California Apparel News

The Chinese eco-friendly apparel manufacturer Icicle has chosen Gerber Technology’s YuniquePLM software to improve communication between its design, supplier and manufacturing communities, as well as increase efficiencies in management of its product lines, pattern design, sample making, technical design, materials procurement, costing and supplier management.

During the first phase of implementation, the Shanghai-based Icicle brand-management company will install 80 PLM-user licenses and 20 supplier licenses in order to more closely manage the brand’s samples, tech packs, material bills and supplier relationships, according to a statement provided by Gerber.

“Independent product design and development requires a lot of communication among groups and departments,” said Shouzeng Ye, general manager and design director of Icicle.

“After seeing the possibilities of Gerber’s YuniquePLM system, we sincerely believe that this system can help us communicate more effectively and improve the overall management of our many product lines.”

Icicle was founded in 1997 in Shanghai.

The company manages seven production lines for women’s and menswear, as well as infants’ and children’s apparel. In addition to using high-end cotton, bamboo and silk produced in China, the brand imports high-quality, natural materials from all over the world, including cotton from Japan and knitted fabrics and wool from Italy.

“We have been using Gerber’s AccuMark pattern design, grading and marker-making software since 2006,” Ye noted. “We decided to continue to partner with Gerber for the long term because of their leading position in the fashion industry and because their pattern-design system integrates well with their PLM system, eliminating a lot of redundant work for us.”

Based in Tolland, Conn., Gerber Technology is owned by Vector Capital, a San Francisco- based, global private-equity firm specializing in the technology sector.

Gerber Technology provides hardware and software systems to automate and more effectively manage the product design and manufacturing process in the aerospace, apparel, retail, composites, packaging, furniture, technical textiles and transportation-interiors industries.

“I am pleased that such a well-respected and popular Chinese fashion brand has realized the value of Gerber’s YuniquePLM system in the quest to balance environmental responsibility with business growth and profitability,” said Bill Brewster, vice president of global sales and marketing for Gerber Technology’s Yunique business. —Deidre Crawford