NGC Gaining Ground on West Coast
Miami Lakes, Fla.–based software company New Generation Computing Inc. is setting its sights on the West Coast market.
Having recently entered the enterprise resource planning (ERP) market with its new Redhorse suite, the 25-year-old company has the tools to help its clients manage products from concept to customer and then some. NGC just launched a new West Coast marketing campaign and has already made some inroads during the past year.
Last summer, Los Angeles–based juniors apparel company 4Whatitsworth Inc., maker of the Tyte and Beau Dawson labels, signed on to use NGC’s Internet-based e-SPS (sourcing and product system), which distributes specifications throughout the supply chain to give managers real-time updates on various aspects of production. The system gives the apparel manufacturer’s sourcing department and production facilities in Hong Kong and Shanghai access to production data via a Web browser.
More recently, Vancouver, British Columbia– based Lululemon Athletica agreed to use NGC’s Redhorse, e-PDM (product data management) and e-SPS applications. The three products are based on Microsoft’s SQL server, which is popular because of its scalability and ability to integrate with Microsoft Excel or Word.
Lululemon makes clothing for specialized sports and activities such as yoga. It has retail stores throughout Canada and opened its first U.S. store in Santa Monica, Calif., last July. The added West Coast presence gives NGC more national appeal. Its account base, spread mostly over the East Coast, includes the VF Corp., Wilsons Leather, Ralph Lauren Children, Carter’s Inc. and the Kellwood Co., among others.
NGC was founded in South Florida to help manufacturers remotely manage their factories when U.S. production began migrating to the Caribbean years ago. As technology advanced and globalization evolved, NGC kept adding tools to handle new situations that apparel makers faced.
“We did a lot of brainstorming over the years,” said Fred Isenberg, vice president of sales. “We would conduct summits with our major accounts. We found that just delivering specs was not good enough. They wanted to manage them and needed a database of specs.”
Redhorse includes 12 modules and handles steps from pre-purchase-order product development to distribution center deliveries. The application can handle order processing, EDI, invoicing and accounts receivables, inventory control, purchasing and receiving, accounts payable, general ledger, import management, remote plant management, production planning, and screen printing and embroidery.
To tackle financial logistics, NGC recently aligned with New York–based TradeCard Inc. to link customers to TradeCard’s financial services platform. Now advanced shipping notices originated under NGC can be sent to TradeCard and converted to an invoice and packing list. TradeCard then compares documents against the terms of the purchase order and goes on to process payments. The goal is to create a paperless environment.
Porini Finalizes Deal With Harari
Westlake Village, Calif.–based software developer Porini USA Inc. has finalized its deal with Los Angeles–based contemporary line Harari Inc., which will use Porini’s enterprise and product development applications.
Harari has implemented Porini’s core enterprise suite, which supports sales, order management production, import tracking and distribution. The apparel company has also installed Porini’s Collection Development System to manage product development, calendars, product specs and costing.
Harari is known for its woven and knits collection, which features exotic prints and colors in silk. The company sells the line at its retail boutiques in California and Arizona as well as at specialty stores such as Neiman Marcus.
Chief Executive Officer Daniel Harari said the company was looking for applications that could work with its high-end, small-lot business profile. “Our business requires attention to every detail in the development and production processes and also a very personal touch with our customers,” he said.
Porini USA President Enrico Turconi said the software company hopes to help Harari shorten its cycle time while maintaining its quality level.
