OOBE Chooses NGC's e-PLM Software For Product Lifecycle Management

NGC® (New Generation Computing®) recently announced that OOBE, an apparel brand specializing in corporate apparel and uniform programs, has chosen NGC's e-PLM to manage product design and development for its Design/Build and corporate apparel businesses.

Formed in the mid-1990s as an outdoor lifestyle sportswear brand, OOBE has recently focused on bringing a new level of style, performance and durability to corporate uniforms. The company needed a PLM solution to manage the rapid growth of its business and selected NGC's e-PLM as its strategic software for Product Lifecycle Management. OOBE will use e-PLM for design, RFQs and bids, delivery of spec-packs to sourcing offices and factories, and seamless management of changes and revisions throughout the product design process.

OOBE chose NGC based on extensive research of PLM and global sourcing vendors. Tim Ridings, OOBE's sourcing coordinator and PLM program manager, said, "Prior to joining OOBE, my previous company researched software vendors for more than a year and selected NGC. So when I came to OOBE, I knew that NGC could provide the competitive edge we needed in product design and development."

e-PLM will give OOBE the advantages of a web-based solution that provides "a single version of the truth," ensuring that everyone in the supply chain is viewing the latest information and specifications. "With e-PLM, we can maintain all information in a central location that is instantly accessible by our agents and factories around the world, without having to update multiple files and search through endless emails," said Toby Stansell, president of OOBE. e-PLM will help OOBE transform productivity and synchronize business processes through centralized data, a streamlined workflow, and exception management with automated alerts.

Other reasons for selecting NGC include:

Server-based vs. ASP software. "e-PLM is a server-based solution - not an ASP - and that was a major factor in our decision," said Roger Neely, business application manager for OOBE. "PLM is a mission-critical technology, so we wanted to be in control and host the application on OOBE's internal servers behind our firewall. This also makes it much easier to integrate e-PLM with our other business systems." Microsoft®-based applications. NGC is a Microsoft Gold partner, and its applications are Microsoft-based - another key reason in OOBE's selection of e-PLM. "OOBE leverages Microsoft technology throughout our organization, so the fact that NGC's software runs on Microsoft SQL Server was very important to us," Neely said.

"e-PLM can help OOBE shorten its product development time and become a more efficient organization, while also improving customer service," said Alan Brooks, president of NGC. "We look forward to working with OOBE on a successful PLM implementation."