The rapid pace of the apparel industry has been both astounding and challenging for brands that must keep up with constantly evolving trends and consumer demands. Consequently, brands like yours must leverage cutting-edge tools and systems to streamline their processes and get their products to the market faster. This is where Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions come into play. 

PLM solutions are changing the game for fashion brands, enabling them to reduce time to market and improve overall product development efficiency. In this article, we will discuss the significance of PLM solutions in the fashion industry and how they benefit fashion brands in various product lifecycle stages.

PLM Solutions in the Fashion Industry

Leveraging PLM solutions is a strategic business approach that helps brands manage the lifecycle of a product, from ideation, design, and development, to production, marketing, and sales. According to a Market Research Future report, the global PLM market is projected to reach a valuation of $1.97 billion by 2025, signifying the importance and wide adoption of PLM solutions across multiple industries.

In the fashion world, leading brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Zara have already successfully implemented PLM systems, illustrating the potential for more brands to reap the benefits.

Key Features of PLM Solutions for Fashion Brands

Expanding on the benefits of PLM solutions, they can make product development processes more efficient by providing brands with a clear view of the entire lifecycle, reducing the inherent risk of launching new products or services. 

This includes reducing delays in design changes, testing processes, documentation requirements, and other areas of the product lifecycle. And by giving product teams a clear view of how their products are progressing, they quickly identify and address any areas that may be holding back progress. 

Ultimately offering you a competitive advantage over other businesses that fail to recognize the importance of leveraging such a robust tool.

In short, a comprehensive PLM for fashion brands and retailers can bring the following benefits to the table.

• Design collaboration and ideation: PLM solutions offer a single platform for designers to collaborate on design ideas, exchange feedback, and make informed decisions in the unforgiving apparel industry. This centralization shortens the ideation process and reduces the risk of miscommunication or lost ideas.
• Trend analysis and forecasting: By integrating trend analysis tools and market research data, PLM solutions help fashion brands stay on top of emerging trends and make data-driven product development decisions. This feature enables companies to make more accurate trend forecasts and ensures that their products are both fresh and appealing to target audiences.
• Digital asset management: With PLM solutions, fashion brands can securely store, share, and manage all digital assets, such as designs, patterns, technical specifications, and images. This feature enhances collaboration among various teams and streamlines product development processes.
• Material management and costing: With tools that track and manage materials, inventory, and costs throughout the product lifecycle, fashion brands can optimize material usage, reduce waste, and maintain more accurate cost estimates, improving overall profitability.
• Supplier collaboration and production planning: PLM solutions serve as a central hub for communication and collaboration among suppliers, manufacturers, and internal teams. This coordinated approach improves production efficiency, reduces lead times, and ensures timely delivery of products to market.

6. Sales and marketing integration: Integrating sales and marketing data into PLM systems allows fashion brands to quickly make informed decisions regarding product pricing, promotions, and channel strategies. This feature helps optimize sales performance and supports overall growth.

PLM Trends and Future Developments

We’ve established that in the apparel industry, PLM solutions are crucial for brands to streamline their product development process and to maintain competitive advantage. Current trends in PLM for fashion brands include the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to analyze data and predict trends. 

These technologies help minimize production costs and reduce waste. In addition, PLM also aids brands in inventory management, data analysis, and collaboration across departments. By using PLM, fashion brands can improve supply chain efficiency, minimize environmental impact, reduce development time, and increase profitability.

It’s not a false statement to say that the fashion industry’s future heavily relies on technology. After all, many fashion businesses have turned to augmented reality (AR) to offer customers more. Augmented reality allows customers to virtually try on clothing and accessories without ever leaving their homes. By using AR technology, fashion businesses can enhance the shopping experience and increase customer satisfaction and engagement, ultimately leading to higher sales and successfully fulfilling customer demand.

Still, if your fashion business’s backend lacks efficiency, even the most captivating and interactive on-site features you offer to your clients won’t be enough. However, following the trend of leveraging PLM solutions can help you solve this issue.

How PLM Solutions Help Shorten Time to Market

Product Lifecycle Management solutions are revolutionizing the fashion industry by helping businesses shorten time to market and stay ahead of the competition. Here’s how:

•  Streamlined product development process: PLM software provides a centralized platform for managing product design, development, sourcing, and production, allowing teams to collaborate more effectively, reduce errors, and improve speed to market.
• End-to-end supply chain management: PLM solutions enable fashion businesses to manage the entire supply chain, from product development to distribution, ensuring that products reach customers on time.
• Valuable data and insights: PLM solutions provide businesses with valuable data and insights into customer preferences, allowing them to create products that are more in line with market demands. By using data analytics, businesses can identify trends, optimize products, and adjust production processes to meet changing consumer preferences.
• Improved decision-making: With real-time access to critical data, PLM solutions help fashion businesses make informed decisions, allowing them to create products that resonate with consumers.

Bottom Line

The fashion industry continuously evolves, and brands must keep up with the latest trends and consumer demands. Without a doubt, PLM solutions are game-changers for fashion brands, providing a centralized platform to streamline the product development process, optimize supply chain management, and shorten time to market. The key features of PLM solutions for fashion brands include design collaboration, trend analysis, digital asset management, material management, supplier collaboration, and sales and marketing integration. PLM trends for the future include the implementation of AI and machine learning to predict trends and minimize production costs. 

PLM solutions offer numerous benefits for fashion brands, including efficient product development processes, improved collaboration and communication, better data and insights, and improved decision-making.

All in all, robust PLM for fashion brands and retailers can ensure a competitive edge, waste reduction, material usage optimization, and increased profitability, ultimately leading to satisfied customers and a successful business.

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Manufacturing quality assurance is crucial for any business that strives to provide its customers with top-notch products. As a company, your ultimate goal is to deliver products that meet and exceed your customers’ expectations. The significance of maintaining high standards cannot be understated, as failure to do so could result in significant consequences, such as tarnishing the reputation of your business and a decrease in your client base.

Picture this, a client purchased a brand new, stylish outfit that they are excited to wear. The fabric feels fantastic, and the fit is just right. But after only a few washes, they notice the seams are coming apart, and the color is fading rather quickly. 

That once trendy ensemble is now destined for the donation bin. So, what happened? Chances are, there was a lack of quality assurance in the production of that ill-fated garment. As a business owner, you know that means you can kiss goodbye to the customer’s trust and expect to read a bad review somewhere online.

Luckily, the process of manufacturing quality assurance exists so that these instances never occur. Let’s explore this topic in-depth and help you ensure you only provide your customers with reliable products.

Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance

Now, you might be wondering what quality assurance is and how it differentiates from quality control. While many people use these terms interchangeably, they actually refer to different aspects of the clothing production process.

Quality control (QC) is the process of examining and testing the final products to ensure they meet the desired level of quality. It’s the last line of defense before the clothes hit the racks, and it helps to catch any defects or inconsistencies. 

On the other hand, quality assurance encompasses all the measures taken throughout the production process to guarantee a high-quality end product. It’s a proactive approach that involves everything from raw material selection to design, manufacturing, and even employee training.

Quality Assurance in Clothing Production Process

In the context of clothing production, QA is about more than just ensuring that garments are defect-free – it also encompasses aspects such as design, sustainability, and ethical production practices.

The process typically involves a combination of pre-production checks (inspection of raw materials and approval and examination of design specifications by quality managers), in-process monitoring (seam strength, fabric weight, color consistency, etc.), and final inspections (examination of completed garments for defects, size accuracy, and overall quality). 

