Perfect Products Require Perfect Order Management

With a ferocity for crafting the perfect fit, this leading footwear manufacturer has grown into a preeminent company recognized globally for its tenacity and creativity in crafting the perfect shoe. Started in 1878, the company’s portfolio now includes 15 brands ranging from athletic footwear to women’s high fashion to children’s sports shoes, and a booming retail segment boasting 1,200 stores in the US, Canada and China. Its production facilities in the U.S., UK, China and Vietnam support $3 billion in annual sales.

THE CHALLENGE

This company’s manufacturing operations start with over 3,000 patterns in the design phase, and 11,000 plus materials and colors in play during any given season, leading to 200,000 SKUs when size and width variations are considered. This complicates the production tasks when completing orders.

The aging infrastructure system included a mainframe- based operating system, differing systems for the branded and wholesale teams, and several homegrown bolt-ons. The situation resulted in multiple “versions of the truth” and an IT environment that didn’t facilitate future growth and agility.

The product team was generally reactive – get an order, place an order. This led to poor speed-to-market and shortfalls for demand of the most-desired shoes.