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1. Executive summary

The project summarizes the information which is collected through research as well as from the internet.

It gives information about the parent company Infor and the chosen partner "Ptex Solutions"

The project report is divided into various chapters the project begins with company profile i.e. Overall

information about Infor and the chosen partner "Ptex Solutions". It is a new introduction of the software

in renouned fashion brands. The report explains the target market of specific companies who want to

introduce the merchandising software and visual merchandising software to their organization. The

purpose of this report is to discover user - generated visual merchandising (VM) directives that could guide

VM in physical stores as well as shed light on future development of customizable virtual stores for online

retailing. The report also explains the target market for the research of the study and the research

objectives and methodology behind it. It also covers the research findings to support my assumption for

choosing the retail software solution company.

Further it explains the product categories, their major customers, department structure, organizational

structure, compliance & CSR practices, SWOT and PEST Analysis of the company, the retail strategy

chosen for Ptex Solutions for promoting the software. The last few pages cover the project proposal,

literature to understand the problem area, economic indicators of the brand and the human resource

management. Further are the Conclusions, Recommendations & Suggestions given to Ptex Solutions, with

the help of the suggestions Ptex can increase it sales and its market share in the country.

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2. Background 2.1 Overview of Infor: Founded in 2002, Infor is fundamentally changing the way information is published and consumed in the enterprise, helping 70,000 customers in 194 countries improve operations, drive growth, and quickly adapt to changes in business demands. Infor offers deep industry-specific applications and suites, engineered for speed, and with an innovative user experience design that is simple, transparent, and elegant. Infor provides flexible deployment options that give customers a choice to run their businesses in the cloud, on-premises, or both.

Company size : 10,001 employees. Headquarters: located at 641 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10011 United States. Industry :Computer Software Website: http://www.infor.com

Type: Privately Held

List (1.1)

2.2 Infor Fashion PLM:

Infor Fashion PLM is the company's newest application that helps seamlessly link vital areas of the fashion supply chain to your business – from line planning, design and development to sourcing, production, inventory management, customers and distribution. Infor Fashion PLM was created using the latest Infor technologies to help fashion brands, manufacturers and private brand retailers develop styles more quickly and efficiently. This new solution is a key component of Infor Fashion, one of

Figure(1.1) REF: Ptex Solutions/(2016) Available at:

http://www.ptexsolutions.com/lawson-fashion-plm.html.[Accessed 02 March 2016]

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•Aerospace & Defense

•Automotive

•Chemicals

•Distribution

•Equipment

•Fashion

•Food & Beverage

•Retail

•Public Sector

•Customer Experience

•Enterprise Performance Management

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• Industrial Manufacturing

•Healthcare

•High Tech & Electronics

•Hospitality

•Public Sector

•Customer Relation Management

•Enterprise Resource Planning

•Configure Price Quote (CPQ)

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•Human Capital Management

•Product Lifecycle Management

•Workforce Management

•Enterprise Asset Management

•Supply Chain Management

•Enterprise Financial Management

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the most functionally rich solutions for today's market. Infor Fashion PLM supports the design workflow, new

product development cycle, and streamlines the overall planning process. Each collection, style and its component can

be accessed through a meaningful and intuitive user interface that has driven processes for greater speed in daily

activities.

2.3 Overview of Visual Retailing Holding:

Visual Retailing Holding:

Founded in 2004 by Maurits Teunissen and comprises of Visual Retailing and Style Shoots.. Visual Retailing is a great

help to retail. It helps to develop, distribute & support applications that makes it easier to bring company products

to market so that one can focus on what one can do his best. Its solutions and applications are at the vanguard of the

retail fashion wars because they come from the trenches. Today, Visual Retailing is a global provider of retail

execution and compliance management solutions that optimize the communication between individual stores, fashion

chains, and wholesalers. Customers are well-known chains including C&A, Peek & Cloppenburg, Kaufhof, Bijenkorf

and Takko. They use Visual Retailing technology to facilitate and optimize communications with their individual

stores and outlets. Prestigious wholesale chains like O’Neill, Adidas, Puma, s.Oliver and Bandolera have been able to

initiate successful new sales processes.

Website : http://www.visualretailing.com

Industry: Computer Software.

Type: Private Held.

Headquarters: Kinderhuissingel 4J Haarlem, 2013 AS Netherlands.

Company Size: 51-200 employees.

List (1.2)

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• Visual Merchandising

• Mockshop

• Shopshape

• StyleShoots Spec

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• Product Lifecycle Management

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• Product Photography

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2.4 MockShop

MockShop is about business intelligence made visual. Retail is

inherently visual. By linking stats figures to product images, the

information is made more relevant to everyone. Weekly status

meetings can be made faster and create more value. Use a

comprehensive view on product ranges to raise validity and weight in

your decisions. Put entire product lines into a manageable perspective with our visualization tool. Then drag & drop to build the store of your dreams. Figure (1.2) 2.4a Get the big picture on your product range. Custom visual analysis makes the data more manageable. One can view one's product range as one wants, by slicing & dicing one's product range to spot gaps instantly. One can also make sure about the products if they are matching defined color cards & concepts, from the early planning stage to the development of the product range. Figure (1.3) One can achieve quick & instant solutions for visual merchandising, even without having the products physically at hand. Populate fixtures accurately with product information imported from your specified document folders or from other systems. One can create as many mock-shops as one likes, without limitations in size, fixtures, merchandise, POS material. One will never feel limited by the size of the physical building chosen. 2.4b. Taking it to the 3rd Dimension One can move beyond flat diagrams and out of touch plans. Easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface includes all of your chosen fixtures, products and graphics, to let one get creative within all the relevant confines. Figure (1.5) Get the full experience of a 3D visual store & take a walk through of your own created store before a single brick is laid. Figure (1.6)