By implementing robust quality assurance programs, clothing manufacturers can ensure that their products meet or exceed expectations, forging brand loyalty and trust among consumers.

Preventing Defects and Elevating Product Quality

From the selection of textiles and thread to the intricacies of stitching and finishing, there are numerous opportunities for defects to emerge in the clothing production process. Implementing a thorough QA process not only helps prevent these issues from arising but also promotes a culture of continuous improvement within the organization.

According to First Insight, people are not out just to find the best bargain option but rather a piece of clothing that’s durable and high in quality. What you can do is offer customers the best of two worlds – fair prices and solid quality.

Benefits of Quality Assurance in Clothing Production

1. Ensuring Consistent Quality

A robust quality assurance system ensures that all garments produced are of the highest quality possible. This means that each piece of clothing undergoes various checks and tests throughout its production lifecycle. Manufacturers can identify and rectify any defects or discrepancies early, avoiding the costly consequences of delivering flawed products to the market.

2. Cost Reduction

Reducing costs without sacrificing quality is crucial in an industry where razor-thin profit margins determine success. By addressing potential issues early, quality assurance can save manufacturers thousands, or even millions, in recalls, returns, and lawsuits. An efficient QA process can also lead to improved time-to-market, increasing overall profitability for the manufacturer.

3. Compliance With Industry Standards

Regulations and standards for clothing production vary depending on region, target market, and product type. Implementing a solid quality assurance system ensures adherence to these regulations, reducing the likelihood of breaching industry quality requirements or encountering legal complications.

4. Enhanced Brand Image

A consistent record of delivering high-quality clothes bolsters a brand’s image and reputation on the market. Satisfied customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and recommend a brand to their friends and family. By investing in quality assurance, clothing manufacturers can cultivate a loyal customer base and prosper in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace.

5. Responsibly-Sourced Materials and Ethical Production Practices

With the rising concerns over environmental impact and fair labor practices, a proactive quality assurance process helps manufacturers to adhere to sustainable and ethical practices. By monitoring and controlling the production process, QA can play a vital role in meeting the ever-growing demand for socially responsible clothing.

The consequences of neglecting even the tiniest aspect of quality assurance are manifold. Inadequate QA can lead to a decline in perceived value, customer dissatisfaction, and decreased sales for clothing manufacturers. It can expose companies to regulatory penalties and environmental concerns, damaging their reputation beyond repair. To remain competitive and meet global standards, quality assurance is not just a suggestion – it’s an imperative.

Investing in a reliable system and following the best quality assurance practices will not only help your business thrive in the long run but will also contribute to building a more responsible and consumer-centric fashion industry. 

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Common Quality Assurance Techniques

Among the most commonly used techniques are complete end-to-end management of operations, inspection audits, lab testing, and sampling.

End-to-end management of all your apparel business processes is a breeze with the right solution. Although not all manufacturers have incorporated a fully automated system to guarantee the quality of products, more and more companies are moving towards Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems with comprehensive quality assurance features. 

These solutions provide the necessary tools to manage quality assurance objectives throughout the supply chain, from assessment to distribution. With ERP systems, quality assurance teams can track all systems and subsystems in the production cycle for flaws or defects. 

This ensures that the finished products are uniform, of premium quality, and safe for the consumers.

Inspection audits involve a systematic review of the production process, from the selection of raw materials to the final output. This helps identify any potential flaws or deviations from the agreed-upon quality standards. By closely monitoring production, fashion companies can address and rectify issues timely, ensuring a more consistent and reliable product. However, the inspection aspect can also be labor-intensive and may inadvertently overlook minor defects or inconsistencies.

Lab testing is another popular method employed within the fashion industry to evaluate the quality and performance of various materials and finished products. This technique includes tests, such as colorfastness, shrinkage, and fabric strength, to ensure the longevity and durability of the garment or accessory. Although lab testing provides valuable information on the performance of a product, it may not cover all aspects or foresee real-life scenarios of wear and tear.

Sampling involves randomly selecting a certain percentage of garments from a batch or production run and thoroughly inspecting them for quality. This helps identify any defects or inconsistencies in the finished garments and determine the batch’s overall quality level.

Implementing Quality Assurance in Clothing Production

To implement quality assurance effectively, each step of the process we’ve discussed above must be carefully monitored, beginning with identifying any defects before the product leaves the production line. Practical solutions to address and fix mistakes should be implemented, and ways to prevent them from reoccurring should be identified. 

Finally, maintaining high standards is paramount to ensure customer satisfaction and preserve the brand’s reputation. By prioritizing quality assurance at every stage of clothing production, companies can deliver high-quality products and maintain a competitive edge in the industry.

The Challenges of Implementing Quality Assurance in Clothing Production

By now, you are very familiar with the purpose of quality assurance in clothing production, but that does not mean it’s something businesses quickly establish. One of the main challenges is ensuring that quality standards are consistent throughout the production process, from sourcing materials to the final product. 

However, with the right software solutions and training your team to properly and diligently carry out each quality assurance protocol, your customers will always wear durable fashion pieces.

The Role of Quality Assurance in Sustainable Clothing Production

Manufacturing quality assurance plays a vital role in ensuring that sustainable clothing production is environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and economically viable. By implementing quality assurance procedures, brands can monitor their entire production process, from the sourcing of materials to the final delivery of garments to customers.

By controlling each step of the supply chain, brands can ensure that materials are environmentally friendly, that they engage in ethical labor practices, and that the production process is free from harmful chemicals or treatments.

Quality assurance also ensures that garments are durable, long-lasting, and ethically made, reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact. This, in turn, will reduce the need for frequent replacements, leading to a more sustainable fashion industry.

Bottom Line

Manufacturing quality assurance is a critical aspect of any successful clothing business. It goes beyond just checking for defective products; it involves a proactive approach throughout the production process, from raw material selection to managing manufacturing processes and even employee training. 

By implementing a robust quality assurance system, clothing manufacturers can take preventive action against defects, elevate product quality, reduce costs, comply with industry standards, enhance brand image, and promote sustainable and ethical practices.

You should also consider getting certified by the American Society of Quality to ensure that your whole organization operates safely and effectively.

The worldwide fashion industry, estimated to be worth 1.71 trillion dollars in 2022, connects design teams, brands, suppliers, manufacturers, buyers, and stores. As the industry expands at a fast pace, it can be difficult to manually maintain such a fragmented supply chain with all its complicated steps.

McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2022 Report shows that the fashion industry faces a significant challenge due to probable product and resource shortages, as clogged supply chains and increased shipping costs negatively affect operations. Apparel companies must work with a variety of suppliers from around the globe who may also be serving other customers. It can be difficult to manage precise quantities, storage, tracking, and fulfillment according to each demand, and even minor errors can result in significant losses.

In order to make better decisions when preparing future collections, fashion brands can use product lifecycle software to manage product data and information, improve business processes, speed up time to market, increase productivity, cut waste and costs, improve product innovation and quality, and offer effective real-time collaboration. 

In this post, we’re explaining how product lifecycle software can help fashion brands make better decisions by providing them with more accurate, real-time data, what other benefits it offers, how to decide when it is time to invest in a PLM solution, and more.

