U.K. retailer to use Freeborders PLM solutions in bid to boost collaboration and speed products to market
San Francisco, CA — January 10, 2005 — U.K. retailer The Peacock Group is set to use a product lifecycle management (PLM) solution from Freeborders in a bid to speed products to market and boost revenues and margins.
Based in Cardiff, Wales, Peacock Group operates a chain of retail outlets offering clothing, footwear and housewares. The company operates more than 760 stores under the Peacocks and bonmarché brands.
Peacock Group will use Freeborders' PLM Suite as part of an initiative to grow the group's revenues and margins through efficiencies in sourcing, inventory management and other operational improvements.
"With the expansion of the Peacocks chain and the acquisition of bonmarché in 2002, it became clear that we required technology solutions that would scale to meet that growth and enable us to better collaborate and speed products to market," said Tim Bettley, managing director of the Peacocks Division.
FB Product Manager, the flagship product development infrastructure module within Freeborders PLM Suite, will enable real-time coordination between Peacock Group and its supply chain, with the goals of shortening the product lifecycle and enabling the company to expand its product lines faster, Freeborders said.
In addition, FB Workflow will provide Peacock Group with a Web-based tool for managing the global lifecycle of a product, from product planning through design, production and delivery. The Peacock Group will be able to allocate, revise and automatically track internal and external activities. Workflow will provide Peacock Group suppliers with visibility to product and order milestones as well as automatic, configurable status alerts, Freeborders said.
Finally, using FB Line Optimizer, Peacock Group will be able to design and develop line concepts and product assortments within the parameters of the company's financial framework. Freeborders said that Line Optimizer ensures the planning of the right products at the right time by providing a link between enterprise resource planning (ERP), merchandise resource planning (MRP) and product data management (PDM) systems.
"Speed-to-market is the key factor that enables retailers to maintain competitive edge and to improve their profitability," said Mark Harrop, managing director Freeborders Europe. "The Peacock Group's use of Freeborders PLM Suite will help get their fashion ranges to market faster and thereby drive sales and profitability well into the future."
Other companies using Freeborders PLM software and services include Cutter & Buck, DuPont, J. Crew, Saks and Target, among others.
For more information on mid-market companies using product lifecycle management solutions to gain competitive advantage, see "Stuck in the Middle" in the April/May 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
For a look at how Tyco Fire & Security is tackling trade compliance issues in its global supply chain, see "Turning Global Trade Compliance Into a Competitive Advantage," in the August/September 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
San Francisco, CA — January 10, 2005 — U.K. retailer The Peacock Group is set to use a product lifecycle management (PLM) solution from Freeborders in a bid to speed products to market and boost revenues and margins.
Based in Cardiff, Wales, Peacock Group operates a chain of retail outlets offering clothing, footwear and housewares. The company operates more than 760 stores under the Peacocks and bonmarché brands.
Peacock Group will use Freeborders' PLM Suite as part of an initiative to grow the group's revenues and margins through efficiencies in sourcing, inventory management and other operational improvements.
"With the expansion of the Peacocks chain and the acquisition of bonmarché in 2002, it became clear that we required technology solutions that would scale to meet that growth and enable us to better collaborate and speed products to market," said Tim Bettley, managing director of the Peacocks Division.
FB Product Manager, the flagship product development infrastructure module within Freeborders PLM Suite, will enable real-time coordination between Peacock Group and its supply chain, with the goals of shortening the product lifecycle and enabling the company to expand its product lines faster, Freeborders said.
In addition, FB Workflow will provide Peacock Group with a Web-based tool for managing the global lifecycle of a product, from product planning through design, production and delivery. The Peacock Group will be able to allocate, revise and automatically track internal and external activities. Workflow will provide Peacock Group suppliers with visibility to product and order milestones as well as automatic, configurable status alerts, Freeborders said.
Finally, using FB Line Optimizer, Peacock Group will be able to design and develop line concepts and product assortments within the parameters of the company's financial framework. Freeborders said that Line Optimizer ensures the planning of the right products at the right time by providing a link between enterprise resource planning (ERP), merchandise resource planning (MRP) and product data management (PDM) systems.
"Speed-to-market is the key factor that enables retailers to maintain competitive edge and to improve their profitability," said Mark Harrop, managing director Freeborders Europe. "The Peacock Group's use of Freeborders PLM Suite will help get their fashion ranges to market faster and thereby drive sales and profitability well into the future."
Other companies using Freeborders PLM software and services include Cutter & Buck, DuPont, J. Crew, Saks and Target, among others.
For more information on mid-market companies using product lifecycle management solutions to gain competitive advantage, see "Stuck in the Middle" in the April/May 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
For a look at how Tyco Fire & Security is tackling trade compliance issues in its global supply chain, see "Turning Global Trade Compliance Into a Competitive Advantage," in the August/September 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