Figure (1.4)

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2.4c. Retail Concept Visualization

This retail concept visualization is an example of what combining the strength of MockShop with 3ds Max, or other 3D computer graphics program, can produce. Drag & drop product information & images from the database to illustrate one's ideas & present the product ranges. Develop a Plannogram & share one's guidelines using pdf or image files. To get the full process optimized, plannograms from MockShop can be automatically published & distributed via Shop Shape, our online communication tool.

3.0 Ptex Solutions

Founded in 2004, Ptex Solutions is the pioneer of PLM in Indian fashion industry Today, through building and maintaining strategic partnerships, Ptex Solutions has expanded beyond its position as PLM market leader to leadin5g fashion technology solutions provider. As it is part of the Prasam Group of Companies, Ptex Solutions’ philosophy is rooted in garment manufacturing and driven by deep global fashion technology industry knowledge and understanding. 3.0a.) Ptex Mission Ptex Solutions’ mission is to deliver best-in-class technology solutions for the global fashion industry with utmost professionalism. The company’s focus on balancing fashion and technical expertise is at the core of its business. 3.0b) Ptex Partners Ptex Solutions’ partners are at the heart of its successful practice. Through establishing strategic partnerships, the company provides cutting-edge fashion technology solutions. The company’s philosophy is reflected in its approach to partner selection. Ptex Solutions’ first partner, Freeborders, was the apparel industry’s PLM leader. Similar to Ptex Solutions, Freeborders had its roots in the fashion industry and software was developed by a team of apparel rather than IT professionals. Over the years, the company continues to expand its portfolio of products and services through adding partners that complement its vision such as: Trendstop, Browzwear & Lawson.

Figure (1.7)

Figure (1.8)

Figure(1.9)

Figure (1.10)

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List (1.3) Ptex Partners 3.0c Ptex Team The Ptex team was built through careful selection to ensure a balance between fashion and technology expertise, while consistently maintaining professionalism. Collectively, the team brings rich software implementation best practices culled from leading companies. Specifically, the team is well-versed in carrying out implementation across small as well as large companies that go across the fashion spectrum from manufacturing to retail. Hierarchy Model of Ptex Solutions Chart (1.1)

3.0d) Ptex Clients: Ptex Solutions’ clients are a mix of leading Indian and international brands and retailers: from Madura Garments to The Peacock Stores and The Bollman Hats of UK. When ITC’s Lifestyle Retail Business Division (a division of one of India’s largest conglomerates) implemented Freeborders’ PLM solution, Ptex Solutions became the first software company to implement the PLM system in Indian fashion industry. Since then, the company has grown rapidly and now provides its solutions to some of India’s largest corporations including Raymond's Ltd. (owner, ColorPlus) and Aditya Birla Group (owner, Madura Garments).

Infor Visual Retailing Product Development

Partnership

CEO (Prasam Kamdar)

Technical Support Analyst

Software

Consultant-Apparel

Developer, Microsoft

SQL Server 2008

Developer Microsoft

SQL Server Reporting

Service

F&A HR

Figure (1.11)

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3.0e Future Plans Going forward, Ptex Solutions plans to continue its aggressive expansion through forming strategic partnerships that enable fashion companies to leverage technology for delivering superior business results, while maintain the highest degree of professionalism. To this end, the company has already made monumental progress through growing its relationship with Lawson. Due to Ptex Solutions’ phenomenal success with PLM in the Indian fashion industry, Lawson has signed on Ptex Solutions to provide multiple technology solutions, including ERP, PLM and design solutions, to

the Indian fashion industry.

4.0 Benefits (USP) of Mockshop

4.0 Benefits per role a.) CEO/Management

Avoid financial overspend due to ability to test the space for precise fixture & branding requirements.

Better "sell through" and less "mark down" due to improved stock management, resulting in higher net revenue and margins.

Reduced logistics cost as there will less overstock returns to warehouse. Improves cross functional team collaboration for buying and merchandising,

marketing and store operations. b.) Retail Operations & VM

Greater productivity during new store openings, with less man hours and overtime required.

Delivers precise retail execution through the creation of accurate plannograms and fixture guidelines. Improves cross functional team collaboration for buying and merchandising, marketing and store operations. Improved communications with shop fitting and retail design companies resulting in an earlier sign-off.

c.) Marketing

Avoid CAPEX overspend due to ability to test the space for precise fixture

and branding requirements. Reduction in PoS wastage due to accurate planning and testing of

concepts prior to investment. Improves cross functional team collaboration for buying and

merchandising, marketing and store operations. Deliver a consistent brand identity across multiple stores on a regional

and global basis.

d.) Selling Better "sell through" and less "mark down" due to improved stock management, resulting in higher revenue

and margins.