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Why is Digital Transformation Crucial for Fashion Brands

Two decades ago, the majority of European fashion labels launched two new collections a year.  As fashion cycles accelerated, the number of collections also grew and in 2011, fashion brands launched five new collections a year. These days, major fast-fashion companies release new collections at a dizzying rate; for instance, H&M releases between 12 and 16, whereas Zara launches as many as 24 collections every year!

As if this wasn’t fast enough, many clothing brands have switched from the conventional two to four seasonal lines per year to the “drop” approach. Luxury clothing companies like Alexander Wang and Louis Vuitton are also implementing this approach, which involves releasing limited-edition products at selected retail locations in restricted quantities.

When you’re attempting to stand out in a market that is so competitive and changing so quickly, agility is essential. Even though it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when considering the apparel industry, technology is undoubtedly a tool that has the potential to transform it.

Being a successful apparel business requires constant innovation, complex supply chain management, and lightning-quick product delivery. Apparel product lifecycle software lets you control costs, manage idea flow, and deliver enough documentation all in a single centralized location. In essence, product lifecycle software enables you to maximize the use of your existing resources while enhancing your agility.

How PLM Can Aid the Decision-Making Process of Fashion Brands

In order to meet customer demand, the fashion industry places a high priority on launching new products with a short time-to-market. As a result, it is crucial that the product development process is as productive and efficient as possible.

By using apparel business software, your clothing business as a whole will be able to make decisions more quickly and effectively throughout the development process. Cloud-based PLM software offers visibility into product margins, pricing, and raw material costs, enabling data-driven decisions based on: 

• Overview of collection performance. Product lifecycle management software can help clothing brands in setting appropriate performance benchmarks and improve decision-making through statistical data into the performance of collections by integrating an analytics module to generate collection insights and visualizations. By knowing collection performance, brands can plan better in order to achieve minimum order quantities while at the same time reducing waste.
• Collection planning. Product lifecycle software enables apparel companies to visualize and compare collections, prices, and styles, making it easier to make informed decisions when creating new items and offering them at the right prices. 
• Supplier audit. Product lifecycle software also enables a complete examination of product quality and product compliance through supplier audits and the measurement of Acceptable Quality Limits (AQL). In order to collaborate with the most effective and suitable manufacturers, fashion brands can evaluate which suppliers deliver the best samples and which ones have the highest cancellation rates. 

Other Key Benefits of Product Lifecycle Software for Fashion Brands

A product lifecycle management system for fashion brands will increase productivity and efficiency by consolidating data into a single source of truth and coordinating suppliers, product design, production, and management. It can also help with cost reduction and better decision-making. Finally, fashion PLM software helps fashion businesses address product commercialization by streamlining the supply chain, which can eventually increase the company’s profitability and competitive advantage.

Here are some of the most important benefits of using product lifecycle management software made with fashion brands in mind:

• Increased efficiency and productivity
• Complete visibility of the product lifecycle 
• Reduced costs
• Transparent product tracking
• More efficient data sharing
• Improved product quality
• Improved collection planning
• Improved tech pack accuracy
• Faster time to market
• Improved supplier collaboration
• Streamlined sample inspections
• Reduced entry and data errors
• Elimination of duplication
• Keeping up with compliance requirements
• Costing and budgeting
• Reduced stress in employees
• Reporting and analytics

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How Do You Know It’s Time to Invest in Fashion PLM Software?

So, how do you know whether it is time to invest in a PLM solution for your fashion business? Here are some typical challenges that fashion companies experience when not having product a lifecycle management software:

• Data maintenance in Excel, Dropbox, and email is too complicated
• Delays are caused by redundant data entering and information processing
• Workflows are being slowed down by information searching
• Lacking a complete perspective of the timing and workflow among teams
• Errors in data and samples are frequent
• Communication and collaboration with suppliers are difficult
• Creativity suffers due to administrative activities taking up too much time
• It takes time to deliver and format product data for marketing and sales

If you can relate to one or more of the aforementioned issues, it is undoubtedly time to implement a modern PLM system.

The Bottom Line

Because of how fiercely competitive it is, the fashion industry doesn’t leave much space for error. In a world where trends are constantly being formed and destroyed, fashion companies need to be quick and effective when it comes to getting products to their customers. This requires a system that is up to the challenge – a product lifecycle management solution created with the apparel industry in mind. 

Do you want to improve productivity, save costs, shorten lead times, boost profits for your present fashion product line, and make more informed business decisions? ApparelMagic can help. Learn how our fashion PLM solution can help our company enhance informed decisions, quality management, vendor communication, team collaboration, and more. 

How does a designer’s idea for a fashion item become a three-dimensional product that potential customers will be able to purchase? Production management is the crucial link in the fashion supply chain, transforming an idea into a tangible product that is offered for sale.

In this blog post, we go over the key phases of developing a fashion product as well as how to efficiently manage production utilizing cutting-edge production management software.

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What is Production Management in Fashion

Production management is used in the manufacturing industry and includes procuring raw materials, transforming them into finished products for the target market, and overseeing the entire process. 

In the clothing industry, production and operations management describes the process of creating a piece of clothing from start to finish. Production and operations management covers every step of the manufacturing process, from acquiring the raw materials for the creation of garments to organizing the tasks needed to transform them, supervising the process, managing the workers properly, and even delivering the finished products to customers.

6 Main Stages of Product Development in the Fashion Industry

Product development in the fashion industry is made up of several processes that need to be completed before a finished product is created. The 6 main stages of the product development process are listed below.

1. Visualizing an idea

During this stage, the designer visualizes the product by drawing design concepts and making multiple sketches for different versions of the design. After a clear concept has been created, you can proceed to the next development step.

2. Tech pack creation

Think of the tech pack as the manufacturer’s “blueprint” for creating your clothing. It’s a design document that contains drawings and details about the suggested clothing item, including the fabrics, add-ons, and finishing touches that will be employed in its production. The tech pack’s main objective is to assist in determining whether the fashion item is feasible and prepared for production.

3. Preparing a cut sheet

Every tech box should contain a cut sheet or specification sheet which includes all of the crucial measurements required by the manufacturer such as the length of the clothing, the hip, waist, and chest sizes. A common specification sheet will vary the measurements for the various sizes (like XL, L, M, S, etc).

4. Making samples

Design teams collaborate with clothing manufacturers (clothing factories) to produce the first iteration of the designed clothing. Making samples allows fashion designers to see how a garment will appear in use. Additionally, it is utilized for fitting purposes to see how the clothing looks on a target-size model. The process of making samples typically involves multiple iterations before the final sample is accepted. The designer may opt to change some design elements, such as selecting a different type of fabric or asking for small adjustments to the specifications.

5. Product manufacturing

Once the final sample has been authorized and the materials have been sourced, it is time to manufacture the product. The entire manufacturing process is divided into a number of smaller sub-processes that might vary depending on the equipment at hand, the working techniques employed, and the workers’ skill levels. In addition, depending on the kind of factory you work with, they may provide a complete production package as well as assistance with locating supplies and packaging. 

6. Quality assurance

Quality control is the last phase of fashion design and product development, during which you should check each article of clothing (or a specific percentage for large quantities) from the production batch to ensure that they all meet your requirements and provide the desired effects. The discrepancies in color shades, fabric flaws like poor fiber quality, construction flaws like exposed notches, loose threads, or stains, and measurement variations are some of the key considerations when evaluating the quality of a garment. The quality assurance checklist should be made before production starts. The manufacturer will then use it as a reference manual while working on the product.

