CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
19 May 2004
Product News
Lectra Launches Mikalis, A Dedicated Tool to Easily Create Apparel Specifications
Lectra announced the launch of Mikalis, its new all-inclusive business software tool dedicated to the production of apparel specifications. Mikalis, developed for apparel brands, retailers, distributors and manufacturers, allows technical specifications to be produced and adapted quickly and easily into one, apparel-specific tool, leveraging the work created for past collections. Specifications can then be sent electronically to external partners through a secure web interface.
"When companies prepare technical specs manually or by using off the shelf software tools, it increases the risk of errors, wastes time and prevents a past season's work from being reused," said Nathalie Gondoin. "Mikalis answers this problem as a single plug and play solution that allows the user to easily create sketches, develop technical specification sheets and folders and then communicate the information."
Producing technical specifications is a crucial step in the development process for collections. By standardizing information management during the specification process, apparel companies can reduce errors, save time and better communicate with their external partners worldwide.
With Mikalis specification folders and sheets can be rapidly produced with:
• High performance vector drawing tools -Garment and apparel component drawing can be rapidly produced in Mikalis with high performance tools. Among others, symmetry drawing and stitch line features make technical sketching faster and easier than with any other drawing tool. Styles can be associated with colors and motifs to obtain final product images in their colorways. This new drawing tool allows for the creation of sketches faster and easier than any other drawing tool on the market today.
• Libraries of generic components -The library of styles and generic components includes stitch lines, colors, accessories, etc. Mikalis is also delivered with sewing diagrams and points of measurements based on industry standards, generic libraries of packing and labeling tags, and instruction examples. In addition, measurement charts can be prepared on the base size and then developed into size range by creating and applying custom grading rules. Mikalis comes standard with a library of components developed by Snapfashun ( http://www.snapfashun.com/lectra ).
• Centralized database -A centralized database with search function capability enables specification folders from previous seasons to be re-used and adapted for new collections. Mikalis provides eight tabs corresponding to common categories of spec information including: general style information, style design info, measurement / grading info, assembly instructions, labeling instructions, packaging instructions, pattern information, marker information, and miscellaneous attachments. Relevant specification information can be directly entered by text data entry, dragging and dropping objects from available libraries or inserting various files from other applications. A standard set of 21 filled-in spec files provides examples of use.
Mikalis offers the flexibility to produce any type of custom specification from a light two-page brief to a very detailed specification folder. With a series of pre-defined reports included, spec sheets can be created and combined to form a custom spec folder. Spec sheets can be previewed, printed in different resolutions, converted into Adobe .pdf format and stored or exchanged via LectraOnline Exchange, a secure Internet communication platform that comes standard with the Mikalis software.
By posting files and data through LectraOnline Exchange, business partners have access to standardized information. Specification files and data are posted for access only by selected viewers and information is not recreated either at the specification stage or at the manufacturing level.
With the ability to standardize and provide information in real-time, Mikalis reduces the risk of errors, provides the ability to track specification information sent to various business partners while reducing shipping costs. LectraOnline Exchange preserves the confidentiality of information.
Mikalis functions as the single collection point for all the data generated during product specification - design, fabric, styling pattern and marker data, etc. It is a solution to aggregate product data, to develop collections and finally, to communicate the specification information to manufacturing partners.
Mikalis is the direct result of Lectra's 30 years of industry experience, including 10 years in technical specifications, with the experience of customers and users and the latest technology on the market.
Lectra ( http://www.lectra.com ) is present on all major markets, including fashion, apparel and retailing, luggage & leather goods, footwear, furniture & furnishings, transportation (the automotive, aerospace and marine industries), together with other industries working with industrial fabrics and composite materials. With a staff of 1,500 worldwide, Lectra generates close to 90% of its revenues outside France, thanks to its international network serving more than 16,000 customers in over 100 countries. Thanks to its recent acquisition of Investronica Sistemas, Lectra has strengthened its number one position, with 2003 combined revenues for the two companies of US$ 270 million, exceeding by 80% the second player's revenues.
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