Improves cross functional team collaboration for buying and merchandising, marketing and store operations.

Ability to test designs and collections in a retail environment at the buying

stage, therefore creating visual merchandising concepts at an earlier stage of the process.

Figure (1.12)

Figure (1.13)

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4.1 Business Benefits: a.) Improved Communication

Mockshop uses pictures instead of words.

Pictures scale any language barrier and ensure ideas and instructions are

received with clarity.

b.) Reduced cost & investment

Mockshop eliminates duplicate tasks. One truth leads to fewer meetings.

Separate teams don’t need to plan fixture layouts using different systems

so everyone can see the same shop-floor.

c.) Consistent Identity

You can create as many plannograms as you want, for stores of any space

grade and in any location. This gives you complete, worldwide control over your brand identity.

d.) Time Savings

Automated plannograms production saves you time at the design stage, and

typically halve the time it takes to lay out the shop-floor.

4.2. Visual Merchandising for the masses:

Shop Shape delivers real time VM information to your selected stores.

a.) Your tablet can manage it

Put visual merchandising at your fingertips and in the hands of your staff.

The Shop Shape application lets you know what's happening on any of your

sales floors with up-to-the-minute updates. Track compliance, campaigns and

instructions from wherever you are.

Give immediate feedback and rate the store's performance. Pass your staff

clear instructions and visual guidelines. The app makes it easy for staff to

interact with the store plannograms and upload photos.

b.) Shop Shape features:

Shop Shape gives you a live view of what is happening out there, in your stores. Experience your stores as

your customers do, in real time. Help store managers create the best environment for your customers.

Discover exceptions while they happen.

Allow you and your staff to respond to instructions, instead of just reacting to them. Up to the minute

information and views help you build a better brand and strategically support sales.

Figure (1.14)

Figure (1.15)

Figure (1.16)

Figure (1.17)

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c.) Get everyone on board

Empower shop floor personnel and make communication 2-way again.

With Shop Shape, HQ now has a tool to send out clear messages &

receive sharper signals from staff. Give clear, concise instructions, across

the board and get feedback from each and every store.

Discover what's working and what isn't. Enable best practice sharing.

Share great stories and images uploaded from leading stores. With

Shop Shape, individual stores can browse each others photos and feedback for

inspiration.

d.) Manageable Management

With a highly intuitive interface, we have made Shop Shape very easy to

use.

Automatically publish plannograms from MockShop or create new

guidelines by dragging & dropping within the Shop Shape application.

Standardize looks and practices simply by comparing stores clearly and

objectively.

Create and share your vision for how stores should look.

Enable inspirational instructions based on any image material.

Make instructions that can be read and understood by your entire staff.

Manage progressively.

Seek not just to inform, but also to inspire.

4.3 Style Shoots

a.) The photo machine for content production.

Get perfect images for visual merchandising & online.

Works like a charm with Mockshop & Shop Shape.

b.) Images perfect for VM & online shop

Style Shoots produces highly detailed product images ready for

visual merchandising, web and print. The included iPad lets

anyone control this advanced machine and get ready-to-use

photos in seconds.

Style Shoots can export your photos in many dimensions, file types and qualities.

Ready for use in MockShop, Shop Shape, look books, catalogues, your digital asset management

system and online stores.

Figure (1.18)

Figure (1.19)

Figure (1.20)

Figure (1.21)

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c.) All you need for content creation

Style Shoots Horizontal comes with everything you need to

photograph your products for visual merchandising and

online. So your colleagues in marketing will love it too.

It contains

Canon® camera and lens

Award-winning Rotolight® LED lighting

iPad™, embedded Mac mini™ and electronics

Active glass LED backlight

Custom developed software

Style Shoots handles all the complexity and cuts away

the background automatically in seconds. So one can

use them instantly in MockShop and Shop Shape for plannograms

and guideline creation.

Figure (1.22)

Figure (1.23)

Figure (1.24)

Figure (1.25)

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5.0 Evolution of PLM 5.1 Evolution Of Collaborative Paradigm In Fashion Oriented Product Development

Collaboration is the cornerstone of any product lifecycle management (PLM) application in the fashion industry. It

ensures that the products retain competitive edge by leveraging the best utilization of human capital across the

organizations. Be it vendor collaboration or the idea of developing a collaborative culture among fashion and the

technical designers, the new generation of workers are familiar with these concepts anyways due to ubiquitous social

collaboration culture in the cyber space.

Chart (1.2) Chart (1.3)

Chart (1.4)

We know that PLM is more than just tools to execute transactions; in fact, it is a full delivery of tools and processes

that defines the culture that guides the corporate brand. The future is in platforms where data is shared instead of

exchanged between systems. Combined with embedded search technology that combines information from other

platforms and environments, the application platform should provide each user with the information needed at that

time.

Taking the simplistic view of the PLM evolution itself, most implementation at present are more internally focused

and fairly effective in executing the core processes involving fashion designers, tech designers, costing aspects, Bill of

Material (BOM) creation etc. However, PLM is more than just a set of tools to execute transactions. Its strategic value

extends beyond full delivery of tools and processes that define the culture that guides the corporate brand.