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Production Management Software

Production management software is a category of ERP (enterprise resource planning) software that is used by businesses that produce their own goods. This type of software helps businesses in the fashion industry to manage, organize, and track the manufacturing of their products.

Production management software assists managers in planning projects, keeping track of a company’s budget, and tracking the progress of each stage of the production process. You can use the system to shorten lead times for quicker delivery, monitor any changes to expected costs or completion dates, track inventory, and streamline your supply chain.

The best product management software solutions for fashion retailers and clothing manufacturers have the following features:

• Data collection in real-time on dashboards and mobile for performance indicators analysis
• MRP and scheduling
• Scheduling and tracking workers
• Complete product history and workflow visibility
• Fully automated EDI processing
• Control over yield, scrap, and rework metrics
• Powerful dashboards and diagrams to visualize workflows
• Detailed labeling capabilities
  

Benefits of using production management software

Aside from being a convenient way to monitor your clothing company’s operations, production management software can also help you save money. The flexibility of cloud-based software is one of its most important benefits. It not only enables you to view your data virtually anywhere, but it also makes it possible for you to collaborate and communicate with everyone involved in the production process regardless of where they are located. 

This type of software can also help you manage projects more effectively. Whether you are leading a project within your own clothing business or serving as a vendor for a third-party client, product management software provides you with improved visibility into project details and important milestones. This makes it possible for you to monitor the status of your project at any given time and make the required modifications or adjustments to finish the job successfully.

The Bottom Line

There are numerous processes involved in the fashion production process, including conceptualization, design, manufacturing, and delivering products to customers to satisfy customer demand.

Fashion brands of all sizes adopt modern production management software to assist in running the production process quickly and effectively, taking care of all parts of apparel production, and ensuring that the desired results are achieved. You can maximize your clothing production process with improved inventory management and integration with your favorite business tools. 

ApparelMagic offers a flexible and user-friendly solution for fashion brands looking for production and inventory management centralized to a single dashboard. 

PLM (product lifecycle management) is the process of managing a product’s entire lifecycle from the conception phase, complex product development, product sales, growth phase, and maturity phase to the decline phase and retirement. 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology Administration defines product lifecycle management as “a vision or a business strategy for creating, sharing, managing information about products, processes, people, and services within and across the extended and networked enterprise covering the entire lifecycle spectrum of the product.”

Product lifecycle management connects data, processes, and business systems and is used to determine marketing plans, pricing strategy, sales prospects, and market strategy, as well as to help create a strategic approach when it comes to product expansion and discontinuation. It is a complex process and involves technology to help you create, manage and leverage your products to help maximize profits and achieve your business goals. 

Essentially, a product lifecycle management method is used in some capacity by any business that produces complex products or multiple products simultaneously while having staff members collaborate across offices, locations, and time zones.

Nowadays, the phrase “product lifecycle management” is used to describe the software that serves as the foundational technology for all operations relating to products. In this post, we go through the characteristics of the product management lifecycle and talk about how integrating PLM software can help your business.

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The Fundamentals of Product Lifecycle Management

History of PLM

PLM was initially created as a tool for businesses looking to get the most out of launching new products. American Motors Corporation (AMC), which was seeking a way to hasten the development of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, made one of the earliest known uses of PLM in 1985. The company first used computer-aided design software (CAD) to accelerate complex product development. Its main objective was to boost engineers’ productivity but later, the company concentrated on a method for enhancing stakeholder dialogue, which facilitated quicker problem-solving.

As a result, product data management became so efficient that the system grew to connect everyone involved in the design phase. In the meantime, AMC was acquired by Chrysler which, thanks to the use of product lifecycle management, became the least expensive car manufacturer in the sector. The company’s development expenses were half the industry average by the mid-1990s. 

With the idea of managing a product’s whole lifecycle, from product concept through the design phase, manufacturing, growth phase, maturity phase, service, and finally, the decline phase and retirement of created goods, a completely new standard was introduced to the market. 

PLM systems and processes

According to the PLM Technology Guide, a community of independent PLM consultants,  PLM has the ability to “integrate people, data, processes and business systems” providing “a product information backbone” for an enterprise-wide digital thread that crosses geographical regions, engineering disciplines, lines of business, functions and activities.

It can be viewed as a repository for all data pertaining to a product, as well as a tool for communication between engineering, production, field service, and marketing teams. As such, product lifecycle management refers to the technology, data, and activities used in managing the lifespan of a product. 

In order to organize the data and procedures involved in the product lifecycle, most businesses use a PLM system to enable workflow, process, and data management, store documents in an electronic repository, manage business processes and design documents, permit secured multi-user access, create and control bill of material (BOM) records, allow task assignments, export data to ERP systems, etc. 

Product lifecycle management phases

Product development can be explained in a variety of ways, but the cycle typically contains five phases:

• Conception and design. This is the stage where the product is envisioned and specifications for the product are established using information about the market, consumer needs, and competitive analysis.
• Development. During the product development process, the product is carefully designed, including any tool designs. It covers the development and testing of prototypes as well as the analysis and validation of the intended product. The product development process also generates feedback that will help determine what improvements are still needed.
• Production and product launch. During this stage, a market-ready version of the product is created using the pilot’s feedback. Launching, market distribution, and scaling production are all included.
• Support and service: After the product launch, the service and support phase starts which entails all customer care and support activities.
• End-of-life (EOL). When a product is taken off the market, it has reached its end of life. Product retirement can entail fully removing the product from the market without a replacement or, in many cases, replacing the product with a new version. Products can be retired for a number of reasons, including developments in technology that render the product outdated, pressure from the market that renders the product unprofitable, or the product’s inability to exceed the necessary revenue or profitability standards. 

6 Benefits of PLM Software 

The availability and shareability of information from a single central platform is the most significant benefit of PLM software. This allows for consolidation of procedures and seamless tracking provided, adding to the following benefits:

1. Reduced development costs

Product development costs are immediately decreased by accelerating the product lifecycle. Reduced back-and-forth communication improves quality, increases output, and reduces the need for rework.

2. Error reduction

When using tools like PowerPoint, servers, Dropbox, emails, and Excel, it might be challenging to keep track of all the product information. The use of PLM software streamlines workflows, eliminates duplication of work, reduces the need for meetings, phone calls, and emails, and decreases the amount of time needed to find or update information.

3. Improved communication and collaboration

With internal employees and external stakeholders working from different locations, real-time data management and process capabilities are crucial. product lifecycle management software offers interfaces with external databases and enables timely updates from both internal staff and external business partners, establishing a “single source of truth.” Maintaining a single source of truth and factual data in real-time helps boost productivity, improve the success rates of new launches, and increase product sales. 

As the Journal of Technology Management puts it, “Companies can build channels between themselves through which information and knowledge can be exchanged and go far beyond the traditional exchange of specifications, drawings, and contracts.”

4. Speeds time to market

Time to market is sped up thanks to product lifecycle management, which provides access to product information that streamlines business processes, enhances collaboration throughout the supply chain, and improves decision-making. This visibility allows organizations to identify time-consuming and expensive risks and take appropriate action to maintain product flow.

5. Improved product quality and increased revenue

PLM software enables companies to rapidly and precisely determine how changes in expenses, profit, and pricing relate to predetermined product sales targets and business goals. In order to manage global procurement in a unified manner and choose the optimal procurement strategy, suppliers can be integrated into the supply chain collaboration process to additionally increase product profitability.

