Centric Software®, the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) market leader is pleased to announce that Berne Apparel, a leading workwear company has selected Centric PLM™ to drive efficiency. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source, buy, make, price, allocate, sell and replenish products such as fashion, outdoor, luxury, multi-category retail, grocery, food & beverage, cosmetics & personal care and consumer electronics to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.
Founded in 1915, Berne Apparel is privately held and based in Ossian, Indiana. The company produces durable, affordable workwear and outdoor clothing for men, women and children. Products include insulated outerwear, tops, bottoms and accessories, with expansion to new categories coming in the future. Berne Apparel’s products can be found at bernedirect.com, at farm & agriculture retailers, and through industrial distributors.
Amanda Campbell, Product Development Manager at Berne Apparel, highlights the necessity for streamlined processes and a centralized repository for product information as the decision driver. She explains, “Our current systems include detailed internally developed programs housing specification data, coupled with Excel use and catalog references.” Campbell points out, “We are looking for increased efficiency to reduce repetitive tasks and manual data entry. We are also looking for a solution to provide real-time visibility to assortment development, material management, and sourcing in one place.”
A key factor that influenced Berne Apparel’s decision to choose Centric was the impressive range of well-known brands already using Centric Software. Campbell says, “I know there are companies that have switched over to Centric PLM from another system. That’s not an easy thing to do, so that gave Centric credit in my mind. I have experience in a handful of other PLM systems prior to my time at Berne, and was impressed with its ease of navigation and ability to configure as needed without hidden costs.”
Campbell explains some out-of-the-box benefits she sees with Centric PLM, “I know the system automation will make our workflows immediately more streamlined. I’m excited to link seasonal calendars to Centric, and fully utilize system generated reports to track development for real-time reporting. We will be using the AdobePLMC plug-in from initial launch, so designers can build products and artwork in-system as they create them, saving time.” She adds, “I like the familiar Excel-like feel of the interface. We have some teammates migrating to a PLM system for the first time. Learning new systems and processes isn’t easy, and Centric has proven very intuitive as we’re on-boarding the greater team. Its robust features are allowing us to establish repeatable, scalable processes to grow into the future.”
Berne Apparel will roll out Centric PLM in carefully planned phases across multiple key departments to ensure a smooth transition and optimal utilization. “The majority of our leadership team comes from an IT background, so high standards needed to be met before an outside system was seriously considered,” states Campbell. “Centric earned our trust as a partner in the exploration phase, and our trust has only grown during implementation as we’ve gotten to know their team. I’m looking forward to their continued guidance through best practices as we roll out internally, and as we onboard vendors in the future.”
President of Centric Software, Fabrice Canonge says, “We are thrilled that Berne Apparel, a growing heritage brand that has 100+ years of success behind them, has chosen to place their trust in Centric Software. We look forward to our association with Berne into their next century of business.”
