INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Software for Business
Dassault Systemes and Centric
Software accelerate digital
transformation
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going to accelerate their transformation
with PLM and create even more business
value with our 3DEXPERIENCE industry
processes. As we did for SOLIDWORKS 20
years ago, we will keep Centric Software
independently operated.”
D
assault Systemes has announced
that it has entered into a definitive
agreement to acquire a majority
stake in Centric Software, a privately-owned
industry market leader driving digital
transformation with software innovation in
the fashion, apparel, luxury and retail sectors.
With this investment, Dassault Systemes
aims to accelerate the digital transformation
of companies seeking solutions for the
increasingly complex development of
collections that respond to today’s on-trend
and on-demand consumers, representing a
multi-billion-dollar total addressable market.
Headquartered in California’s Silicon
Valley and with offices in 13 countries,
Centric Software provides product lifecycle
management software solutions to more
than 600 globally-recognised brands
including ASICS, Bass Pro, Belle China,
Bestseller, Etam, Kate Spade, Loblaws,
Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Samsonite,
Ted Baker, Tommy Hilfiger and others. In
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2017, Centric Software grew over 60% for
a revenue of US$61 million and generated
positive net income. Centric’s industry-
specific collaborative PLM platform is
used for merchandise planning, product
specifications, materials management,
product sourcing, cost scenarios, collection
management, calendar management and
quality management, on desktop and also
optimised for mobile devices, to increase
efficiency, accelerate time to market and
improve sales and product margins.
“As we are connecting the dots of the value
network for customers in 12 industries and
70 segments, we understand the specific
needs of the sectors that launch their
products by collection,” said Bernard Charles,
Vice Chairman and CEO, Dassault Systemes.
“Centric Software is joining us with a
market-leading, well-tailored, configurable
PLM solution and a great team of experts
fully dedicated to making these particular
customers successful. Together, we are
Today’s consumers are more
knowledgeable about products than ever
before, quickly defining and following
trends in a world where the digital and
physical converge. Competitive apparel and
fashion brands are scrambling to meet their
expectations for on-trend and on-demand
products by increasing the number of
collections they produce each year and
accelerating their launch. For thousands
of companies, this challenge requires last-
minute decision-making and the need to
reconfigure business processes for product
creation through market launch quickly
without eroding margins or product quality.
“By partnering with Dassault Systemes,
Centric Software will have the backing of a
world-leading innovation company,” said
Chris Groves, President and CEO, Centric
Software. “Our combined expertise in digital
transformation, PLM and the 3DEXPERIENCE
platform will allow us to accelerate the
development of market-driven innovations
to help our customers develop a competitive
advantage and fuel growth.”
“I look forward to Centric Software
partnering with Dassault Systemes to
leverage two, world-class, innovative
companies as they enable, accelerate and
deliver the most fundamentally disruptive,
purpose-built solutions for a vast yet
radically underserved industry yielding
compelling economic efficiencies of end-
to-end digital transformation,” said Bandel
Carano, Managing Director, Oak Investment
Partners, an investor in Centric Software. n
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