6. Marketing Support

PLM can also be regarded as a marketing investment. PLM knowledge can lead to an increase in marketing efficiency by influencing the marketing strategy, its execution, and performance measurements. On the other hand, the lack of PLM integration (business systems and processes) and product knowledge can impair customer engagement and the go-to-market process. 

When marketing teams work with a dynamic and effective PLM, they have actionable information that helps them work in an effective manner, create profitable marketing campaigns, and reduce marketing spend risks. 

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Who Can Benefit from PLM Tools?

PLM systems are a powerful tool for various companies, such as manufacturers, retailers, and brands who must deal with the complexity of design and production, globalization, and the requirement to create and transfer products quickly.

As we have entered our “new normal” with the rise of remote working, companies need a platform that encourages cooperation among internal teams and external stakeholders no matter where they are located. Investing in the right product lifecycle management tool can help companies take charge of their future. 

According to the 2019 PLM Market Industry Analysis report, product lifecycle management tools are used by a variety of industries, including the automotive industry and other transportation, aerospace industry and defense, fabrication and assembly (including industrial machinery, heavy equipment, consumer goods, retail, and apparel), electronics and high-tech (including telephony, satellites, and medical devices), CIS (construction, infrastructure, shipbuilding) process/consumables (including consumer packaged goods such as food and beverage and pharmaceutical), utilities, process/bulk chemical, insurance, financial, and more. 

The Bottom Line

The above-listed characteristics and benefits of PLM are some of the reasons why industry leaders are using product lifecycle management systems and why the PLM market is predicted to reach $42.8 billion by 2028.

The implementation of product lifecycle management software is a strategic business approach that will help you reach your business goals faster and with ease. PLM is a comprehensive, automated, and streamlined method for managing products at every stage of product development, from the conception phase through deployment, growth phase, maturity phase, decline phase, and retirement. The key is to find a PLM system that works best for you to optimize procedures, appeal to consumers, and stay competitive in the crowded market.

If you run an apparel brand, you are aware of how quickly things change in the fashion business. This makes it essential for clothing companies to continually develop new products, raise the bar on quality, and follow the most recent fashion trends.

When trying to stand out in a crowded and fast-moving industry, agility is essential. For this reason, many fashion and clothing businesses are embracing the digital transition and turning to apparel PLM software in order to strengthen their competitive advantage.

But what specifically can you gain from applying apparel PLM software to your clothing business? This post describes some of the most important benefits that fashion brands can expect from apparel PLM software. 

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Why Use Apparel PLM Software?

PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) is software used to manage the entire product lifecycle, from conception to disposal. Centric PLM offers complete transparency of vendor collaboration, product innovation, design, development, and production.

Apparel PLM software is used by fashion brands to shorten the time it takes to introduce new products to the market and to lower manufacturing and development expenses. This type of software is often integrated with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. 

Many clothing brands now place a high priority on apparel PLM software. Companies focused on growth have understood the value of collaborating with vendors and internal teams outside of spreadsheets and email. Businesses are no longer willing to spend time and money performing manual operations that are prone to error and do not support real-time cooperation. Without suitable apparel PLM software, many of the rapidly growing clothing brands would not have been able to expand effectively.

What are the different types of PLM solutions?

Product lifecycle management solutions come in many varieties, each with a unique feature set. PLM technology can also vary greatly. Traditional PLM systems are “on-premise” solutions, where the PLM software is set up to run on a dedicated server. These PLM systems need to be highly customized, and they need to be managed by internal IT staff. Every upgrade must be installed as a separate version by the software provider because upgrade cycles occur only once or twice a year.

Cloud PLM software solutions like ApparelMagic are created entirely in the cloud and accessible from anywhere in the world. As a result, PLM becomes more economical and deploys more quickly. Cloud PLM solutions leverage cutting-edge user experience and user interface design principles. All users of a cloud PLM system are always using the most recent version, and upgrade cycles are typically happening every eight weeks. 

Ways PLM Software Apparel Can Help Your Businesses Grow

So, how exactly can PLM software help your apparel business grow? Here are 7 benefits of using PLM software, especially one made with clothing brands in mind:

1. Improved communication and productivity

A product lifecycle management system serves as a “single source of truth,” which means that all data originates from the same location. This allows suppliers, designers, production, and managers to always use accurate, real-time data related to designs, materials, collections, colors, and sizes. As a result, communicating and collaborating with vendors and other team members requires less time, because there is no longer a need to look for pertinent data through spreadsheets or emails. 

With a cloud-based PLM system, information sharing improves because PLM serves as a knowledge management foundation that is accessible to everyone in the company. By streamlining their business functions with PLM, fashion businesses can boost productivity, concentrate on product design and planning of collections,  as well as improve supplier collaboration.

2. Cost reduction

Fashion companies can boost tech pack accuracy to drastically lower the highly expensive sample and product faults, by working together across internal employees and external vendors in a PLM system. Working with a PLM system ensures that product data management is thorough and constantly updated, as it is all collected in one location. Workflows won’t be slowed down by employees looking for information between Excel sheets and local folders, and they will always have access to the most recent information. This way, effective information exchange can help lower expenses.

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A fashion PLM system also aids in streamlining the production and sourcing processes. It increases supplier collaboration processes and product margins, with the aim to save costly last-minute shipping expenses and prevent misunderstandings that could delay sourcing. In the end, this enables apparel brands to simultaneously cut expenses and boost output.

3. Improved decision making

With price simulations, dashboards, and reports, PLM offers complete visibility into material and product costs. This enables data-driven decision-making, makes it simpler to plan collections, and deploys the right products at the right prices.

Furthermore, fashion PLM enables quality control and compliance through supplier audits and the measurement of AQL (Acceptable Quality Limits). In this way, fashion brands can evaluate which suppliers have high cancellation rates, and which deliver the best samples – in order to make sure they choose the most effective and suitable manufacturers.

4. Transparent product tracking

Lack of communication throughout the supply chain is one of the biggest obstacles many apparel companies encounter when launching new items, but product lifecycle management software can help by boosting visibility and transparency. Product lifecycle trackers make it easier for all employees to be aware of the state of each product. This way, managers and product teams can identify problems in the supply chain early on, and avoid missed deadlines and cost overruns. 

5. Increased time-to-market

The fashion industry is one of the few industries that value the prompt supply of new products. You must be quick enough to produce new clothing every season, launch your line first, and reach buyers before your competitors. But it’s not simple. Before anyone can purchase your clothing, there are many procedures to be completed, starting with the designer’s initial concept and ending with mass production and delivery to stores.

However, by using PLM for fashion, you can drastically speed up the process and ensure faster time-to-market. PLM software encourages transparency by gathering all information and ensuring that it is available to everyone involved. This allows you to identify where you can reduce steps and save time, as well as make it simpler for your staff to work together and follow business processes effectively.

6. Regulation compliance

Fashion brands are under a lot of pressure to adhere to the regulations and standards that are being added. All products must adhere to the necessary requirements. This is particularly challenging if you offer a wide range of products, such as shoes, handbags, sunglasses, and other items.

Brands can easily keep track of compliance requirements and create vendor requirement lists with the aid of fashion PLM software. Since all the data relevant to a certain project is saved in one location, you may request audits on the platform to save the auditors time on data entry. Auditor searches through emails or physical copies of papers are also not necessary. By doing this, the likelihood of human error is reduced and efficiency is raised.

