Next Generation PLM and Planning for Consumer Electronics

Centric solutions drive digital collaboration with a single source of truth.

Brands
Retailers

Plan and Execute Faster

Connect financial and merchandising plans with product development to align strategy and execution. Turn data into insights with augmented intelligence and machine learning tools.
Boost Go-to-Market Efficiency

Reduce time-consuming admin and connect teams to a single source of truth, improving collaboration and decision-making to keep product launches on schedule.
Optimize Complex Product Portfolios

Collect real-time data from different solutions to gain unprecedented visibility into product portfolios, optimize omnichannel selling and empower more accurate range planning.
Improve Supply Chain Visibility

Streamline sourcing requests, collaborate and co-develop with suppliers, gain early profit margin visibility and leverage buying power to drive down costs.
Manage Quality and Compliance

Record compliance at every stage of product development and ensure quality standards with built-in quality control tools to safeguard and maintain brand image and reputation.
Strengthen Sustainability

Track sustainability initiatives, analyze environmental impacts at every step of the supply chain and empower teams to take a more conscious approach to planning and sourcing.

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Powerful Planning

Create “what if” cost scenarios to gain accurate visibility over product margins early on. Link financial, merchandising and assortment data with product information to save time and resources. Combine visual planning with advanced analytics for enhanced team decision-making.

Portfolio Management

Plan and manage complex private label and branded product portfolios across multiple collections, price points, geographies and channels. Ensure the right products are sold in the right places, develop private label products and spot gaps in product assortments.

Sourcing and Supplier Collaboration

Streamline branded products, own label products and packaging. Launch and manage requests of proposal (RFPs) en masse, easily compare supplier responses, and streamline collaboration via the supplier portal to oversee complex global supply chains.

QMS and Engineering Change Management

Maintain full visibility and decision stage gate history attached directly to product records. Connect to regulatory databases to easily track compliance with regional regulations. Use Engineering Change Management to quickly identify and update non-conforming products.

Packaging and Proofing

Cloud-based, user-friendly packaging and proofing management solution. Save time and reduce potential for errors, duplication and version control issues with real-time collaboration and change tracking. Quickly adjust labelling and packaging according to regional requirements.

Sustainability

Give teams the visibility, insight and tools to understand, measure and analyze the carbon footprint of every step of the product development lifecycle. Enable better decision-making and satisfy eco-conscious shoppers with products that are developed ethically and sustainably.

Powerful Planning

Portfolio Management

Sourcing and Supplier Collaboration

QMS and Engineering Change Management

Packaging and Proofing

Sustainability

Request a Demo

Helpful resources for consumer electronics teams

Whitepapers

How Commercialization PLM Drives New Product Development in Consumer Electronics

Whitepapers

Time for a New Approach to Product Portfolio Management?

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Blogs

The Solution Consumer Electronics Brands Didn’t Know They Needed

Manage complex supply chains and react to disruption

Centric solutions empower teams to manage challenging global supply chains with tight go-to-market deadlines without compromising on quality standards. Shorten planning and product development timelines and quickly action supplier or region changes in response to supply chain issues while maintaining brand identity and reputation.

Frequently asked questions

What is PLM for consumer electronics?

PLM stands for Product Lifecycle Management. It’s a transformative, digital solution that streamlines all critical aspects of product development, quality management, launch and retail of consumer electronics products. With an effective PLM solution in place, consumer electronics brands, retailers and manufacturers are empowered to optimize new product innovation, ensure product development success, improve supply chain visibility, drive cross-team collaboration, and make better, more strategic business decisions.
Why use PLM for consumer electronics?

For many years the consumer electronics industry has been challenged with older PDM/PLM systems aimed at engineering teams with complicated, rigid user interfaces. Centric PLM connects teams from engineering to marketing to creatives to production, quality and more across the end-to-end product development chain. Real-time access to one source of truth for product-related data streamlines efficiency, speeds time to market, reduces costs, cuts waste, improves product quality and drives innovation. The addition of exciting innovations such as mobile apps and industry-first VIP digital collaborative workspaces provides consumer electronics brands and retailers with a complete end-to-end PLM solution to drive product creation and launch.
Who uses PLM for consumer electronics?

