Centric Software® is pleased to announce that R.M.Williams has gone live with Centric PLM™ to strengthen cross-functional alignment and streamline product development. Centric Software delivers innovative, integrated, end-to-end AI-powered enterprise solutions to take products from concept to commercialization. Fashion, luxury, footwear, outdoor, home, consumer electronics, food & beverage, cosmetics & personal care as well as multi-category retail teams can plan, design, develop, source, comply, buy, make, price, allocate, assort, sell and replenish products to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.
R.M.Williams has handcrafted leather boots and belts in Adelaide, South Australia, since 1932. Headquartered in Sydney, the brand has evolved far beyond its outback origins into a complete range of footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. R.M.Williams is a certified B Corporation and operates 65 retail stores in Australia, alongside locations in New Zealand, the UK and the US, supported by more than 900 stockists worldwide and a global e-commerce platform.
International expansion and category growth prompted R.M.Williams to clarify three priorities: governed libraries, standardized data principles and a single trusted source of truth. This led to the implementation of Centric PLM to connect seamlessly across the brand’s broader technology landscape, including ERP and other downstream platforms.
“Centric Software stood out for its industry-aligned frameworks, hands-on implementation support and proven track record with global fashion and footwear brands,” explains Louise Peck, Head of Product and Design Operations at R.M.Williams.
“Implementing Centric PLM is a foundational shift in how we work at R.M.Williams. It's less about speed in the early stages and more about building trust in our product data and the decisions that flow from it,” says Peck. “Centric PLM is enabling us to move toward a single, governed source of truth that brings our teams together around facts, supports our sustainability strategy, ‘Crafting a Better Future’ and sets us up to scale responsibly as a global brand.”
“The project remained within the agreed scope and budget and go-live was smooth,” notes Peck. “Structured enablement sessions that were detailed and comprehensive built deep understanding within the team and encouraged strong adoption.”
To align with R.M.Williams’s Australian manufacturing model, Centric Software tailored its out-of-the-box framework to fit the brand’s manufacturing nuances and data requirements while maintaining industry best practices. The project also reinforced the value of client ownership in shaping and configuring the platform. “Centric Software approached the project as an enablement partner, not with a one-size-fits-all model,” Peck says.
The go-live sees R.M.Williams’s Core collection and SS28 seasonal ranges running end-to-end through Centric PLM, replacing disconnected workflows with a shared system and common data principles that connect product development, manufacturing and downstream platforms. “Cross-functional alignment across Design, Product Development, Sourcing, Buying and Garment Tech has been the most valuable early outcome,” Peck says. “As trust in the data grows, we expect stronger collaboration, efficiency and decision-making.”
“R.M.Williams is modernizing product development with a shared data foundation,” says Fabrice Canonge, CEO of Centric Software. “We’re proud to enable a brand with such a strong heritage as it scales globally.”