7. Centralized hub to brainstorm ideas

PLM provides you with a central location to generate design ideas. If new ideas are visible to everyone involved in a project, they are more likely to be found, discussed, and put into practice. It offers everyone, regardless of location, a chance to participate in the creative process.

All of your designs, styles, prints and other visuals can be kept in one location. They can be tagged for quick search access, and you can utilize attributes to identify designs that go well with your concepts. This eliminates many of the inaccuracies that might happen when using real, paper-based documentation, and enables new staff to swiftly catch up on what has been accomplished thus far.

The Bottom Line

Because of how fiercely competitive it is, the fashion industry doesn’t leave much space for error. In a world where trends are changing with incredible speed, fashion brands need to be quick and effective when it comes to getting things out of their studios and into the hands of relevant customers. 

Utilizing a fashion software solution that can handle that level of speed necessitates using a PLM created expressly with the apparel industry in mind. If you own or work for a fashion brand, a PLM inclusive apparel software like ApparelMagic can make your life much  simpler. 

Product lifecycle management is the strategic process of managing a product’s entire lifecycle, including its conception, development, servicing, and disposal. A growing interest in product lifecycle management software and its advantages can be seen in a number of different industries since a PLM system is one of the best tools for firms looking to enhance their product offerings, streamline their supply chains, and grow their business.

But what is PLM software? Keep reading to find out more about what PLM software offers, how it is different from traditional systems, how it can benefit your business and more. 

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What Is PLM Software?

So, what does PLM mean? PLM is an acronym for Product Lifecycle Management, a method of information management that connects data, people, processes, and business systems across a large company. PLM software enables efficient and economical management of real-time data throughout the entire product lifecycle, from conception, design, and manufacturing to servicing and disposal.

Because it offers a digital basis and enterprise product record for a comprehensive product development process and supply chain management, modern PLM software is increasingly emerging as the key to business transformation. When your business processes are in line with current PLM software, you can blend your product value chain with integrated business planning (IBP) and supply chain execution (SCE) on a single platform. This will help to drive faster innovation and improve how complex products are designed, produced, and serviced.

What Does PLM Software Currently Offer?

Modern PLM solutions act as a single source of truth that allows teams from different departments to work together on products with external and internal stakeholders. The best aspect is that your product lifecycle management system will serve as a central database that can be accessed by employees spread across different locations. A system that encourages correct data exchange and cooperation is of unquestionable worth in the post-pandemic world, where an increasing number of teams operate remotely.

PLM software helps both larger companies and smaller ones to scale up by developing repeatable business processes that eliminate bottlenecks. This offers a route toward digital transformation, which all businesses require to remain competitive. Thanks to their integration features, the majority of modern product lifecycle management tools offer a variety of alternatives for connecting to other business applications like enterprise resource planning (ERP), industrial IoT, engineering design solutions, and customer relationship management (CRM). 

Characteristics of New PLM: Advantages Over Traditional Systems

Manufacturing businesses have been implementing and reaping the benefits of conventional PLM systems for over two decades. The majority of the large original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies and enterprise manufacturing groups used these technologies, but they are mostly outdated platforms, divided into MCAD and ECAD silos, and highly focused on managing CAD files. This makes them ill-equipped to manage data, including complex systems, multidisciplinary data sets, and software.

In addition, traditional PLM software, despite being effectively implemented for large companies, is not capable of scaling down to smaller businesses and is even less able to offer solutions for businesses that collaborate. Each PLM database serves the needs of a single business and has little to no capacity to facilitate collaboration and data sharing between suppliers, contractors, and manufacturers.

However, as PLM software advances and more value chains in industries are integrated, it’s important to consider how technology is altering it. Let’s take a look at some of the most important market trends and technology advancements that contribute to more robust and reliable PLM systems.

• Cloud PLM. In the past ten years, awareness of the benefits and adaptability of employing cloud computing for storing, sharing, and accessing data has grown dramatically. Cloud-based product lifecycle management tools, like ApparelMagic, are gradually becoming the norm due to the dispersion of third-party collaborators around the world. These systems allow for accessible and flexible processes that are simpler to deploy throughout your value chain.
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning. There is no question about the impact that artificial intelligence can have on product management in terms of product design and development. Thanks to AI and ML, real-time access to data and product data management are becoming more visual and simplified. For fashion firms and designers, one example of this is the storage of visual data on fabrics, which allows them to search through their database by taking a picture of any fabric and finding the appropriate match. Moving forward, this might save many hours of searching and categorizing.
• Greater focus on CX. One of the biggest obstacles to the widespread adoption of PLM software has been the customer experience. Many vendors of traditional PLM systems merely provided the tools without taking into account the experience of the end user. For SaaS PLM suppliers, customer experience is becoming a key differentiation. Connecting users across the value chain is one of a PLM system’s primary objectives; the more stakeholders who utilize product lifecycle management software, the greater its efficiency. 

Why use PLM software?

Now that we’ve answered the question “What is PLM software?”, we should talk about its benefits. In today’s highly competitive marketplace, business owners and managers must constantly look for ways to increase operational effectiveness, lower infrastructure costs, improve product quality, and shorten time to market in order to increase the company’s overall throughput. Companies must adopt a digital transformation business strategy if they want to stay competitive, boost sales and client retention, and be more responsive overall. We’ll look at some important advantages that PLM software offers below.

Accurate Data Sharing 

Product lifecycle management software should be your primary source of product data. The reason is simple: PLM is the best method for storing and disseminating precise data. Tracking the most recent and correct data points in conventional systems where PDFs, spreadsheets, and other data types are stored separately can be quite challenging but PLM makes things a lot simpler. PLM software lets you keep track of your schedule, organize it, and share it with the appropriate parties at the appropriate times. 

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Increased Productivity 

According to reports, employees in the majority of industries devote only about 40% of their working hours to doing their core duties. The remaining time is frequently spent on data input and re-entry, email correspondence, and other repetitive tasks that could be automated. By design, PLM software supports the iterative lifecycle management process and promotes improvements over the course of the product’s cycles. By centralizing designs, communications, workflows, and product data in one location, a scalable product lifecycle management platform boosts employee productivity. 

Improved Product Quality 

Better workflows and more precise data will always result in higher-quality products. No matter where your company is in the supply chain, if you have high-quality goods, customers will be more inclined to buy from you. You’ll notice a difference in your finished product as you optimize your product lifecycle processes. This will result in increased customer loyalty and, as a result, improved sales. 

Faster Time to Market 

The more efficient the workflow is and the higher the productivity, the quicker your company will be able to introduce products to the market. It’s crucial to keep in mind that the best PLM systems should speed up not just internal team collaboration, but also the collaboration with your third-party stakeholders.

Increased Revenue 

With PLM, you can save production costs while speeding up your time to market. Your margin will increase as a result of the interaction between these two operations, which will also aid in business expansion. You can’t just think about product lifecycle management software as a method to enhance your workflows; after a few cycles, one of the most important KPIs is how it is affecting your revenue. 

The Bottom Line

Now you know the answer to the question “What is PLM software?”. A new generation of apparel product lifecycle management tools extends collaboration to the entire company, connecting design and development, engineering teams, suppliers, marketing and sales teams. The next generation of PLM gives apparel businesses the power to organize and manage the increasingly large amount of real-time data required to stay relevant in today’s industry. By centralizing information and providing real-time access, it supports meaningful, relevant collection development, regulatory compliance, and data-driven business decisions.

