Apparel ERP: Getting it Right

The Scope of the Undertaking.

Risk: How do you minimize it? More important, how to you maximize the flip side of the equation: Reward? Choosing the right Apparel ERP will have profound impact on virtually every aspect of your enterprise’s operations. Choose right and you will see your top line increase, free up working capital, cut costs, see processes synchronize like a fine Swiss watch, boost margins and increase profits. Conversely, choose the wrong Apparel ERP partner and it can become a quagmire. Costs of ownership can soar, productivity drop and, worse still, all the upside benefits you anticipated can fail to materialize. Here’s how to avoid that.

Not all Apparel ERP vendors are the same, and no two are alike. Apparel ERP is far more than software. It is a business environment that includes the distillation and embodiment of industry best practices across your entire operation. Obviously, the number one requirement for an Apparel ERP vendor to make your short list is intense industry-specific experience and functionality tailored to your business processes. It’s not good enough that a vendor might promise to modify or “customize” features to meet your needs. You need an architecture optimized for the way you do business and honed in implementation after implementation in all the geographic environments, currencies, and languages that touch your business.

Here’s a checklist designed to help your differentiate between Apparel ERP vendors.

•    What is the vendor’s specific experience in your industry segment? What companies have they worked with that are similar in size and style to yours? Are there people on their team that have worked in your industry?
•    Does their response to your RFP indicate that they understand what you are trying to accomplish and that they are responsive to your unique situation?
•    Do they have the insider knowledge to identify, quantify and rank opportunities for improvement?
•    Do they demonstrate a capability of listening to you, understanding your needs, creating and following an implementation path and strategy? Do they have a track record of delivering significant value-added for businesses like yours?
•    Is the system scalable and flexible enough to grow with you, and to adapt to changes that surely will come?
•    Can they provide the level of ongoing service and support to be responsive to you when and where your need it?

It’s a big undertaking. But following the guidelines in this series can tip the odds in your favor.

Written by :

kristine H