Fashion and apparel product development and sourcing on one PLM: structured BOMs for every brand and product type, suppliers on the platform, and quotes kept against each product.
I expedited the workflows behind Reliance Retail’s fashion and apparel business.
Centric PLM is Centric Software’s product lifecycle platform for fashion and retail. Kripya implemented it for Reliance Retail, and I worked with Reliance’s business teams to configure workflows around how each brand develops and sources its products. About Centric PLM ↗
The challenge
One platform, many brands, many product types.
A dress, a jumpsuit and a shirt need different details. Each brand records them its own way, and sourcing needs them complete and consistent before a supplier can quote.
Many brands
Avasa, Avantakrita and Reliance’s other apparel brands each develop products differently.
Many product types
Each apparel type needs its own BOM detail, captured in a shared structure.
Many suppliers
Quotes had to be kept against each product, so they could be compared like for like.
Who it is for
Four groups, one product record.
Brands
Design and product development
Define each style, its colourways and its bill of materials.
PropertiesColourwaysBOMSpecification
Works in the product record, from properties to specification.
Buying
Sourcing
Turn a complete BOM into supplier requests, and compare the quotes that come back.
Supplier requestsResponsesQuotesApproval
Works in the sourcing tab, against the same product.
Partners
Suppliers
Respond to requests and quote against the product, on the platform.
OnboardingResponsesQuotes
Onboarded to the platform, so requests and quotes live in one place.
Business teams
Merchandising and operations
Follow assortments, calendars and orders through to delivery.
AssortmentsCalendarScheduleOrders
Works across the same record, from season to purchase order.
The chain
From a style to a purchase order.
Centric PLM holds the whole chain on one product record. I worked on its middle: the BOM that makes a style sourceable, and the suppliers and quotes that follow it.
What I built
Four workflows, one chain.
01
BOM workflows
A workflow to capture the bill of materials for every brand and apparel type, such as Avasa and Avantakrita, in one structure.
02
Sourcing support
BOM details captured in the PLM feed sourcing, so every supplier request starts from the same product record.
03
Supplier onboarding
Reliance Retail’s suppliers onboarded to the platform, so requests, responses and quotes happen in one place.
04
Quote management
Supplier quotes maintained for each product, with their state, so the team compares like with like.
Complete BOMs in, comparable quotes out.
Quotes
Quotes stay with the product they were for.
A supplier answers a request on the platform, and the quote is held as pending until it is checked. If details are missing, it goes back with a comment. Once complete, it is approved and selected for its colourway group.
Inside the platform
The product record, in use.
StyleThe garment with its properties: type, size range, status and active colourways.
BOMSpecification, then BOM. One Prod Dev BOM per style, with its colourways.
ColourwaysEach colourway with its code, description and active status.
Another typeA jumpsuit in the same structure. Different product type, same record.
Supplier quotesSourcing, then supplier quotes: each with its state, supplier, colourway group and total FOB cost. Supplier names are blurred.
What to read in it
01StateEach quote is approved or pending, so the team sees what is ready to select.
02CommentA comment records what is missing, such as a material list, before the quote goes back.
03Colourway groupQuotes are kept against the colourway group, with the total FOB cost to compare.
How I worked
Discover, design, deliver.
01
Discover
Understood the business needs with Reliance Retail’s internal stakeholders and mapped their current workflows.
02
Design
Translated those needs into configured workflows and customisations on Centric PLM.
03
Deliver
Built and rolled out the workflows across design, sourcing, merchandising and operations.
What I owned
→Expediting the workflows that take a style from specification to a sourced, quoted product.
→BOM capture for each brand and apparel type, to support sourcing.
→Onboarding Reliance Retail’s suppliers to the platform.
→Keeping supplier quotes against each product, with their state.
Client services awardGame Changer 2024Recognised by Kripya Solutions for my commitment and contribution to the Reliance PLM implementation, and for supporting Reliance’s business teams. View the certificate ↗