If you want to stay competitive, your product portfolio and new product introduction procedures must align with your strategic sustainability and growth objectives. ApparelMagic is a cloud-based solution that is constantly updated with key features, capabilities, and best practices. Regular updates ensure that you are always utilizing the most recent technological advancements. Design, planning, production, and service processes are all aligned with ApparelMagic, laying the groundwork to support dynamic business challenges and help your company grow.

PLM stands for product lifecycle management, which is the process of managing a product’s entire lifecycle from conception through design, manufacture, service, and disposal. PLM optimizes manufacturing, enables better team collaboration, and reduces errors, ultimately saving money and time, a strategy that is critical for all companies that manufacture goods. 

Nowadays, product lifecycle management usually refers to PLM software that serves as the backbone for all product activities from inception to retail. Product lifecycle management software enables companies to update their business operations, increase innovation, make collaboration easier, and expedite product development by integrating products, people, and actions across the whole product lifecycle as a single source of truth. 

In this post, we’re explaining how product lifecycle management software works and how it can improve the efficiency of your business. 

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How Does PLM System Work?

Product lifecycle management brings together the various employees and departments involved in a product’s development and streamlines their activities with the purpose of manufacturing a product that is profitable and outperforms its competitors. 

A PLM system provides designers and engineers with real time access to the vital data they require and insight into external sources of information such as customer feedback on current products and product performance data. Beyond design and engineering, a product lifecycle management system can help other teams in an organization. It can give business stakeholders and/or suppliers a “single source of truth” for easy feedback delivery early in the product development process.

PLM systems are considered one of the cornerstones of a manufacturing company’s information technology framework, along with internal resources (enterprise resource planning – ERP), supplier relationships (supply chain management – SCM), and management of client communications (customer relationship management – CRM). 

Phases of Product Development

There’s no industry standard when it comes to describing the phases of product development. The five phases below, however, constitute a typical development cycle.

1. Ideation and design: Defining a product’s requirements based on criteria such as competitive analysis, market gaps, or consumer requirements.
2. Product development: The product’s detailed design will be prepared at this phase. Analysis and validation of the planned product, as well as the development of prototype and testing, are all part of this stage too. This provides vital feedback on how the product is utilized and whether any improvements will be required. 
3. Production and launch: The design and other elements are tweaked based on the received feedback to create an improved version for the market. The new product’s production is ramped up, then launched and distributed to the market.
4. Product maturity: Your product is now available to consumers. This is the period during which support and service are provided. You may need to make packaging or marketing changes at this phase.
5. Product decline/retirement: Over time, your product might pass peak demand and it may be time to devise an exit strategy or reinvent the product in order to uncover areas of potential, such as new markets or iterations that can improve your product or withdraw the product altogether.

How to Use PLM in Your Business?

A product lifecycle management system provides a multitude of functions and application cases. Some of the most common uses are listed below.

Design. PLM software allows you to design in real time while simultaneously adding new data to the system. It provides visibility into the product design process for all business stakeholders. Because the final product is created based on customer insight, this process reduces time-to-market. As a result, your business might see enhanced innovation and increased revenue. 

Supply chain. As businesses embrace new business models and spread on a global scale, supply chain strategies have to alter as well. Companies can streamline the supply chain with product management lifecycle software, allowing businesses to manage every single component of the process to meet the needs of buyers and any regulation requirements. 

Production. Because of its collaborative nature, a product lifecycle management tool can help you shorten time to market while saving expenses. By providing real time traceability during the manufacturing process, it allows external partners and internal teams to follow the correct workflow. 

Distribution. Product information management (PIM) is the phase that occurs after a product has been manufactured. Integration with a PIM system allows a PLM tool to send information about distribution and service items to the appropriate stakeholders. PLM is a useful system for communicating the most up-to-date product data in a timely way so that the product may move from engineering to market.

A Bill of Materials is a list of goods required to make a product, and it is an important part of a product lifecycle management solution. By connecting in real time adequate sourcing information, production details, regulatory compliance, and other information, organizations can cooperate from the point of product creation to manufacturing. 

Product portfolio management is a data-driven approach that lets manufacturers and retailers determine which items should stay, increase or reduce costs, or need updating in order to satisfy consumer needs. Because PLM technologies provide full insight and a thorough perspective of the entire lifecycle and development process of the product, firms may efficiently optimize product portfolios on a broad scale.

Engineer-to-Order. Because customer involvement is critical for product needs, ETO necessitates thorough collaboration. A product lifecycle management tool for engineer-to-order is a system that allows you to communicate information about the product with the engineers, sales team, and operations team. Market statistics, consumer trends, and client satisfaction are all key components of product success, and this one source of truth gives access to all external and internal stakeholders. Data gathered from suppliers, manufacturers, internal stakeholders, and consumers could then be used to reduce time-to-market, improve and enhance the efficiency of employees, and speed up product development.

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What Are The Benefits Of Using A PLM Solution?

Many companies are transforming the way they design, manufacture, and sell goods by adopting technology like product lifecycle management software. Let’s take a closer look at the main advantages of using a PLM solution:

• Improved communication and collaboration. Real time data and process capabilities are especially critical for multinational companies working with external partners and internal teams dispersed across different locations around the world. A PLM system allows all parties involved in the product development to make changes in real time and supports interfaces with external databases, resulting in a “single source of truth” which helps improve product launch success rates, boost productivity, and increase sales.
• Reduction of errors. Tracking all product information can get difficult when using multiple applications such as Excel, email, Dropbox, and PowerPoint. A PLM tool simplifies workflow insight into all product-related data, reducing the number of meetings, phone calls, and emails, together with the time spent searching and updating information.

• Reduced time to market: Companies can get products to market faster by using PLM to gain access to product information, which simplifies business processes, improves supply chain collaboration, and boosts decision-making capabilities. Businesses can identify time-consuming and expensive risks and take steps to keep products flowing by utilizing this visibility.
• Enhanced product quality. Product lifecycle management software makes it straightforward and quick to regulate and manage all of the facts that have an impact on overall product quality. Manufacturers can use PLM to automate all of the processes and procedures that are required to maintain product quality and customer satisfaction. 
• Improved sustainability. PLM technologies can help you achieve environmental sustainability goals and help with the challenges of waste management by enabling closed-loop product development. 
• Improved compliance. Collaboration in real time helps businesses with concerns like regulation issues. Factory audits, compliance issues, quality assurance, and vendor scoring all require a simple solution, and that’s exactly what effective product management lifecycle software provides. 
• Increased revenue: Businesses can use product lifecycle management software to rapidly and correctly calculate the relationships between pricing, cost, and profit in order to meet sales targets. PLM has also proved to save companies money on things like production expenses, lead time, inventory prices, and product costs.

The Bottom Line

Technology can offer fashion businesses a great return on investment, but that can only happen if they focus on the business benefits. A single source to manage all data and operations is critical for organizations and manufacturers who need to create, source, produce and distribute goods. An end-to-end PLM solution gives you visibility into your supply chain and the capacity to handle product data from the design phase to after-sales service. 

With the right PLM solution, you can streamline operations, launch new products quickly and cost-effectively, eliminate inefficiencies, reduce compliance risks, and focus on what matters most—growing your business. Best of all, choosing PLM software with industry-specific capabilities allows you to reap these benefits faster and with fewer customizations to ensure both long-term and short-term business success.

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is the strategic process of managing a product’s whole journey from the first idea to disposal, including the finished product, its delivery, and its use. To put it another way, PLM refers to the process of managing a product from the start to the end of its lifecycle.

