The apparel and footwear (and accessories) industry has been taking major leaps in using Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) over the last few years. and have come up, showing how advanced technology can serve this industry to create superior sales content. But designing apparel and footwear differs from creating sales content. This is because materials used in the fashion industry have characteristics that can make the adoption of 3D tools a challenge. For example, cotton fabric used in a shirt will fall differently from silk used in the same design. While the design remains the same, the outcome in terms of fabric fall and feel is dramatically different. Fortunately, over the last few months, with the limitations imposed by the lockdowns and social distancing enforced by COVID-19, 3D design tools are starting to mainstream.

Not so long ago, when a fashion designer created a garment, the design would be sent to a factory, say in China, for samples to be manufactured. A person would have to be deployed near the factory to examine and send sample products to the headquarters for final testing (on live models – which is also an expensive process), validation and approvals. Now 3D tools are being used to replace these time-consuming and expensive processes, from design to development and from prototyping to production. A major advantage of 3D tools is that they can be integrated with PLM, ensuring that collaborative processes related to procurement, approvals, BOM, marketing and sales can also be made part of a seamless workflow. 

Most advanced 3D tools for the apparel, footwear and accessories industry can now be provisioned with a ready-to-use color, texture, material and trim catalogue plus a style and fit library with size ranges. The photorealistic rendering by the 3D tools allows designers to create complex products. It allows them to work accurately and make as many pattern changes as necessary—quickly, efficiently and without material loss. Even fabric folds and falls can be rendered accurately using digital sensors and simulators. The tools can also simulate the pressure of fabrics and materials while static or in motion. 

Lead times for design and development processes can be slashed by 15 to 20% using 3D tools while the sampling costs can be reduced by as much as 20%. But the principal appeal of these tools, however, lies in giving designers tremendous flexibility, letting their creativity flourish. That is what every footwear and apparel business desires.

Author:

Nitin Ratti
General Manager, PLM
91¶¶Òõ

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It is never easy to stay on top of the factors that determine product development. These factors range from gathering information on what customers used in the past, their levels of satisfaction with existing products, how they can be persuaded to change their minds with a change in packaging or display, the impact of word-of-mouth on decision-making, competitive action, regulatory requirements, the intellectual property landscape, patents, available technology and ingredients, recipe suppliers…the list is long and daunting. This is where digital platforms come into play, supporting the effort to capture knowledge and let it flow into new product development.

There is an additional level of complexity involved. CPG organizations need to address a variety of time frames to get new products before consumers. Reactive changes to existing products may be required in the short-term. Some changes, such as shifting to sustainable ingredients, may be required in the mid-term. And launching a fundamentally new product, replacing existing products, may be required in the long-term. Also, long term sustainability and growth of the business would require the CPG organization to move quickly, focusing on product IP creation and raising barriers to entry. The question hounding every CEO pursuing new product development is, “Am I executing innovation and NPD process using the correct systems and methodologies, so that I can have the right products available just when required, to be used as the winning ammunition on the battlefield of the market?� 

To answer that question with confidence, the CEO needs to have a digital platform that takes products from concept to launch. 91¶¶Òõ’s PLM based Digital Platform fills the gap. The platform is enabled with stage-gate driven accelerators and templates. It integrates business functions in the organization such as engineering, testing, packaging, graphics, commercial, marketing and legal, and enables them to collaboratively contribute to the innovation process at various stages. The platform, through its interactive dashboard, provides visibility into portfolio, programs and projects, captures who is working on what activity of which project, and the stage at which each project is. What the digital platform delivers is a system of urgency, flagging delays, identifying bottlenecks, sensing what is happening in the market and bringing it to the notice of the organization, and enforcing collaboration.

The need for such a platform has been felt for long. But the urgency has grown in recent years as end-customers are going digital. They now have the tools to look for customized, personalized and improved products. In response, CPG organizations need to work faster, conceptualize products overnight, come up with prototypes, test them and get them into the market before competition does. The only way to do this effectively is with a PLM based digital platform, such as the one provided by 91¶¶Òõ, specifically designed to manage new product development and innovation.

Author:

Debjit Banerjee
VP, Business Consulting,
91¶¶Òõ

The post Faster, higher, stronger: How digital platforms can win the race for new products innovation appeared first on 91¶¶Òõ.