Apparel

We are independent ERP consultants providing expertise in system selection, best practice and business process improvement for the apparel industry.

Distribution ERP Software Selection - Interviews

Apparel Requirements

Unique apparel industry requirements include:

  • New product development
  • Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
  • Colour/Size matrix used throughout the system
  • Dimensional inventory to allow for analysis of other product attributes such as style or texture
  • Prepacks (kitting)
  • Forecasting at different levels with predictions at SKU level based on historical patterns
  • Flexible pricing including promotions and volume rebates
  • Blanket orders
  • Back order fulfillment process
  • Lot number tracking
  • Landed costs
  • EDI
  • E-Commerce

Systems

  • Tier 1
  • Tier 2
  • Tier 3
  Blue Link ERP FDM4 Momentis Fashion System NetSuite SAP S/4 HANA
Product Information          
System Blue Link ERP FDM4 Momentis Fashion System NetSuite SAP S/4 HANA
Vendor Blue Link ERP FDM4 Momentis Fashion System NetSuite SAP S/4HANA
Description Since 1992, Blue Link ERP (a Cordance business unit) has been providing integrated inventory and accounting ERP software for small to medium size businesses and is best suited for those in the wholesale, distribution and e-commerce industries. As an all-in-one system, Blue Link helps businesses streamline and automate their processes by providing inventory management, accounting, order entry, warehouse management, and customer relationship management. In addition, Blue Link provides various add-on components such as B2B e-commerce, lot tracking, landed cost tracking, eCommerce integration and barcode scanning and can be customized in order to meet the specific needs of clients. Blue Link ERP is available throughout North America and the Caribbean and is offered as a SaaS (Cloud) solution. Blue Link ERP is particularly strong in regulated industries, such as pharmaceutical distribution, and generally in industries regulated by agencies such as the FDA, DEA and Health Canada, Consumer goods businesses ranging from sportswear suppliers to machinery component manufacturers can benefit from implementing one of our pre-built or custom-designed software solutions. Momentis Fashion System provides world-class software solutions to apparel and softgoods wholesalers, manufacturers and self-sourcing retailers. Developed using the latest Microsoft technologies, the Momentis Fashion System (MFS) is a fully integrated web-based application that offers an end-to-end enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), global sourcing, warehouse management/distribution and EDI solution with Critical Path Management and Alerts built in. In addition to offering feature-rich products, we offer hardware and integrated client services for consulting, development, implementation and 24/7 support. Momentis has over 30 years of industry experience and services over 150 clients worldwide. NetSuite ERP is an all-in-one, AI-powered, cloud business management solution that helps organizations operate more effectively by automating core processes and providing real-time visibility into operational and financial performance. With a single, integrated suite of applications for managing accounting, order processing, inventory management, production, supply chain and warehouse operations, NetSuite ERP gives companies clear visibility into their data and tighter control over their businesses.
  • Full-featured financials, CRM, inventory, project management and ecommerce software--all in a single system
  • Real-time visibility across your entire business operation
  • On-demand software infrastructure dramatically lowers maintenance and license fees
  • Real-time dashboards for all your key employees
  • NetSuite can be accessed anywhere, anytime to the information you need.
Netsuite ERP review on benefits:
  • Automate Financial Processes. Improve financial operations, efficiency and productivity.
  • Gain Inventory Visibility. Monitor inventory levels, minimize carrying costs and deliver orders on time.
  • Supply Chain Optimization. Control the flow of goods across the value chain, from suppliers to customer.
  • Flawless Order Management. Error-proof your order management and procurement.
  • Increase Warehouse Efficiency. Optimize the putaway process and reduce picking errors.
SAP S/4 HANA. As the market leader in enterprise application software, SAP helps companies of all sizes and in all industries run better by redefining ERP and creating networks of intelligent enterprises that provide transparency, resiliency, and sustainability across supply chains. SAP's end-to-end suite of applications and services enables customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference worldwide.
Website https://www.bluelinkerp.com/ https://www.fdm4.com/ https://www.momentis.com/ https://www.netsuite.com/ https://www.sap.com/
Primary Tier 2 2 2 2 1
Industries          
Apparel Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Construction No No No No Yes
Field Services No No No Yes No
Financial Services No No No Yes Yes
Food & Beverage Yes No No Yes Yes
Hospitality No No No Yes Yes
Manufacturing No No Yes Yes Yes
Nonprofit No No No No No
Professional Services No No Yes Yes Yes
Retail & ECommerce Yes No No Certified Yes
Transportation & Logistics No No No Yes Yes
Wholesale Distribution Yes No Yes Certified Yes
Applications          
Accounting (General Ledger, Financial Reporting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Budgeting and Cash Management) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Asset Management No No No Yes Yes
CPQ (Configure Price Quote) No No No No Yes
CRM Yes No No Yes Yes
Distribution (Order Processing, Purchasing and Inventory) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
E-commerce Yes No No No Yes
Field Services - Dispatching & Scheduling No No Yes No Yes
Field Services - Mobile Field Management No No No Yes Yes
Human Resource Management No No Yes Yes Yes
Manufacturing - Quality Control No Yes No No Yes
Manufacturing - Scheduling No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Manufacturing - Shop Floor Control No Yes Yes Yes Yes
MRP No Yes No No Yes
Payroll No No No No Yes
Point of Sale Yes No No No Yes
Product Lifecycle Management No Yes No No Yes
Professional Services - Scheduling No No Yes No Yes
Professional Services - Timesheets No No No No No
Professional Services – WIP Management No No No No No
Project Management No No No No No
Transportation Management Yes No No No No
Warehouse Management Yes No No No No
Developer Information          
Number of customers - all products Several hundred
Number of customers - this product Several hundred
Technology          
% of application that is web based (just need a browser on workstation) 20
On premise, cloud or hybrid Cloud On Premise On Premise On Premise
Private or Public Cloud Private Private Private Private
Tenant Architecture Single-Tenant Multi-Tenant Multi-Tenant Multi-Tenant
Generic Requirements          
Customization/Configuration          
Without changing source code In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
User-defined fields
  • Can define values/dropdowns for fields
  • Used in report selection and ordering
  • Used in workflow
In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
User defined screens
  • Change fields to required, optional or invisible for standard and user-defined field
In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Multiple Companies          
Share inventory across companies In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Share customers and suppliers across companies Minor Modification In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Automate balancing of transactions across legal entities In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
PO of 1 company automatically generates the sales order in another company Configuration Change In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Multiple Currencies          
Maintain source and home currency amount for each transaction In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Date effective currency exchange rates In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Work Flow          
Can apply an approval process to any transaction such as a journal entry or any master file such as a supplier or inventory item Not Available In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Can generate alerts/escalation if something expected is late or reminders In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Configurable approvals or alerts without needing programming In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Mobility          
Optimized for Android and iPhone 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Offline mode and synch when internet connected Not Available In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Sales tax compliance          
Canadian sales tax compliance In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
US sales tax compliance In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Reporting/Business Intelligence          
Reporting          
Industry standard reporting tool and can change existing reports or add new ones 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Ad-hoc reporting (don’t need a programmer) with filtering, sorting and summarizing options 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Dashboards          
Based on real time updates from all transactions 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Role specific 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Configurable dashboards - don't need to be a programmer to create or change dashboard 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Analytics          
Drag and drop dimensions 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release
Visualization/graphic representation of data 3rd Party Supported Application In Current Release In Current Release In Current Release

