CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
27 February 2008
Implementation Investments
First Act Selects On-Demand Arena PLM to Shorten NPI Cycles and Collaborate with Suppliers
Arena Solutions announced that First Act, Inc., a manufacturer of quality musical instruments and a significant influence on the musical products industry, has selected on-demand Arena PLM. First Act will use Arena PLM to manage its entire product record, monitor and control engineering changes, and collaborate with the organization’s extended global supply chain.
Prior to adopting Arena PLM, First Act, like many other growing companies, developed internal systems for managing its development cycles that fell short when the company expanded. First Act sought a PLM system that would allow the company to scale more effectively and ease the coordination with key supply chain partners to improve and expedite processes from design through manufacturing. The company has chosen to implement Arena PLM throughout the entire organization. With Arena helping its employees and partners communicate more efficiently, First Act will see improved new product introduction (NPI) cycles and reduced supply chain waste.
“There is magic in operating a company that blends unique entrepreneurial, musical, and merchandising talent into such a progressive and socially conscious organization, and simultaneously meets the needs of our retail partners,” said Tony Natale, vice president of finance and operations at First Act, Inc. “Arena PLM gives us the opportunity to improve the way we do business by allowing us to share the most up-to-date product information with our global supply chain partners, and increase our capacity to introduce the highest quality, most innovative designs to the market.”
Arena PLM offers First Act immediate and significant advantages with connectivity, hard dollar savings, security, ease of implementation, and ease of use. With a small IT staff, First Act benefits from the web-native, on-demand (SaaS) delivery platform of Arena PLM because the company doesn’t have to invest in new hardware or additional IT support, requirements for traditional client/server PLM. In addition, Arena’s try-before-you-buy program allowed First Act to validate the application in its American headquarters and overseas locations before deciding to purchase the software.
“First Act is a master of amazing products and experiences, and knows what it takes to continually optimize its business processes. We’re happy to play a small part of that with Arena PLM,” said Craig Livingston, chief executive officer at Arena Solutions. “Groundbreaking companies that provide leadership to entire industries get there because of what they do and how they do it. We’re always delighted when they include Arena PLM as part of that formula.”
First Act’s industry success can be attributed to the company’s broad-minded approach to fine instrument craftsmanship, its continuing support of the professional and mainstream artists who demand quality, and its groundswell of consumers who appreciate the value First Act’s instruments represent. In fact, First Act not only promotes and delivers musical opportunities to everyone—from young children to budding musicians to professional artists—but also develops instruments for all types of styles ranging from heavy metal to bluegrass, from power pop to pure punk. An impressive array of high-profile musicians uses First Act’s instruments, including those backing Avril Lavigne, Paul McCartney, Kelly Clarkson, and Maroon 5.
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