CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
7 June 2004
Implementation Investments
Progress-Based Application Tailor Made for Fashion Leader Elie Tahari
Progress Software, an operating company of Progress Software Corporation announced that Elie Tahari Ltd. ( http://www.elietahari.com/ ), a designer of women's clothes, has implemented the Vertex Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system from Progress Application Partner, Business Management Systems (BMS). BMS' Vertex PLM offers true pre-production functionality that manages garments from the initial concept stages to delivery of the finished product to the consumer. Elie Tahari credits the application for simplifying the product development process and reducing overall time to market.
Elie Tahari started as a small boutique in New York in 1974. During the last 30 years, Elie Tahari has been a thought leader in the fashion industry, revolutionizing how retailers display designer fashions with the concept of a shop-in-shop at Bergdorf Goodman's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom's. Elie Tahari has also developed a reputation for their innovative use of technology. Their deployment of Progress-based Vertex PLM was the perfect accessory to their fashion and business sense.
"Elie Tahari is focused on top notch clothing for the modern woman, but we also needed a modern approach to today's fashion business," said Jason Epstein, chief technology officer for Elie Tahari. "In the past our pre-production process relied heavily on Excel spreadsheets and was not a very efficient way to share and track information, especially when you consider we are sourcing materials globally. We needed a system that could capture everything from garment design to tracking the print and color of a fabric, every button and zipper, costing of those materials, and the actual manufacturing and distribution of the collection. In fashion you can't afford to be late with a line. We found that a lot of applications could handle the manufacturing and distribution of apparel, but there were precious few that could manage the critical pre-production process."
After comparing the apparel applications that existed in the market, Elie Tahari chose Progress-based Vertex PLM because most of the functionality the company needed was already built in, requiring minimal customization. Although many other applications hinted at managing the entire product lifecycle, only Vertex PLM can manage raw materials and finished goods anywhere in the world. Built on the Progress® OpenEdgeT platform, Vertex PLM offers the latest technologies, including easy integration with existing ERP applications within an organization. The application is fully Web-enabled, offering online collaboration, and real-time visibility of the manufacturing calendar through a process-driven workflow tracking module. By automating a highly complex process, BMS has enabled Elie Tahari to reduce costs and time to market. BMS is also planning on extending Vertex PLM to include the ability to subscribe to the application through the Software as a Service (SaaS) model.
"Our premier product, Vertex PLM, is a sophisticated process management application that has been specifically built with the needs of the apparel industry in mind," says Scott Oldham, director of business development at BMS. "Thanks to the power and flexibility that is inherent in the OpenEdge platform, our system is very stable and can be easily modified to fit the requirements of each client's business model."
By integrating Vertex PLM with their existing web site, Elie Tahari was able to showcase key pieces from their line captured in the Progress database at the core of the application. The company now uses the website as a venue for communication between the customer, the company and the designer, further strengthening their integrated approach to reaching their customers.
Business Management Systems, Inc. was established in 1995 by a group of software professionals with extensive experience in all phases of apparel manufacturing. Based on their industry knowledge and extensive analysis of other software solutions in the market, they determined that they should focus their efforts on the most neglected area in apparel manufacturing; pre-production product development.
In response to this industry need, Vertex Apparel Software was created. Vertex Apparel connects the global supply chain and makes the entire product lifecycle a collaborative effort. By connecting the design houses, vertical retailers and manufacturers with their suppliers and contractors, less time can be spent on communication and more time can be allocated to ensuring the utmost quality of the garment.
Progress Software ( http://www.progress.com ) is an operating company of Progress Software Corporation, a US$300+ million global software industry leader. Progress Software simplifies the development, deployment, integration, and management of the world's best business applications. Progress and its 2,000 Application Partners offer more than 5,000 Progress-based business applications that precisely fit customer needs and deliver competitive advantage. Customers purchase more than $5 billion annually in software and services from Progress and its partners.
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