Jump Into Action with Centric Footwear PLM

1: Identify your challenges

Define the challenges you face before you acknowledge potential solutions. Be completely honest and ask each department to add to the list – never assume you know what they struggle with.

2. Research solutions

Evaluate a variety of solutions so that decision makers will be confident that you made time to find the best fit for your footwear business. There are three basic options: A modern PLM solution. Cloud-based, market-driven, mobile, configurable solutions focused on best practices and on innovation that drive collaboration across the entire product lifecycle and deliver benefits such as higher margins and reduced time to market. An older PLM / PDM solution. Legacy solutions that originated in a need to store CAD/CAM files and other product design drawings in the automobile and aerospace industries. These don’t handle the complete product lifecycle in the way that a modern, footwear-focused PLM can. An older solution is less likely to evolve at the same pace that your business does or be as flexible as you would like. A homegrown system. Tailored to your business, which is its main advantage, but it will take a lot of time and money to build compared to an out-of-the-box solution. And will likely not grow with you or be very flexible.

3: Convey ROI

Calculating your potential Return on Investment (ROI) may sound like a difficult task, but once you quantify each benefit in terms of cost savings or business growth, you determine the real value of footwear PLM.

The next step

Now that you've identified your challenges, it's most likely clear that a modern footwear PLM solution will provide the best foundation and opportunities for growing your business. If your business case succeeds, it’s time to get your PLM project on the road.