2009 - June
Celtic Sheepskin, supplier of footwear to the stars,
polishes up its act with STYLEprm
- OSL solution installed at new ‘Celtic family’ in Cornwall
- STYLEprm saves them from ‘drowning in paperwork’
Celtic Sheepskin, one of the largest suppliers of sheepskin footwear and clothing in the UK, is installing STYLEprm to bring order to its flourishing range of products.
Tony Parkinson, Managing Director of Option Systems Limited (OSL), a global specialist in the provision of IT solutions for the apparel and footwear industries, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Celtic to the community of STYLEprm users. Successful footwear manufacturers are a great rarity in the UK. Celtic has established itself in a highly competitive market. It’s great to see a quality British manufacturer not just surviving but thriving.”
Celtic’s hand-made boots have become a fashion must with a number of celebrities – including Amanda Holden, the model and Britain’s Got Talent judge, Gail Porter, the model and TV presenter, and Sienna Miller, the actress and fashion designer.
In the past year, Celtic has been settling in to a new extended factory at Newquay in Cornwall and expanding the Celtic family with more staff in production and order processing.
STYLEprm is the first of an entirely new class of Product Range Management applications designed specifically for the apparel industry. It is unique to the market place in that it provides clients with the ability to plan, develop, and review the product mix and progress of the whole range.
With STYLEprm, management can have an overview of the entire range position on a single screen, with problem areas immediately obvious using “traffic lights”. A similar overview will show where the bottlenecks are in product development, so that work can be reassigned to get back on track.
STYLEprm has features to analyse customers’ ranges by any of the unlimited criteria you can define and associate with the product. For example: the designer, supplier, fabric content, country of origin, garment type, product developer or price point.
For any of these criteria in any combination, you can examine what proportion of the range each represents, as well as checking the projected volumes, costs and margins. You can even use these facilities to balance the range, and also check the colour balance, dropping or adding styles and colours.
Nick Whitworth, Managing Director of Celtic Sheepskin Co Ltd, said: “We were drowning in paperwork and after only four days we have created all the current range spec packs, which used to occupy most of the wall space of our office. All this information is now at our fingertips.”
About Celtic Sheepskin:
The Celtic Sheepskin Co began in the mid -1970's as the Original Ugg Co., making Ugg Boots and assorted leather goods. Since then, the company has steadily expanded to become one of the largest suppliers of sheepskin footwear and outerwear in the UK. The company's collection now includes clothing, outerwear, boots and slippers, soft furnishings, gifts & accessories. The firm has been trading online for over a decade and produces two seasonal catalogues per year.
Celtic Sheepskin has always worked hard to minimise its impact on the environment, actively designing and manufacturing many of its products within the UK, and choosing natural, sustainable and organic products over toxic, synthetic and non-biodegradable materials. The company promotes recycling throughout its business, uses fully recycled packaging and offers a carbon neutral delivery service. In 2008 it was awarded an On Line Green Award (OLGA) in recognition of its commitment to promoting socially responsible online trading. For more information about Celtic Sheepskin please visit www.celtic-sheepskin.co.uk.
2008 - July
Leading Headwear designer Bollman Hat, introduces STYLEprm
to support its sourcing across 3 continents
- OSL solution to be implemented in US, UK and China
- To provide total control over company’s design and product
development processes
- Replaces existing Freeborders system
Option Systems Limited (OSL), a global specialist in the provision of IT solutions for the apparel and footwear industries, has announced that leading Headwear producer Bollman Hat, which designs and produces headwear for major brands such as Timberland, Bailey, Kangol, Betmar, Country Gentleman and Helen Kaminski, is implementing STYLEprm. Bollman will implement the world-leading PRM solution at its offices in the US and UK, as well as its sourcing facilities in China to give all parts of the organisation a single view of Product Development. Bollman currently use Freeborders PLM product but are replacing it with STYLEprm, which offers improved flexibility and support over their existing system. STYLEprm is the leading web-based Product Range Management system that goes beyond the scope of typical PDM/PLM systems to give a complete overview of the Range’s development. Powerful Visual Management options show the state of Product Range development at a glance, and flexible integration options allow easy integration of approved designs into commercial systems.
“Bollman looked at a number of competing systems when looking for a new PLM solution” commented Rich Bainbridge, Information Technology Director at Bollman Hat. “But OSL’s STYLEprm product is a clear leader in functionality, is fully web-based and allows us to “own” our data. OSL also made it very easy for us to transfer our data from Freeborders and therefore implement the system vary rapidly”.
“We are designing, producing, and sourcing headwear for a growing number of brands, through our design, product development, and sourcing teams based in the US, UK, and Asia. We need a system that allows all these individuals to collaborate and also to give management a view of how product development is progressing. STYLEprm acts as the repository for all the product development information, while giving management a visual overview of the whole process”. STYLEprm is being rolled out across the organisation in July 2008. This marks a rapid implementation of less than 2 months across staff based in 3 continents. “We are delighted to be working with Bollman Hat,” commented Tony Parkinson, Managing Director at Option Systems Limited. “We developed STYLEprm specifically for companies like Bollman, who need a browser-based PLM system offering strong management controls and overviews of the Range. To win Bollman’s business we not only had to demonstrate that we have leading software, but also that we have excellent service and a commitment to enhance and improve our offering for the future”.
About Bollman Hat:
Bollman Hat is celebrating 140 years in Business, having been founded in 1868 by George Bollman. The Bollman Hat Company continues to grow with a reputation for innovative designs, unsurpassed quality, world-class service, and the best collection of headwear brands in the world. Drawing inspiration from three generations of Bollman family, today’s products provide sun-protection as well as support in the fight against skin cancer. Bollman’s products offer customers fashion, outdoor function, fun, and a personal style statement. More information at www.bollmanhats.com.
2007 - October
Overland signs for OSL's STYLEman V10 web-enabled ERP solution
STYLEman V10 provides ERP facilities for the global licensee of the G-Star Raw footwear Brand
Option Systems Limited (OSL) has announced that Overland – global licensee for footwear for the G-Star Raw brand – have taken the fully web-enabled version of STYLEman (version 10) to support their rapidly-growing distribution business.
Option Systems is a leading global specialist in the provision of IT solutions for the apparel and footwear industries, and its STYLEman V10 solution will provide Overland’s staff and partners with anytime, anywhere access to real-time information. Using STYLEman will help provide Overland with greater control of its sales, stock and distribution and ensure that customers and suppliers have accurate order and delivery data.
Some 15 Overland staff will access the STYLEman V10 system, which is being hosted in London’s Docklands by Telecity. Overland are running a small collection for SS08, but plan to be fully live with the AW08 collection.
About Overland Ltd:
Overland Ltd is a specialist footwear sourcing company who have recently won the global licence to design, source and supply the footwear under the G-Star Raw brand. The principals in the business have a strong track record of managing similar licences in the past, including the Caterpillar footwear brand.
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