Consumer electronics brands, retailers, manufacturers and sub-contractors all use PLM because it enables teams to respond quickly to consumer wants and market trends, freeing up valuable time to innovate while ensuring quality and compliance standards are met. All teams involved in product development and launch – including innovation, merchandising, sourcing, packaging, quality and compliance – leverage PLM to boost efficiency, drive innovation and accelerate new product creation.
Is PLM hard to implement?

Not at all and deployment can be done remotely! But keep in mind, PLM is a company-wide resource and that means it takes careful coordination and cross-departmental communication to achieve a successful roll-out. However, having an experienced consumer electronics PLM point person as part of the team helps to cut down implementation time significantly.

Centric’s Agile Deployment approach results in a rapid implementation preserved across future system upgrades and enhancements.

Want more info on implementation? Check out our Agile Deployment methodology, Centric’s uniquely fast path toward R.O.I.
Is PLM the same as PIM?

No. Product Information Management (PIM) is used to store information about a product, images, documents and videos. PLM on the other hand oversees the entire lifecycle of a product from start to finish.
Is PLM the same as ERP?

No. PLM is a tool to facilitate and streamline product ideation and creation. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a solution that tracks those products once they’ve left the manufacturing floor.
Does Centric PLM support QMS?

Yes, Centric PLM enables teams to manage revisions, identify, track and change product components and automatically update every related product. QMS (Quality Management System) equips brands and retailers with end-to-end traceability, helping to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce quality issues and adhere to regulatory CE standards safeguarding product and brand integrity.

READ: Why Consumer Electronics Businesses need a modern PLM and QMS solution
Are there mobile apps available for consumer electronics PLM?

There sure are. In fact, Centric was the first company to develop convenient, UX-friendly mobile apps for PLM, which help enlarge the scope of product development contributors, including product testers, sales and more. Today, Centric has a comprehensive suite of industry first mobile apps, helping teams capture and share information on the go.
Can packaging engineers and designers use PLM for consumer electronic products?

Yes! Product development teams can connect with packaging and label designers through PLM’s centralized platform. Centric PLM offers integration with third-party tools like Adobe Illustrator and leading 3D CAD solutions using 3D Connect, enabling packaging engineers and graphic designers to work within a familiar digital environment while connected with PLM to streamline workflows.

Curious to see how it works? Explore how Centric solutions empower consumer electronic brands and retailers to innovate with speed, collaborate effectively and manage challenging supply chains with ease.

Consumer Electronics

Commercial PLM and Visual Portfolio Planning for Consumer Electronics

Centric solutions drive digital collaboration with a single source of truth.

Leverage visual product portfolio management with rapid execution to deliver innovative products

Plan and Execute Faster

Boost Go-to-Market Efficiency

Optimize Complex Product Portfolios

Improve Supply Chain Visibility

Manage Quality and Compliance

Strengthen Sustainability

How do Centric Solutions work for consumer electronic companies?

Powerful Planning

Portfolio Management

Sourcing and Supplier Collaboration

QMS and Engineering Change Management

Packaging and Proofing

Sustainability

Powerful Planning

Portfolio Management

Sourcing and Supplier Collaboration

QMS and Engineering Change Management

Packaging and Proofing

Sustainability

Helpful resources for consumer electronics teams

Health & Beauty Tech Devices Revolution

CIMdata Commentary: Smart Commercialization of Consumer Electronics Products

Unlock the Future of Consumer Electronics

How Commercialization PLM Drives New Product Development in Consumer Electronics

Time for a New Approach to Product Portfolio Management?

The Solution Consumer Electronics Brands Didn’t Know They Needed

Manage complex supply chains and react to disruption

Frequently asked questions

What is PLM for consumer electronics?

Why use PLM for consumer electronics?

Who uses PLM for consumer electronics?

Is PLM hard to implement?

Is PLM the same as PIM?

Is PLM the same as ERP?

Does Centric PLM support QMS?

Are there mobile apps available for consumer electronics PLM?

Can packaging engineers and designers use PLM for consumer electronic products?

Curious to see how it works? Explore how Centric solutions empower consumer electronic brands and retailers to innovate with speed, collaborate effectively and manage challenging supply chains with ease.