Testimonials

I can’t say enough good things about Alex and Michael, they were wonderful to work with.  The Business Process Review was probably the most valuable thing for our company - reviewing how all the teams interact with each other.  They helped us draft the RFP and vetted the responses so we could narrow down the list of vendors to our top three.  Michael was incredible on our actual contract negotiations, guiding us on where we could push back, resulting in savings that essentially paid for the 180 Systems fees. Once we had selected the ERP system, Alex helped us through the entire implementation process – we wouldn’t have been able to do it without his knowledge and support.
Elizabeth Galloway pehr
Michael is a great individual and his team was awesome. They were very very thorough in helping us with our selection of an ERP system. I think the one thing that really helped us out is all the stuff that puts most people to sleep didn’t put them to sleep.  In reviewing and documenting all of our processes, they were amazing at getting it down to the detail level so they had a thorough understanding of the needs of our system.
Sam Gallo, Senior Director, FinanceBravado Designs Ltd.
I thought Michael was very professional, thorough, well organized, detailed, and overall a pleasure to work with. He assisted me in a very detailed software selection project with many vendor companies. Michael provided us with a methodology and we are using it. He performed the preliminary inquiry phase, sent out questionnaires to potential companies, gathered and compiled the materials, and helped me navigate the process, including online demos, and even visiting companies in Montreal.
Shai Burstein, PresidentTrend Marketing
We needed someone who would be objective and not just sell us a solution. We also needed someone with a strong technical understanding, as well as expertise in our industry - apparel manufacturing and distribution. We engaged Michael Burns who far exceeded our expectations. I hold him in the highest regard, as he was always focused on the best solution for our company. I would highly recommend his company, 180 Systems, if you are thinking about changing your existing system.
Ralph Goldfinger, PresidentCanada Sportswear
Working with Michael was fine, great, worked for me. He was methodical with how he went about the project. There were lots of people on the internal team, and he was able to get input from the key people. He also worked well with the vendors and provided us with good materials on the various products so we could evaluate them. He had a point system for rating the suitability of the systems which allowed us to narrow the choices and focus the team on those concepts.
Karen Schultz, Project ManagerRobeez