PLM can help enable fast fashion by incorporating collaborative processes to shorten the timeline to bring the right

product to market in order to meet the fast moving trends. More evolved PLM discipline in future is expected to be

highly collaborative in nature for maximizing the changes of product success by leveraging proactive collaboration

with internal teams, vendors, B2B customers and finally stretching to the end consumers.

PLM

Internal Collaboration

Vendor

Collaboration

B2B Partner

Collaboration

End Consumer

Collaboration

PLM

Fashion

Designer

Tech

Designs

Costing

BOM

Tech Packs

Vendors

Internally focused

PDM Stage

Highly Collaborative

PLM Stage

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5.2 Stages to the collaborative process include:

Internal collaboration – Collaboration among design, merchandising, sourcing, sales & marketing, and logistics functions.

Vendor collaboration – extension of communication beyond traditional transaction processing for purchase order, production order, and shipment transactions to include the vendor as an integrated partner in the company’s processes.

B2B customer collaboration – extension of communication to gain input from customers for what products are wanted and to provide focus/amendments to the planed line.

End consumer collaboration – Combining traditional measures of what products sold, when they are sold and at what price, together with the social measure of where trends are evolving.

In addition, PLM applications should also absorb feedback on products’ design and their ratings on social media

websites so that organizations can max out the benefits of external collaboration. This ensures that the best products

are developed from the get go, whilst confirming higher customer satisfaction and improving bottom line profits.

Going a step further, PLM applications should incorporate the complete business cycle that encompasses customer

feedback received on social media websites, in addition to easy analysis of points of sales for designers who can

modify their designs accordingly and make them available for end users after the least number of clicks and reduced

production cycles.

Infor PLM supports the collaboration in many respects. Developed as a business vertical solution for the fashion industry, Infor PLM rationalizes the need for an end-to-end PLM solution in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 so that business users are provided with an integrated and collaborative PLM experience that is process driven, seamless and leads to success stories in the product design and development process.

One of the key benefits of using Infor PLM as a one-stop PLM solution is that it eliminates overheads and provides exciting features across the MS Dynamics AX 2012 rich client (product data & lifecycle management), enterprise portal (vendor portal and PLM application) and designer portal (design collaboration and peer analysis) as part of an integration where each piece works to augment and complement the whole.

Truly amazing and inspiring, Infor PLM is the way of the future and the answer to most evolving PLM needs. An exciting world of ideas and inspiration is just a mouse click away.

5.3 Evolution of Visual Retailing & Merchandising:

a.) Decoding the term “Visual Merchandising”?

Many articles and books have already been published on visual merchandising, which states that Visual

Merchandising is a methodology to position a retailer & its related products in the market. It can help to create that

positive customer image that leads to successful sales as it distinguishes the collection through the generic

(Fundamentals Rules) and expert (Technical Guidelines) modes of displays. It not only communicates the store’s

image, but also reinforces the store’s advertising efforts and encourages impulse buying by the customer. Visual

merchandising is a major factor often overlooked in the success or failure of a retail store. It is second only to effective

customer relations. Visual merchandising can be defined as everything the customer sees, both exterior and interior,

that creates a positive image of a business and results in attention, interest, desire and action on the part of the

customer. These methodologies if used in a precise manner are profitable for the consumers, sales team and for the

product itself.

Initially VM was limited to window dressing only. However, over the past few decades due to the extensive brand

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penetration in the market, we see visual merchandising has now become a

famous terminology. Retailers from both; organized and unorganized

markets have started using the varied methods of display to gain the

maximum exposure of the merchandise, to increase footfalls and generate

the revenues. Now VM is not limited to apparel display rather evolved at

various levels in different capacities. Since the process is deeply rooted with

the branches of fashion & Lifestyle domain which is not constant and will

keep on changing itself along with the time.

Hence we would see the display tactics used today would get obsolete

soon and swapped with efficient and unconventional methods. The display

techniques would then further be involved with online portals.

b.) Current status of Visual Merchandising & its future prospects:

Concept of display takes place from two horizon:

1.) Macro Level

2.)Micro Level

Visual merchandising as a functional support has a crucial role in retailing and

has more than 100 years of enriched heritage and stories intact. We see US &

European markets at the niche level of shopping experiences after years of

struggle and practices whereby these markets try and evolve the customers with

their mesmerized product display methodologies.

However, in other zones the concept of the displays was there, but in the

unconscious memory. I mean to say retailers in the past used to apply parts of

display tactics when they used to display the merchandise at their

level since at that point of time there was no dossier or docket of display

guidelines were handy with them. Moreover, none of the institutes were offering

the study materials or courses in this discipline. Domestic retailers try and match

the global standards of displays, but technological advancement is mostly limited

to the giant brands with steep budgets. Brands have also started bringing the

retail excellence levels and knowledge to elevate the marketing, display and

service standards.

In order to understand the individual & cluster platforms of display, we

can see that retail has positioned itself at multiple platforms. We see

stores at high streets translating the glory and heritage of the brands in a

magnificent ways. Brands does not hesitate to acquire high rental properties

and offer the collections through these locations for example brands at

Champs-Élysées in Paris, Manhattan Street in US & Linking Road in

Mumbai. On the other hand, we also see a great mix of brands at various

national and international Malls.

