THIS MONTH'S TOPIC
PLM: Full Speed Ahead
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Why 2011 Looks to Be a Banner Year For PLM
 Apparel manufacturers, brands and retailers have given a nod to the well-documented benefits of product lifecycle management (PLM), among those being maintaining a central version of the truth in product creation all the way through fulfillment; enabling employees to concentrate on their core competencies; and improving the ability to deliver the right products per consumers' demands.
Now, the conversations are deepening. Executives are seeing that the collaborative conversation can be extended further along the supply chain to include suppliers, for example, which can result in significant benefits. They are also talking about using PLM as a strategic opportunity to increase both the top and bottom lines. And they're seeing how global visibility can make their operations more nimble through materials sourcing, for example.
It all points to PLM moving full speed ahead in the year to come.
Publisher
snichols@apparelmag.com
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| Exclusive Feature |
| PLM: MOVING INTO A BROADER ADOPTION PHASE FOR MANY RETAIL SEGMENTS
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contributed by Leslie Hand, Research Director, IDC Retail Insights, LHand@globalretail-insights.com
 During a recent retail conference, we asked retailers whether planned 2011 capital expenditures on technology are increasing, decreasing or staying the same. In most cases, capital investments in technology are increasing.
Investments are increasing because of a tangible understanding that retailers need to innovate to serve the customer better, but they need to do this at a lower cost of doing business. This means they need to lower the operating costs of stores, but not without increasing service levels. They also need to leverage customer and business analytics better to run a higher performing enterprise. And finally, they need to finely tune product assortment and product service levels for their target markets, which may vary with brand, geography and core customer lifestyle.
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| Vendor Viewpoint |
| HAS PLM HIT ITS STRIDE?
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Contributed by Susan Olivier, Director, Market Development - Retail, Footwear and Apparel, Dassault Systemes ENOVIA, Susan.OLIVIER@3ds.com
 It has been said that 2008 was an "education" year for PLM and, over the past two years, it has become a more recognizable solution among fashion executives. But what will it take for fashion companies to realize the benefits of, and invest in, PLM in the coming year? From my perspective, there are three major trends that will help accelerate the adoption of PLM in 2011.
Beyond Single Version of the Truth
I do think that fashion companies in retail, footwear and apparel understand the benefits of what we refer to as the "single version of the truth," but they might be in different stages in leveraging the cost/benefits equation since this can sometimes be hard to measure.
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