2018 and 2021.

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