Now what remains, and plays the important role in up keeping the look

of the stores is the technique called visual merchandising. We see

mannequins positioned in the windows with perfect ensembles and in

coordinated dresses communicating the fashion trend based on the

ongoing seasons.

We have witnessed this beautiful process for the past two decades now

and as we progress towards the end of 2025 we would see some

Figure (1.27)

Figure (1.28)

Figure (1.29)

Figure (1.26)

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evolutionary changes in store design and visual merchandising domain. Brands

with 100+ years of heritage would be going to present in the

moderately large area & each of the mega cities in a country would have these

stores.

c.) How does technology shape Visual merchandising?

Now, as far as Technology is concerned, it has different meanings associated with

it. Modern theory says the sum of the ways in which social groups provide

themselves with the material objects of their civilization is called technology. We

see some evolutionary changes across all the levels of visual merchandising due to

the technology.

For example, we see that today Visual Merchandisers are equipped with

software's like Adobe, Corel draw, MockShop and 3D max to visualize the

entire retail space and its outlook well in advance the seasons whereas

earlier they used to illustrate the plan on paper which had issues in scaling

the layout or plannograms.

We have also witnessed the dramatic shifts in the material as a substance of display

at various retail shops like flex, vinyl, 3M innovations, and print on textile for

visual exposures and now we are moving towards 3D printing and technologies. In the

past, traditional retailers used to play music of their own choices, but now we hear

customized music which is tailored as per the brand’s philosophy and its positioning in the

market, which is now controlled by the hard drives, but not with the bunch of CD or DVDs for

in-store music programs and it plays the music on the various timelines in a day to pump up

the shopping moods.

We see augmented reality taking the places now in the physical retail points to connect up

with the youth and exaggerate the visual experiences. We see vinyl material based visuals are

replaced by backlit fabric prints, and in future we would also see fabric visuals replaced by

digital screens. Brands are not only going to display the products rather focus on the holistic

ways of designing and merchandising.

Stores would keep ready to develop archives of each of the merchandise/SKU produced within

the brand on display and these collections would be projected by a beam available within the

hanging rods. A digital space would be dedicated to the various advertising campaigns so that

new customers would be informed and loyal customer should feel intact.

d.) Futuristic Overview of the Display Standards

I believe it is the brand and its core product, which defines the scale and scope of technology

in their retailing phenomena. For example, if a brand has a strong legacy which they would want to share within their

premises, there interactive LCD or LED panels are good options since this would give immense exposure to each of

the product line or category, going beyond from this is augmented reality.

In case if the philosophy of the brand is based on innovation and economic product presentation, then LED lights is

the best option and going beyond this platform the near future of light is Nano-lights which are far better, durable and

effective.

Similarly, brands of high street would install the solar energy based signboards which would get charged in the

daytime and will get illuminated throughout the night even after closing the shop.

Figure (1.30)

Figure (1.31)

Figure (1.32)

Figure (1.33)

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This way in the daytime signboard would work as the identity of the store and after

closing hours would become the advertising tool.

Brands would be going to keep archives of their collection, which would not be limited

to any specific season and in case if someone has missed that particular style at some

point of time or could not buy the same, they would just get the same displayed on the

merchandise walls where with the help of a beam a 3D virtual image would become

visible in-front of the customer and they can place the order after confirming the look in

an augmented reality system.

We have to envisage the future by keeping in mind the sociological and cultural

horizons. I believe the technology would take us to the next level and we would be

going to develop various models based on the mere concept of technology where

visual thinking and merchandising would lead the future of retail. We need to have

such a robust system in place so that we could control, select and buy the

merchandise by winking. Google has already launched the eyewear which has

inbuilt screen in it and it acts on the winking and eyeball movement patterns.

This tribe of visual Merchandisers should be ready to grasp these changes. Surface

retail application which will have inbuilt leaves, petals, smell, and animation in it would also

become an important tool to display, for example, in a pre decided surface where the retailer

has displayed perfumes the surface just below that would reflect the various elements of its

composition.

e.) Digital VM vs physical VM?

It is a comparison in between webmospheric and Atmospherics.

The Digital display is based on the webmospheric tools which are devised by UX designers.

Before I talk about Digital displays it is also important to illustrate the philosophy of online

retailing, its revenue generation model & its most profitable categories. E-retailers or m-

retailers generate most of their revenues by Books, Computer hardware, health & beauty,

jewelry etc which require less tactile involvement of the customers.

And UX designers with the help of various elements & principles of design are creating a visual platform for the

customers. UX designer plays with shapes, whereas stores with their physical landmarks play with the forms.

However, now we can also see the 360 degree or virtual outlook of the products online, but customers can’t touch

and feel it unless she goes to the physical store.

We are human beings and we see the things in Length X Breadth X Height format, Hear

in decibels or hertz, Smell the aroma and taste the things before making the decisions.

UX designer is a precise term rather than online VM since there is no official or

practical training format and infrastructure available which can create a VM aptitude

towards online retailing therefore it’s the mix of graphic and web designers those who

are trying to create the overall online experiences.

