Marc Cain goes live with TXT
By Retail Technology | Friday April 5 2013
Fashion retailer selects one system to integrate production and global suppliers and use vertically integrated resources more effectively
European fashion retailer Marc Cain recently revealed it has gone live with new supplier relationship management (SRM) and supply chain planning and execution systems.
The two integrated systems from TXT e-solutions allow Marc Cain and its suppliers to act as a single enterprise, benefitting from improved visibility, coordinated production and supply schedules, better use of resources and shorter lead times.
Managing vertical integration
Marc Cain is a womenswear brand distributed globally from Bodelshausen, Germany. With over 800 employees and sales volumes of €210 million in 2011, Marc Cain features a vertically integrated business model, from the design and production processes, to the management of a selective distribution network characterised by 146 Marc Cain stores, 258 concessions in 59 countries and more than 1,470 specialised shops worldwide.
Matthias Behr, managing director of purchase and production at Marc Cain, commented: “We approached TXT with the objective to establish a more effective production planning system and further increase transparency over operations. We soon decided to extend the project to the whole supply chain by integrating into one system and one process – not only across our own factory, but our suppliers and service providers operations too, as well as the management of raw materials and inventories.
"In particular, material management is fully supported across the purchasing process, goods receipt and quality control; as well as the supply of materials to subcontractors, including the management of missing materials. With TXT, we have established a single corporate platform for in-house production, external CMT [cutting, making, trimming], trade goods and purchasing.”
Central planning environment
The new systems provide Marc Cain with a single system and planning environment for internal and external production planning and control, purchase and production order creation, advanced SRM (including timelines), order confirmation and progress management through key performance indicators (KPIs). It also supports fast innovation with the effective management of special orders resulting from the design process – including prototype and test orders.
“In a highly dynamic sector such as fashion, the ability to integrate the end-to-end process - from design to production to supply – and establish a common frame for communication across our partner ecosystem is absolutely key,” added Behr. “With TXT, we now integrate over 150 internal users and 80 global suppliers – the whole process is streamlined.”
