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Press Release
Shapewear Designer SPANX
implements NGC’s PLM and Global Sourcing Software to
Enhance ‘Control’ Over Product Line, Increase Speed
to Market
MIAMI – June 29, 2010 – NGC®
(New Generation Computing®) today
announced that SPANX, the shapewear innovator whose
hundreds of shaping, contouring undergarment designs
have redefined beauty and fashion for women and men
around the world, has begun implementation of NGC’s
e-PLM® and e-SPS® software for
PLM and global sourcing. NGC’s software is helping
the company increase speed to market and improve
organization, collaboration and communication
between designers, factories and employees.
Ten years ago, consumer-turned-entrepreneur Sara
Blakely created the SPANX brand to give women of
every shape and size the ability to feel confident
and sexy in any fashion. Today, SPANX products are
sold by America’s finest retailers and boutiques as
well as high-end retailers all over the world.
Prior to e-PLM and e-SPS, SPANX managed the
company’s product design and factory collaboration
with manual processes. “We ran the business on
spreadsheets, as it typical with young companies,”
said Robert Hunnicutt, technology project manager,
SPANX. “But with our rapid growth, it became harder
to manage information and the flow of data. Our
product line was growing tremendously, we added more
staff, and the number of factories tripled within 12
months. We couldn’t keep running our business on
spreadsheets.”
SPANX set out to find a PLM
system that could help them efficiently manage not
only product design but also purchase orders,
production and shipping; the company ultimately
selected NGC out of a dozen vendors. “We needed a
system to help speed up development, from concept to
production. And when we found out that NGC offered
integrated PLM and global sourcing, the choice was
obvious,” said Hunnicutt.
SPANX is already
seeing the impact of NGC’s software in the company’s
day-to-day operations, with benefits that include:
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Streamlined product development. With
NGC’s PLM software, SPANX can now organize
product sketches, specifications and all
digital assets much more efficiently. SPANX
can pinpoint information on each product,
regardless of the stage of development, and
quickly make any necessary changes without
searching through spreadsheets and emails.
In addition, the PLM implementation
has “forced us to look at our design
processes,” according to
Hunnicutt. “We’ve streamlined the
flow of information and become more
structured, which is
allowing us to speed up the design
process.”
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Improved efficiency. SPANX has added
three different sub-brands since selecting
NGC, but the company is handling the
additional product lines with only minimal
staff increases. “Our designers are using
their time more efficiently, which has
allowed us to have more products available
and add more flexibility into our design
schedules,” Hunnicutt said. “With every
improvement NGC allows us to make, we are
saving valuable minutes, hours and days,
which helps us save on staff overhead.”
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Enhanced communication and collaboration
with factories. “This system pays for itself
with this benefit,” said Hunnicutt. “e-SPS
allows us to collaborate with the factories,
and each style has its own communication
thread. Our manufacturers can simply log in
to the system and have access to every piece
of information they need, such as design
specifications, measurements and production
notes.”
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Faster speed to market. As a result of
the improvements in design processes and
production, SPANX is shortening the time it
takes to move a product from design concept
to production, allowing retailers and
customers to receive their orders faster.
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“NGC is pleased that SPANX is already
realizing significant benefits from e-PLM and
e-SPS,” said Mark Burstein, president of sales and
marketing, NGC. “We look forward to continuing to
work with SPANX on the implementation and to helping
them take advantage of the many benefits of a
combined PLM and global sourcing system.”
About Spanx
Ten years ago, Sara
Blakely began her mission to make the world a better
place, one butt at a time. A frustrated (yet
fashionable) consumer-turned-entrepreneur, Sara
reinvented shapewear with innovative designs and
smart features and won the hearts of fashion-loving
women, from Oprah Winfrey to Gwyneth Paltrow.
Obsessed with creating comfortable garments that
minimize figure flaws, Sara has helped create more
than 200 problem-solving products and recently
entered the bra business with the ground-breaking
Bra-llelujah! In 2006 Sara brought her shapewear
know-how to more women with the national launch of
ASSETS®, a new collection of shapewear
and legwear designed to help women achieve their own
red carpet look for less. Continuing to raise the
bar with innovative products women want, in 2009
Sara launched Haute Contour®, a
lingerie-inspired collection known as the dessert of
shapewear™. Today, after many years of demand, Spanx
brings their industry expertise to the pool and the
beach with swimwear and to men with a redefined
cotton compression undershirt.
About
NGC
NGC® (New Generation
Computing®) is a leading provider of PLM
and Global Sourcing solutions for brands, retailers
and consumer products companies. NGC helps our
customers increase profitability of private-label
merchandise, reduce cost of goods sold, improve
speed to market and product quality, and manage
compliance and testing.
NGC received the
highest possible ranking in a leading analyst firm’s
2009 and 2008 reports on PLM for apparel and
footwear and has been recognized as a top 100 supply
chain and logistics company by Inbound Logistics,
Global Logistics & Supply Chain Strategies and
Supply & Demand Chain Executive. It’s no wonder that
VF Corporation®, A|X Armani Exchange®,
Carter’s®, Casual Male Retail Group®,
R.G. Barry, Hugo Boss®, Dick’s Sporting
Goods, Isda & Co., STONY Apparel, Tristan & America®,
Parigi Group and many other leading companies rely
on NGC.
NGC has offices in Miami, New York,
Los Angeles, China, India, Mexico, and El Salvador
and is a wholly owned subsidiary of American
Software Inc. (NASDAQ: AMSWA). For more information,
visit
www.ngcsoftware.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press
release contains forward-looking statements that are
subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.
There are a number of factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those
anticipated by statements made herein. These factors
include, but are not limited to, changes in general
economic conditions, technology and the market for
NGC’s (the Company) products and services including
economic conditions within the e-commerce markets;
the timely availability and market acceptance of
these products and services; the effect of
competitive products and pricing; the uncertainty of
the viability and effectiveness of strategic
alliances; and the irregular pattern of the
Company's revenues. For further information about
risks the Company and American Software could
experience as well as other information, please
refer to American Software, Inc’s. Form 10-K for the
year ended April 30, 2009 and other reports and
documents subsequently filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. For more information about
risks the Company could face as well as other
information, contact Vincent C. Klinges, Chief
Financial Officer, American Software, Inc., 470 East
Paces Ferry Rd., Atlanta, GA 30305, (404) 261-9777.
FAX: (404) 264-5206 INTERNET:
http://www.amsoftware.com.
Media Contacts:
Marisol Gomez
Director of Marketing
mgomez@ngcsoftware.com
(305) 556-9122
x 369 |
Jeff Ketner
Ketner Group, Inc. (for NGC)
jeff@ketnergroup.com
(512) 794-8876 |
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TRADEMARKS: NGC, New Generation Computing, e-SPS,
e-PLM and RedHorse are registered trademarks of New
Generation Computing.
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