Centric Software® is pleased to announce that CHAPS Merchandising has selected Centric PLM™ to streamline processes and improve traceability. 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 2004 by Ulrich Lang and Martin Supper, CHAPS specializes in textile merchandising and offers clients a complete suite of services including product ideation, production, storage, merchandising and marketing. Deeply embedded values of innovation and passion, coupled with an unwavering commitment to discover the new for their clients, has garnered CHAPS an impressive client list including Hofbräuhaus München, Becks and FC Bayern München, as well as a growing brand presence across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
With nearly 30 suppliers located in Turkey, China, India and Bangladesh, and a diverse range of customers and products, CHAPS was facing challenges tied to their growth and operational complexity. Misaligned business processes and systems were the impetus for CHAPS to seek a PLM solution.
“Most of our issues are process-related and due to the lack of standardization across design, technology and product management,” says Jan Hartmann, Junior Executive and Sustainability Manager at CHAPS. “Each of our product managers had devised their own systems and ways of working; this was causing problems with training and onboarding new employees.”
CHAPS was struggling to keep track of products with limited visibility and disparate processes. They needed a better way to manage files, speed data transfer and store important information.
“Traceability is a huge priority for us,” explains Hartmann. “For example, label applications must be submitted for product certificates, and so far, we have been managing this via email. We often have to send large attachments using file sharing tools which is time-consuming and inefficient.”
CHAPS explored several PLM solutions and engaged product team members and management in the assessment and decision-making processes. Centric PLM’s user interface, intuitive functionality, 3D Connect and seamless integration with an existing ERP were key selling points.
“The product managers loved Centric PLM™ and found the system visually appealing and easy to navigate,” says Hartmann. “Managers also liked the ability to view and select products from a particular supplier. Overall, Centric provided superior functionality and a better overview.”
“We have had nothing but good experiences with Centric so far,” comments Hartmann. “We appreciated that we were able to do certain things in German, that was very helpful with the demos and the explanation of crucial points.”
CHAPS plans to rollout Centric PLM to nearly half of its employees, including Technology, Design and Product Management teams. Management will also be able to access real-time reports and project status updates. They expect to dramatically reduce product development timelines, achieve greater efficiencies with data transfer and streamline onboarding and training.
“We’re hoping that processes will be faster, streamlined and more organized,” says Hartmann. “I am optimistic that the implementation will go as planned and help us achieve our goals and we are looking forward to a long-term partnership with Centric.”
“We are thrilled that CHAPS Merchandising has selected Centric Software as a partner to standardize their business processes,” says Fabrice Canonge, President of Centric Software. “We look forward to seeing how they develop and grow with Centric PLM as the backbone for driving efficiencies throughout the organization.”
