A process-oriented framework for PLM implementation in fashion companies

The fashion industry is evolving from the traditional kingdom of creativity to innovative initiatives allowing it to compete in the global market. PLM is becoming crucial in companies focusing on product development in order to design new collections each season. Our proposition is a framework for effective implementation of PLM in the fashion industry. It is based on four consecutive phases: identification of business issues and needs, model process and data, identification of PLM business objects and a scenario analysis to select a PLM solution. This approach was tested and validated in a fashion company managing leather goods and conducting internally all the business processes except for production. The research contributes to enfold literature and it could provide valuable insight for practitioners wishing to enhance product development and successfully implement a PLM in the sector.