Today we can install Google earth on our mobiles and within a fraction of the second land ourselves near Eiffel tower

and see it. However, we still get the tickets booked, pack our baggage and visits Paris in order to get the feel of this

magnificent landmark & the city.

We can easily order pizza through a call, but we still go to Pizza hut to give treats to our taste buds.

Figure (1.34)

Figure (1.35)

Figure (1.36)

Figure (1.37)

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We do lots of chatting online, but we spend good time when we meet our friends and

raise the toast in getting together. I believe to evolve the customers it is important to

create a mix of both digital and physical environments for the customers.

So that they would feel connected and enrich their shopping experiences.

I believe the days are not too far when even online retailers would come open their

stores for the better customer engagement.

6. Compliance Solutions Best Practice

In order to protect the company from unethical behavior, detect misconduct when

it occurs and to prevent it from happening again, a best-practice approach should

be taken for one's ethics and compliance initiatives. The elements chosen for

ethics and compliance program are inter-related; they are basically pictured as a

wheel. A company's culture and compliance processes are the spokes and the

compliance data is the hub. These best practices dynamically link the hub and

spokes to one another. An IT industry normally comprises of the following

compliance practices:

Ethics and compliance are treated as a priority for the entire organization. The company is lead by integrity,

committed to an environment of non-retaliation and embed ethics and compliance processes throughout the

enterprise.

Maintains an updated Code of Conduct and comprehensive policies that clearly outline the expected

behaviours for your employees.

Encourages and promotes ethical behaviour and ethical decision-making by keeping the workforce aware of

ethics and compliance initiatives through ongoing education and communication.

Gauge and prioritize the company's compliance risks, solicit feedback from your workforce and keep your

leaders informed on the ethical health of your organization.

Manage incidents and issues that occur – promptly, consistently, accurately and thoroughly.

Put the company's compliance data to work – instead of chasing compliance data, one needs to make sure the

company's compliance program has adequate oversight at a people level and effective control measures at a

process level.

Integrate the ethics and compliance information from training, policies, compliance risk assessments,

incidents, remediation and root cause analysis so the company can leverage risk as a competitive advantage

and make better business decisions.

Figure (1.38)

Figure (1.39)

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6.1 Regulatory Compliance followed by Ptex Solution's:

Infor's Fashion PLM enables the user to execute repeatable and reliable processes to meet the

control aspects of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) requirements for your

organization. Because the product provides a holistic view of data across multiple business

environments, you get the visibility you need to minimize your organization's risk of

noncompliance, security and governance breaches.

a.) Data Privacy & Access

Transaction monitoring across business application/across platforms Verifying the integrity of Master Data Testing and managing user access to applications against approved entitlements Verifying legitimate application and process configurations

b.) Intellectual Property Protection

Integrated regulatory compliance—Protect your brand integrity and ensure

compliance with appropriate standards and regulations. Collaboration—Use social networking tools to get your customers, suppliers, and

partners on the same page and improve efficiency and productivity. Product lifecycle intelligence—Leverage data across your enterprise in real time to

make better decisions about your products. Project, portfolio, and bid management—Speed the development of new products and

variations. Product data management—Manage more information in order to develop the highest

quality products.

Identifies, defines and monitors for risks and controls. Automates testing, tracks results and

trends, exposes exceptions and violations and enables you to investigate and take action. You get:

c.) Key Risk and Performance Indicators, Dashboards and Reporting. Track KRIs and KPIs and automate management reporting with configurable dashboards and reports personalized for each role or user. Score risks to quickly understand the financial impact and risk of each exception so you can prioritize follow-up. d.) Risk Identification and Management. Inspect 100% of your data and transactions. Automatically identify

exceptions as they occur. Alerts ensure issues are addressed immediately. Manage exceptions, assign them and collaborate with others via email. Track progress and follow-up via dashboards and reports. e.) Detailed reporting for auditors. Streamline external audits with detailed audit reports that provide information about the access review process, the status of who has access to critical business systems, and an audit trail of access approvals. Drill down to view related information and quickly identify the root cause of each exception. f.) Best practice business rules. Use out-of-the-box rules to immediately assess financial processes. Easy-to-use graphical interfaces enable finance managers to write and update rules tailored to specific business needs. g.) Pre-built integration adaptors and tools. Monitor Infor, SAP, Oracle, and PeopleSoft applications.

Figure (1.40)

Figure (1.41)

Figure (1.42)

Figure (1.43)

18

7.) Customer Social Responsibility:

Infor's Hyderabad Staff Inaugurate 'Infor School' for Under-

privileged Children in Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh

Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, has opened 'Infor School' to provide basic education facilities for the under-privileged children in Rollakallu, a village in Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh.

It is equipped with best-in-class infrastructure. It is aimed to enable holistic development of under-privileged children, project 'Infor School' is an initiative

by Infor CARE, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) wing of Infor's office in Hyderabad and is developed

in partnership with Rural Development Foundation (RDF), the pioneers in taking education to the remote

villages of Andhra Pradesh.

