A group of leading retailers are working together to establish the first PLM (product life-cycle management) standards. According to TradeStone Software, "retailers agreed that creating standards for process, content and data is a necessity that will save all parties involved precious time and resources and support speed to market initiatives."
The first PLM for Retail Standards Committee inaugural event took place at TradeStone headquarters in Gloucester, MA, February 25-26. Attending retailers included Macy's, Kohl's, Lowe's, American Eagle Outfitters, Pacific Sunwear, Urban Outfitters, Guitar Center, Auchan, Boots and JD Williams.
The two-day event, broken down by tracks for softlines and hardlines, featured discussions on how to build standards for color, materials and fabric libraries, as well as testing and point of measure codes which will make it easier for everyone to collaborate. The hardlines representatives discussed color, packaging, testing and safety protocols. Also discussed were conversions from legacy PDM systems and conversions from current PLM technologies, as well as embedding safety, government testing and regulatory requirements in the design process.
"By establishing a process that is both generic to the retail industry but specific to each retail segment, we feel we've made a significant step in the right direction," said Ann Diamante, chief product officer, TradeStone Software, in a statement. "We had an interactive and informative two-day session that focused on working together to establish a consistent, unifying, easy-to-adopt infrastructure of collaboration among retailers, suppliers and their supporting service providers including agents, component suppliers, color and inspection companies."
The move to establish standards comes as the Grocery Manufacturers Association last month selected Accenture and Information Resources Inc. to conduct an in-depth study of successful PLM processes. The final report will recommend successful PLM practices and cross-functional collaboration models specific to the CPG industry. The study will also identify solution-based roles that IT professionals can play in the successful conception, launch, development and completion of the overall PLM process.
"If we can more fully understand the collaborative role all departments play in PLM, we will be better equipped to serve them," said Gerrit Schutte, chief information officer and senior vice president, ConAgra Foods and a member of the GMA IS Committee, in a statement.
Discussion Questions: How would you rate PLM's effectiveness so far in supporting global collaboration and solving product development problems in the retail industry? How will setting standards and enhancing collaboration improve the PLM payback?