March 21st, 2017

Max Mara Manufacturer IMAX Signs with Centric Software

CAMPBELL, Calif., March 21, 2017 – IMAX, a manufacturing division of iconic Italian fashion company Max Mara, has selected Centric Software to provide its product lifecycle management (PLM) solution. Centric Software is the leading PLM solution for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods companies.

IMAX is part of the Max Mara Group and produces knitwear and jersey for most of its 35 different labels. The core business is manufacturing, although IMAX also provides logistics services to Max Mara’s brands. IMAX is a complex operation, with production in Italy as well as some outsourcing to sites in Europe and Asia.

IMAX’s main goals are to keep production costs as low as possible while still producing high quality clothing and to guarantee on-time deliveries to its customers. Although the company previously had a PDM system in place, it was primarily using an ERP system to organize data. Users were lacking visibility and there was a duplication of information across various systems and programs, creating inefficiencies and confusion.

“The tools we had been using for many years were no longer up to date and were not sophisticated enough for our business processes,” explains Giovanni Bisotti, IT Manager at Imax Srl. “We had different systems all containing various product data which made it difficult for users to keep up. In some cases, the same data was being entered twice in different systems and occasionally data would be not be accessible to some users because it was associated with personal databases or accounts.”

“We wanted to simplify that situation to give users a unique environment where they could find all of the information related to each product, so we started looking for a solution. Because things change so quickly in the fashion market, we needed flexibility to manage our processes and data and a tool that would allow us to react rapidly. We also wanted to enable new methods of collaboration, both internally between users and externally with regard to the supply chain.”

After reviewing a number of different PLM providers, IMAX selected Centric Software to provide their new PLM solution. As Bisotti says, Centric proved to be best-in-class for several reasons.

“We like Centric’s focus on fashion. Centric has great references in Italy and also around the world,” says Bisotti. “It’s one of the few PLM solutions that is tailor-made for our industry. The technology impressed us and it is easy for users to adopt and use. We looked for a solution that would be highly configurable, rather than customizable, and we found it in Centric. Centric’s approach allows us to benefit from upgrades and new releases, and Centric is particularly active in that regard issuing new innovations frequently.”

As Bisotti concludes, “We’re looking forward to increased efficiency which will reduce our internal costs and time to market. This is the main objective of the project. With Centric PLM in place, we’ll also be changing our data model. The PLM system will be the master source of data, rather than the ERP system. So far, working with the Centric team has been great – it’s really straightforward and collaborative. I see a lot of positive energy and we’re very enthusiastic about it.”

“IMAX’s focus on manufacturing high-quality clothing means that they need an adaptable, easy to use, innovative solution to drive efficiency while maintaining agility,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software, “We are very pleased to partner with them to help meet their cost-savings and time to market goals.”

MAX MARA AND IMAX (www.maxmarafashiongroup.com)

Recognized throughout the world as the precursor of modern prêt-à-porter fashion, the Max Mara Group is one of the largest international fashion houses and the first Italian women’s clothing company. The company was formed (in 1951) with the aim of offering “haut de gamme” feminine clothing, produced according to excellent industrial processes. This is a record that the Max Mara Group has consolidated over time through a meticulous, luxurious style that has always achieved rising success on a world-wide scale, demonstrated today in more than 2,300 stores. Max Mara Group, with 41 companies and over 5,000 employees, operates in 105 countries. Max Mara has spawned 35 labels, although Max Mara womenswear remains the core of the company. Other brands include Sportmax, Sportmax Code, Weekend Max Mara, Marella, Pennyblack, iBlues, Max & Co. (the trendy, youth division), and Marina Rinaldi.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software builds technologies for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, and consumer goods. Its flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality, and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB packages extended PLM including innovative technology and key industry learnings tailored for small businesses.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM in 2016 and Frost & Sullivan’s Global Retail, Fashion, and Apparel PLM Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2012. Red Herring named Centric to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015, and 2016.

Centric is a registered trademark of Centric Software. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.