January 23rd, 2013

Black Diamond Equipment Selects Product Lifecycle Management From Centric Software

CAMPBELL, Calif. Wednesday, January 23, 2013 –

Black Diamond, Inc. has selected Centric Software, Inc. as its product lifecycle management (PLM) system provider.

Black Diamond will implement Centric 8 PLM software for all product lines, including Black Diamond Equipment hardgoods and apparel, Gregory Mountain Products packs, and POC protective gear, over time. “The Centric PLM system will help Black Diamond improve its materials management functions and provide visibility of materials usage across all product lines,” says Walter Wilhelm, vice president of business process at Black Diamond. “In a company whose technically sophisticated products incorporate innovative materials, the Centric PLM suite will help assure the most cost-effective purchasing of these top-quality materials.” Those materials are critical to Black Diamond’s product quality, product performance and customer satisfaction.

“Black Diamond conducted an extensive PLM system evaluation process before choosing Centric,” says Wilhelm. “We selected Centric for its out-of-the-box, best-in-class functionality, its intuitive user experience, and the overall cost of ownership of the system,” he explains. The expertise of the Centric team was another factor in Black Diamond’s decision. “Both Black Diamond and Centric focus on product innovation—a shared focus that provides a foundation for a solid relationship.”

Colin Israel, Managing Director of Asia Operations at Black Diamond, concurs with Wilhelm. “Centric clearly represented the best value,” he concludes. He cites Black Diamond’s analysis of total cost of ownership, which evaluated system costs for the major PLM system vendors over a five-year period. Centric excelled in system ease of use, which impacts cost of training and user adoption. Israel also points out the reduced costs of implementation associated with Centric’s Agile Deployment methodology, and the low costs of upgrades for the Centric system.

“The remarkable vision and professionalism of the Black Diamond organization helps the company deliver innovative products,” says Chris Groves, Centric CEO and president. Centric’s Agile Deployment methodology will assure that Black Diamond rapidly realizes PLM system value, with the advanced materials management capabilities the company seeks, he adds. “Centric’s relationship with Black Diamond promises to be a ‘win-win’ that helps Black Diamond rapidly innovate, while allowing Centric to learn and incorporate that knowledge into future product offerings.”

About Black Diamond, Inc. (https://www.blackdiamond-inc.com)
Black Diamond, Inc. is a global leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of innovative active outdoor performance products for climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, skiing, cycling and other outdoor recreation activities for a wide range of year-round use. The company’s principal brands, Black Diamond®, Gregory™, POC™ and Pieps™, are iconic in the active outdoor industry and linked intrinsically with the modern history of these sports. Black Diamond is synonymous with performance, innovation, durability and safety that the outdoor and action sport communities rely on and embrace in their active lifestyle. Headquartered in Salt Lake City at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, the company’s products are created and tested on some of the best alpine peaks, slopes, crags, roads and trails in the world. These close connections to the Black Diamond lifestyle enhance the authenticity of the company’s brands, inspire product innovation and strengthen customer loyalty. The company’s products are sold by leading specialty retailers in the U.S. and 50 countries around the world. For additional information, please visit the company’s websites at www.blackdiamond-inc.com, www.blackdiamondequipment.com, www.gregorypacks.com, www.pocsports.com or www.pieps.com.

Centric Software, Inc. (www.centricsoftware.com)
Centric Software is a leading provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software for apparel, retail, footwear, luxury and consumer goods companies. The Centric 8 PLM suite delivers easy-to-use functionality to manage critical, inseparable business processes, including product development, sourcing, business planning, quality management and collection management. Centric 8 is a modularized system that implements and delivers value rapidly using an Agile Deployment methodology.

Global enterprises including AMG Services, Ariat, Balenciaga, Bass Pro Shops, Beretta, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Black Diamond Equipment, Bravo Sports, Christine Laure, Colmar, Crocs, DSquared2, Fox Head, HoMedics, INTERSPORT France, JD Sports Fashion, Kindy, KlimUSA, Longchamp, Newbrands, PetSmart, Ports 1961, Proenza Schouler, Silver Jeans Co., Speedo, Sundance Catalog, Système U, TALLY WEiJL, Triple Aught Design, Uniek and United Stationers use Centric solutions to achieve revenue growth, reduce costs and deliver trend-right products to their customers. Centric is the recipient of the Frost & Sullivan 2012 Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion and Apparel Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

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