Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials—textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials—is pleased to announce that the Japanese company Baroque successfully implemented Lectra Fashion PLM for their top brand, Moussy, in June.
They will extend implementation to Sly and other brands before the end of 2012. Baroque is a leading fast-fashion brand-retailer for young Japanese women. The company has experienced continuous growth despite a stagnant Japanese apparel market, with revenues reaching 55.1 billion yen (+25% compared to the previous year) and an operating income of 7 billion yen.
"We chose Lectra after carefully researching over 10 domestic and international solution providers," explains Jun Tanaka, Information Technology Department Manager at Baroque. "This is our first time working with Lectra, and their expertise in apparel-dedicated tools and global presence were very attractive to us. Design and implementation were completed quickly, and Lectra Fashion PLM went live for Moussy exactly as planned in June."
Prior to investing in a PLM solution, Baroque conducted an internal audit to identify areas of improvement. They determined the root cause of their challenges to be in the early stages of planning and development, as well as in communication.
As a fast-growing, trend-oriented, fast-fashion business focused on aggressive and rapid expansion, Baroque deals with a growing number of increasingly varied items produced in small volumes, under a number of different brands. Before implementing Lectra Fashion PLM, Baroque relied on email and spreadsheets to link internal teams and a master product list for merchandising and promotion planning.
Information was not systematically shared with the entire Moussy team, which led to lost time through unnecessary duplication of tasks.
Lectra Fashion PLM contributed to a significant and immediate reduction in documentation and an increase in visibility of each team member's work. "With higher visibility, we can continue to streamline the way we work for increased agility. For example, instead of preparing separate documents for merchandisers and marketing, these teams can simply rely on PLM to find the information they need," Tanaka continues.
This not only reduces workload, but also pushes information where it is needed, rather than requiring people to hunt down details. This was an important consideration for Baroque, as one of the company's strategic goals is to aggressively expand into the Chinese market.
In addition to streamlining apparel development and internal communication in Japan, a synchronized team will be needed to support future growth in China. Baroque's objective is to have 100 shops in China by January 2014, an increase from the 19 in place as of June this year. "Our business model requires delivery of new items to shops 2 or 3 times per week. In order for us to succeed in China, where competition is becoming increasingly intense, it is critical to master information by having an infrastructure that supports the entire product flow from planning and development to shop delivery. In order to succeed abroad, it is important to redefine our process and streamline the flow of information with a global perspective," said Isao Sado, CFO, Baroque.
1 2
More Lectra News...
