Onward Chooses Centric PLM™ to Drive Speed to Market

Onward, the Japanese ready-to-wear manufacturer and retailer, has selected Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home décor, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Founded in Osaka in 1927 as Kashiyama Trading, Onward was one of the first apparel manufacturers to make and sell ready-to-wear clothing in Japan. Today, Onward sells high-quality women’s, men’s and children’s clothing with a mission statement of “Enriching and adding color to people’s lives while caring for the planet.”

In order to make quick management decisions based on sound information, Onward needed greater supply chain visibility, standardized product data and the ability to effectively create centralized plans for merchandise planning, sourcing and procurement. Ultimately, these improvements aim to speed products concept to delivery. To achieve these goals, Onward decided to implement Centric Fashion PLM.

“Centric has a lot of experience in implementing solutions for all kinds of consumer goods, including lifestyle products, while providing apparel-specific solutions,” says Michinobu Yasumoto, President and CEO of Onward Holdings Co., Ltd. “It is a solution that matches the complex value chain of the apparel industry, and can be implemented without major customization.”

Onward’s PLM project will digitally transform every process involved in planning, producing, delivering and selling products, explains Yasumoto.

“We aim to centralize product information, manage progress, shorten production lead times and optimize procurement costs by linking data from all brands, trading companies and partner factories with each system centered on PLM. We believe that this will enable us to offer products more in tune with what our customers want.”

“We are looking forward to working with Centric and building a strong long-term partnership where we can exchange ideas and information about the future of the apparel industry and our challenges. We hope we can work together to change not only our company but also the apparel industry for the better,” Yasumoto concludes.

“We are delighted to announce that Onward has selected Centric PLM,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “Onward is taking a proactive approach to confront future challenges by investing in digital transformation, and we look forward to working with the Onward team to help achieve their strategic goals.”

Learn more about Centric Fashion PLM

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Onward Holdings (https://www.onward-hd.co.jp/site/english/)

Founded in 1927 by Junzo Kashiyama as Kashiyama Trading in Osaka, the company changed its name to Onward Kashiyama in 1988. In 2007, Onward Holdings was established. Onward Kashiyama, the core business company, operates women’s, men’s and children’s clothing brands such as "Nijyusanku," "Jiyuku," and "gotairiku". In October 2017, Onward Kashiyama launched its made-to-order business “KASHIYAMA”. In 2019, Onward Digital Lab Co.,Ltd. was established, and in August 2021, it started a D2C project called "CRAHUG" to support local factories.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software® provides a Product Concept to Consumer Digital Transformation Platform for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods including cosmetics and personal care and food and beverage. Centric’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric PLMTM, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and product portfolio optimization innovations specifically for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB focuses on core tools and industry best practices for emerging brands. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (CVIP) offers highly visual digital board experiences for collaboration and decision-making. Centric Software pioneered mobility, introducing the first mobile apps for PLM, and is widely known for connectivity to dozens of other enterprise systems including ERP, DAM, PIM, e-com, planning and more as well as creative tools such as Adobe® Illustrator and a host of 3D CAD connectors. Centric’s innovations are 100% market-driven with the highest user adoption rate and fastest time to value in the industry. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs.

Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc.. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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