Centric Software® is delighted to announce an updated success story about its customer, KLIM—a global leader in powersport apparel design and manufacturing, KLIM produces advanced technical gear for snowmobile and motorcycle riders.
KLIM’s global teams perform intensive R&D and testing cycles for each of their products, and the company needed more than spreadsheets and emails to manage these intensive processes. To design industry-leading gear and keep production on track, KLIM became an early Centric PLM customer in 2009. The return on their PLM investment has been substantial.
Since adopting Centric Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), the company reduced sample turn time by 25% and accelerated their lab dip process by two weeks.
KLIM is also able to manage highly complex tech packs for protective gear, including their flagship Badlands jacket. Ryan Harris, Vice President of Product for KLIM, explains that Centric PLM is the key to facilitating production of advanced motorsports gear.
“You’re managing 1,000 different things in [the Badlands] style to make sure production is done correctly. That would be impossible to manage without Centric PLM.”
With PLM in place before the pandemic, KLIM navigated the rapid lockdown with agility. When retailers closed, KLIM leveraged their existing e-comm website to meet the spike in demand for outdoor gear. Harris says KLIM saw a 30% increase in year-over-year DTC sales in 2020.
The transparency and up-to-date data in Centric PLM also allowed KLIM to adjust their development and collaboration processes for remote work and the challenges of managing quality control issues with partners overseas.
Harris says the majority of KLIM’s teams use Centric PLM to improve their functions to create better products and business outcomes. “Our design team are designing in their own systems and software, but all of that collaboration comes into Centric. Our development team probably spends the vast majority of their day in the system. Production, sourcing, logistics, purchasing, marketing and accounting. So almost everyone!”
Centric PLM also helps KLIM sustain its innovation edge over the competition. The company holds weekly project status meetings and innovation meetings in PLM to foster creativity and experimental thinking among all teams throughout the year.
“KLIM’s strength is innovation in their products and how they use Centric PLM,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “We’re proud to be partners in their evolving digital product development, manufacturing and merchandising processes – the core of their brand – and look forward to their continued success.”