Furthermore, the project has also helped generate employment for 17 teaching and 5 non-teaching staff from

the region, while about 35 families were able to earn their livelihood for 6 months during the construction of

the school.

Sprawled over 6600 sq ft, the infrastructure boasts 10 classrooms, along with separate rooms for office,

equipment and storage.

Additionally, to create a joyful learning environment for children, the school is also equipped with a computer

lab, library and a playground within the school premises.

They have employed more than 1000 staff in Infor's office in Hyderabad who have initiated many CSR activities in the past 17 years.

They have regularly provided blood donations, funded medical treatment, supported orphanages and homes for the aged.

Additionally, large-scale events such as relief programs during natural calamities have been meticulously

planned, project managed and executed by enthusiastic volunteers.

They have come together on many occasions to initiate work on many such projects that touch the lives of

people who are battling the bitter battles of life, in the remote villages of Andhra Pradesh.

REF: About Infor's C.S.R. Available at:

http://www.infor.com/company/news/pressroom/pressreleases/InforSchool/ [Accessed 25 April

2016].

Figure (1.44)

19

8.) Competitors of Infor PLM

Top 10 PLM Software Comparison

Product lifecycle management comprises the processes and practices

associated with managing a product throughout its lifecycle, from its

conception through design and manufacturing stages, to service and

decommission.

Product lifecycle management software utilizes PLM methodologies to

provide a central repository for all data and assets that enable

workers to collaborate on products in real time. When effectively

implemented and leveraged, PLM software can merge business

systems, people and data processes to facilitate a streamlined

approach to product development.

These solutions will benefit any business that creates and sells

products. PLM is a must-have for product

manufacturers. Today’s top-rated PLM software solutions are both comprehensive and collaborative. One needs

to look for software that tracks and records information from various sources and departments, making that

information available to suppliers, engineers, marketing teams & other departments that are vital to product

development. The product lifecycle management software one purchases should also manage product design

(both 2D & 3D design elements),oversee the production pipeline, work in real time & significantly reduce the

costs associated with regulatory compliance.PLM software should also effectively manage bill of

materials(BOMs).

The Top 10 Product Lifecycle Management Software's are mentioned in the below list. It will act as a

guide to familiarize the companies with top vendors & compare the leading solutions by key features &

pricing models.

Autodesk PLM 360 Arena PLM Infor PLM

Discrete

Siemens Team

center

IFS Applications

www.autodeskplm36

0.com

www.arenasolutions.co

m

www.infor.com www.siemens.com www.ifsworld.com

Select Customers Select Customers Select Customers Select Customers Select Customers

Porex,Electrical Go Pro, Beats by Dre, Sypris,Henkel,RPM Firewire Surfboards, CNH

Industrial,SAAB

Components

International

Medtronic,Violin

Memory

International,Inalfa

Roof

Procter & Gamble Colfax,Vigor

Shipyard

Zep Solar, Green

point

Cadence,SunPower Systems,

Promethean

Astrium,BAE

Systems

Ensign-Bickford

Key Features

SaaS solution On-premise

solution

Collaboration

tools

Real-time

alerts

Computer -

aided (CAD)

Information

authoring

BOM

Management

Document

management

Change

management

List (1.4)

20

Additional Features Additional Features Additional Features Additional Features Additional Features

• Complete product • Invented Cloud PLM • Product lifecycle Computer-aided design Integrated PLM solution

lifecycle management • Next generation Bill intelligence Manufacturing & offered as part of ERP

• Engineering change of Materials (BOM) • Product data engineering analysis software suite

management Management management (PDM) (CAD/CAM/CAE) Complete product

• View and manipulate

3D • Quality Management • Integrates with ERP

and Product data

management (PDM)

lifecycle management

and 2D

representations • Central repository for CAD systems Bill of Materials(BOMs) View data in real time

• Role-based authoring BOMs, AML, AVL, • Manage products and

Process management tools such as design

User permissions

• Change management documents, design files related documents from

Review & change management

Collaboration tools for suppliers & customers

• New Product • Capture contextual design

one location Requirements management

Equipment repository

Introduction (NPI) information from sites like

• Compliance Service lifecycle Preventive maintenance

• Supplier collaboration Arrow or Digi-Key management management (SLM) Condition-based

maintenance

• Quality management • Project & Change • Enterprise content Manufacturing process Inventory &

procurement

• Project management Management management Management SCM

• Corrective and • Compliance

Management • In-house and

supplier Supplier collaboration Sales contract

Preventative Actions • New Product Introduction

collaboration tools Quality management with CAPA

Management

(CAPA) (NPI) & collaboration • Document management

Product cost management

Product data management (PDM)

• Cost management • Quality processes like • Version control Sustainability & environmental

Purchase orders & shop orders

• Process workflow CAPA and ECOs • BOM master Compliance Track project progress & milestones

creation and definition • Three supply chain • Industry-specific System engineering Eco-friendly solutions

• Workspace creation and

solutions manufacturing solutions

configuration • MCAD, ECAD, MRP and for food and

beverage,

• View BOMs in the right ERP integrations specialty chemicals,

context • Graphical product high tech, fashion

and

• Integration with analytics discrete

manufacturers

Autodesk Vault and • Validation for medical

other PDM solutions device OEMs

List (1.5)