But does your business actually need it? 

Considering the fact that the PLM market is expected to grow to $75.87 billion this year, and taking into account the many benefits PLM offers, we would say that the answer is yes. Product lifecycle management provides data governance and traceability that enables companies to reduce costs, expedite time to market, and achieve the highest levels of quality and compliance, among other things.  

Below, we’re explaining the most important benefits of PLM, along with reasons why PLM software is important to grow your business, how to implement it, and more. 

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Benefits of PLM Implementation 

So, what exactly are the advantages of having a PLM strategy? Find out below the key benefits you should know about:

Increased productivity. Implementing a PLM system helps eliminate time-consuming tasks such as copying data across different systems, double-checking it for inaccuracies, and searching for missing data. Another advantage of PLM is that anyone working on product development or operations is less likely to encounter processing errors and the resulting rework caused by outdated data.

Decreased costs. Product managers can utilize PLM software to see where each phase of a product’s lifecycle is and identify cost-cutting opportunities. Processes are then streamlined or even eliminated, redundancy is reduced, and cost-cutting techniques that don’t compromise quality are implemented, resulting in lowered costs and increased profit. 

Enhanced product quality. Manufacturers can use PLM to automate the processes and procedures required to improve product quality and customer satisfaction. This is especially crucial when teams are dispersed across multiple sites, as quality must not be compromised.

Faster time to market. Did you know that businesses using a product lifecycle management system report a 75% decline in time-to-market? PLM allows for better communication and sharing of data for more collaboration and quicker reaction time. In turn, this leads to shorter cycles, faster product development, and a shorter time-to-market.

Improved innovation. PLM systems enable businesses to boost their innovation without sacrificing their flexibility or agility. Product teams can collaborate to produce the finest solutions and final product designs regardless of their physical location. PLM solutions also allow businesses to secure their intellectual property, ensuring that their drive to innovate continues.

Reduced compliance risks. The ability to maintain a single source of truth for all product data is a fundamental business benefit of PLM. This reduces the possibility of noncompliance. The key benefit here is cost avoidance, as companies realize the cost of product recalls, lost productivity, and legal expenses, among other things, if compliance becomes a problem.

How to Implement PLM 

PLM software can make a huge difference in a retail operation. It can be used in a variety of ways to help businesses manage items from conception to market. However, successful implementation is vital for a PLM system to be as successful as possible for your organization. The following 5 key steps will help you get started with the PLM process. 

1. Set Clear Goals and Objectives

Buying PLM software and seeing what it can accomplish for your organization isn’t enough. You need to set clear objectives for yourself to achieve using the software. Your goals and objectives will guide the entire implementation project, so be sure to figure out what you want the PLM software to do for your company both now and in the future. 

2. Assemble Your Implementation Team

The next step is to put together a diverse team for the PLM implementation. First, in order to build the project and ensure that everyone’s on track, you’ll need a project manager. Second, an IT manager will be required to act as a connection between the software vendor and your organization. To test the software and get feedback, the implementation team should also have a group of end-users consisting of developers, designers, merchandisers, vendor management, procurement staff, etc.

3. Choose the Best PLM Solution

There is a great number of PLM software providers out there, so choosing the best one to work with is critical. Pick a provider that specializes in software for your sector, for instance, ApparelMagic is a top PLM solution for fashion companies. You should also search for a company that is always upgrading and updating their software, as well as staying current with the latest developments.

4. Devise a Training Plan

You’ll need a strong training plan in order to ensure successful PLM implementation. Keep in mind that timing is crucial when making your plan. If you train your employees too soon, they might forget everything they’ve learned. On the other hand, PLM adoption will be delayed if you train your staff too late. You should also remember that different people learn in different ways. Some prefer to learn by reading, while others prefer to watch demonstrations, so make sure to provide a choice of training options.

5. Test and Go Live

All that’s left now is to test the PLM software and go live. Before launching, make sure to perform several simulations to ensure that everything is operating well. Finally, don’t forget to track your progress. Because PLM implementation is generally a costly process, you’ll need to align goals and choose how to measure results.

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Common PLM Implementation Problems and How to Avoid Them

Before you get the many benefits of using a PLM system, you are bound to face some roadblocks. Here are the most common PLM implementation issues and what you can do to prevent them. 

Employees find it hard to stop using Excel

Excel is still the go-to tool for many companies. But while it’s a great tool for simple calculations, it is not the best tool for business data management and collaboration. Getting over Excel and adjusting to a new PLM system might be particularly difficult for some employees. 

In order to persuade project managers in your firm to abandon Excel, you must create a case for cooperation and openness. Point to some situations where Excel has failed, and demonstrate to them how to use your PLM software for better product lifecycle visibility. 

You chose the wrong PLM software

One of the most common problems with PLM implementation is choosing a system that is not the right fit for your company. It happens frequently, usually due to a lack of knowledge or lack of time to compare different PLM solutions. 

Doing the upfront work is crucial because it helps you to establish what matters most. Which workflows are the most popular? What are the most commonly used features? Determine what is most important, and then stay focused on it. Find a middle ground that relates your workflow to your system’s realities.

You’re having trouble balancing between different systems

Once you’ve implemented your PLM software, you might find yourself confused by the different systems your company is using: PLM, ERP, CRM… What is the location where you create and handle the original data? How could the same data be utilized to support other systems, and handled centrally? 

The most important is to have strong integration capabilities and define system responsibilities. Who is responsible for a certain task? Where do BOMs need to be managed? Is it really necessary to use multiple systems? What do you do in each system? In many cases, you will need to make compromises, but don’t try to do everything at once. Having a clear vision and mapping out the system roles is the first step toward achieving that balance between different systems. 

Choose Your PLM Solution 

Choosing the right PLM software will definitely take a significant amount of time and effort on your part – there’s a reason for this. PLM software is a significant investment and the system should serve your organization for many years. Here are a few tips to help you choose the best solution and vendor for your company. 

• Avoid unnecessary complications and expensive mistakes due to PLM system customization. For instance, a clothing company should opt for apparel PLM software that’s focused on apparel, accessories, footwear, and uniform industries, and a vendor that has resources to maintain a long-term relationship with your organization.
• Think about the future. A robust PLM system should be able to scale with the company and support its transformation and expansion in the future. In addition, choose a vendor that keeps its PLM software up to date, enhances it and adds new integrations. Keeping your PLM solution optimized will allow your organization to keep up with the evolving fashion industry, its needs, and the latest innovations.
• Assess the vendor’s reputation and experience accurately. Demos are a good technique to assess a vendor’s compatibility with your firm. Not only will an experienced vendor be prepared to answer all your questions and guide your employees through a demo, but their responses will almost certainly display outstanding knowledge of the products your company offers.

​​The Bottom Line  

PLM’s purpose is to shorten product development time, enhance communication, and capitalize on information. PLM software benefits every department involved in an entire product lifecycle, and while everyone sees the product through their unique lens, everyone has access to the correct information at the right time. Data can be analyzed from numerous aspects utilizing dashboards customized to a specific employee or business profile once it’s been uploaded. These profiles allow you to organize data based on many factors to make it more useful.

By connecting data, business processes, and employees with business systems, PLM software creates an information backbone. It also enables a product’s value to increase over time and improves resource utilization, resulting in increased profitability. The advantages of PLM software are based on cost, quality, and time, all of which are critical for a company’s success and growth.