Swedish Fashion Brand Implements PLM from Gerber
While PLM has long been established as a standard within the aerospace and automotive industries, only recently has it made inroads into other verticals like telecom, services and consumer goods.
Fashion is another example, where companies like Dassault Systèmes and Infor now are offering purpose-built PLM suites.
Yesterday, we saw an example of how fashion and apparel companies are opening up to the concept. Gerber Technology announced that Swedish fashion brand Filippa K has implemented Gerber’s YuniquePLM solution to improve collaboration among its global network of retail partners, managers, suppliers and manufacturers.
Founded in 1993, Filippa K has grown to become one of Sweden’s leading fashion brands.
With a supply chain connected to over 700 retailers all over the world, in a market with constantly changing business requirements, the company realized they needed a platform for more efficient collaboration.
"Filippa K's philosophy is founded on style, simplicity and quality. We apply these values to all areas of our business. In order to maintain high quality standards throughout our supply chain requires strong collaboration and transparency of information," said Erik Lindqvist, CIO at Filippa K.
He continued, "As we transition to an increasingly retail-driven business versus a wholesale model, YuniquePLM will help us further link our various partners and teams via a centralized platform."
The implementation work was done by ACG Nyström, a full service provider to the textile industry providing both equipment and software solutions in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ukraine and the Baltic states.
Dassault wants to transform the future of education
On Wednesday, French PLM-developer Dassault Systèmes (DS) announced that it has established a foundation dedicated to transforming the future of education and research by harnessing the powerful learning and discovery capabilities of 3D technology and virtual universes.
According to a press release, “La Fondation Dassault Systèmes”, (“The Dassault Systemes Foundation”) will provide grants, digital content and skillsets in virtual technologies to education and research initiatives at forward-thinking academic institutions, research institutes, museums, associations, cultural centers and other general interest organizations throughout the European Union.
In reality, this means that Dassault Systèmes will offer access to their broad portfolio of 3D content, technology and simulation applications that have long been used by industry for the design, engineering and manufacturing of most of the products society relies on today.
The view of DS is that this will help create new learning experiences and encourage greater interest in the STEM field among students.
Incidentally, this also means that these students will be well versed in the usage of Dassault Systèmes technology by the time they graduate.
“Europe has a rich technical and scientific heritage, and education and research that can build upon this hold the promise of a more sustainable future. Companies also have a specific role to play within society and can help inspire people to come together and foster innovation for a better, more sustainable world,” said Bernard Charlès, President and CEO of Dassault Systèmes.
Which technology trends are the hottest right now in the PLM and ERP world?
My colleague Verdi Ogewell has done a bit of trend spotting in a new TV report. This is a must watch if you want to know more about how “hot” technologies like cloud computing, the Internet of Things, smart connected products, Product-as-a-Service ideas, Big Data analytics, 3D printing and gamification will affect product development.
PTC Nabs eBay Bigwig - Launches New Solutions Group
Earlier this week, PTC announced that it has made a high profile recruitment.
Craig Hayman, previously president of ecommerce solutions at eBay Enterprise, will take on the role of president of the newly created Solutions Group.
“By establishing a dedicated Solutions Group, PTC is making a strategic investment in its core businesses,” said Jim Heppelmann, president and CEO of PTC.
Heppleman continued, “Craig has the deep expertise and the proven experience needed to lead this new organization, to help drive differentiation in our core offerings, and to reenergize their growth opportunity. We’re pleased to welcome such an accomplished executive to the PTC leadership team.”
“I am excited to join PTC during a pivotal time in the company’s transformation,” said Hayman. “PTC’s leadership position in the Internet of Things spans both vision and technology. I welcome the opportunity to revitalize PTC’s core businesses through improved execution and optimization, and to enhance the company’s solutions portfolio to help drive long term, profitable growth.”
PTC also announced that Michael DiTullio, a 15-year veteran in the PTC sales organization, will replace Bob Ranaldi as the head of global sales. DiTullio will report to Craig Hayman.
Anyone that’s been following PTC lately is aware that this foundational CAD and PLM company is going through a strategic transformation, where the Internet of Things has been brought to the forefront of its operations.
This is in no way isolated to PTC, as all software companies must keep innovating to combat the commoditization of their software. But it seems like PTC is getting the worst of it. Two weeks ago, I noted that the company is launching a “workforce realignment program”, intended to “repurpose or eliminate approximately 8% of worldwide positions and to consolidate select facilities”.
Which positions and facilities which will be affected is still unknown.
In other PTC related news, the company will hold its annual LiveWorks event in Stuttgart next week. Expect a report on this from ENGINEERING.com.
Graebert Opens Indian HQ
Berlin-based CAD developer Graebert announced yesterday the public inauguration of its new office building and Indian headquarters in Noida, India.
The office space is about 6,000 square feet and has two major sections, a development room and a sales room. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
Graebert has a large global presence, and this inauguration is the culmination of the company’s bet on the fast-growing Indian technology market.
“Three years ago, we started the Indian operation with a team of 10 people and now we have more than 30. At our Annual Meeting in Berlin, we announced that along with the desktop development, we are working aggressively on mobile and cloud technology. Our new Indian office is an important part of this development,” said Mr. Wilfried Gräbert, CEO of Graebert.
The sales office handles sales for the entire Indian region, as well as coordination with all resellers and Ingram Micro, the largest distributor of Technology products in the world.
Ingram Micro is Graebert's National Distributor for its DWG based CAD flagship, ARES, in India.
About the Author
Felix Nilsson is PLM editor at VerkstadsForum, who works with both printed and online media. He also works as a reporter for PLM TV News.