21

Master Control

Quality Management

System

IQMS Enterprise IQ

Manufacturing ERP

Active Sensing

PDXpert

Dassault Systems

3D Experience

Platform

PTC Windc hill

www.mastercontrol.

com

www.iqms..com www.buyplm.com www.3ds.com www.ptc.com

Select Customers Select Customers Select Customers Select Customers Select Customers

BioMimetic

Therapeutics,

Donnelly

Manufacturing

UTC-

Kidde,Revolabs

Eterna,Barilla,J.G. Axeon,Medco

Equipment

A.P.Pharma,Nelson

Laboratories

Gill Industries, Tessy

Pastics

Brammo

Motorcycles

Weisser &

Soehne,Eaton

Xerox Corporation

Mar-Bal Inc Philips

Healthcare,Zodiac

Scania Group Inter Com

Additional Features Additional Features Additional Features Additional Features Additional Features

• Automates task • Complete audit trail of • Manages product

data Platform comprises Manages,cross-

references & offers

assignment, routing, product’s lifecycle and processes Various product Visibility into all product

scheduling and review • PLM module connects • Parts list

management development software -related content such

as MCAD,ECAD,software

of all document-based to broader ERP and • Rules-based document

Applications for a comprehensive solution

& documents

Processes manufacturing solutions

and part numbering Data & process management

Compliance & risk management

• CAPA system ensures • Central repository for all system Cross-functional BOM Quality management

Compliance quotes, FMEA, PPAP, • Bill of materials Management Product data

• Training management tooling, CRM and other • Engineering drawing CATIA offers 3D Management (PDM)

• Nonconformance related information management CAD tools or all manufacturing

Cost estimation

automation software • Easily convert quotes to • Electronic file repository

Organizations Requirements

automates, manages a BOM when project is • Engineering change ENOVIA provides digital collaboration functions

Management

and streamlines awarded management Robust simulation tools

Supplier management

processes for utilizing • Track and automate • Vendor source NETVIBES lets users Centralized vaulting &

22

revision control of CAD

nonconforming materials

workflows management Create personalized dashboards for real

Models

• Quality audit • Cross-application • Materials content -time monitoring,

social analytics &

Supply chain

Management visibility, collaboration identification for Knowledge sharing Communication &

collaboration

• Forms-based processes

and traceability in real regulatory compliance

GEOVIA offers eco-friendly modelling &

Design & content management

Automation time • Import legacy parts, Simulating tools.

• Facilitates electronic • Link information such as BOMs, design files and

delivery of FDA number of rejects and other PLM-related data

Applications order releases • Multi-user secured

• Industry-specific PLM • Expedited order and access

solutions for medical shipping processing • On-site or private cloud

device, pharmaceutical • Accessible by tablet, • Subscription or

and biotech smartphone, PC, PDA perpetual licenses

Manufacturers and more

9. SWOT ANALYSIS ON Infor Global Solutions

This dynamic SWOT analysis of Infor's PLM Software provides a strategic SWOT analysis of the company's businesses

and operations. The profile shows a comprehensive view of the company's key strengths and weaknesses and the

potential opportunities and threats.

List (1.6)

Chart (1.5)

23

a.) Strengths:

Strong management can help Infor Global Solutions reach its potential by utilizing strengths and

eliminating weaknesses.

An innovative culture helps Infor Global Solutions to produce unique products and services that meet their

customer’s needs.

Financial leverage allows Infor Global Solutions to use their balance sheet to expand their business and

increase their profits

A strong supply chain helps Infor Global Solutions obtain the right resources from suppliers and delivery

the right product to customers in a timely manner

Superior technology allows Infor Global Solutions to better meet the needs of their customers in ways that

competitors can’t imitate

Economies of scale is the cost advantages that Infor Global Solutions obtains due to size. The greater the

volume, the greater the advantages.

A strong brand name is a major strength of Infor Global Solutions. This gives Infor Global Solutions the

ability to charge higher prices for their products because consumers place additional value in the brand

b) Weakness

Over leveraged financial position

Ubiquitiouegory, products, services

No clear brand identity

No PR efforts

c) Opportunity

Leveraging the balance sheet allows Infor Global Solutions to quickly expand into other markets and

products, especially in fragmented industries

Greater innovation can help Infor Global Solutions to produce unique products and services that meet

customer’s needs

New technology helps Infor Global Solutions to better meet their customer’s needs with new and improved

products and services. Technology also builds competitive barriers against rivals.

Looser regulations allow Infor Global Solutions to perform in a way that is most advantages for them and

their customers

New products can help Infor Global Solutions to expand their business and diversity their customer base.

d) Threat

A bad economy can hurt Infor Global Solution's business by decreasing the number of potential customers.

Volatile currencies make Infor Global Solution's investments difficult, because costs and revenues change so

rapidly

International competitors are numerous and difficult to combat, because they can have many competitive

advantages that give them an advantage over Infor Global Solutions

Changes to government rules and regulations can negatively affect Infor Global Solutions.

Intense completion can lower Infor Global Solution's profits, because competitors can entice consumers

away with superior products.

Politics can increase Infor Global Solution's risk factors, because governments can quickly change business

rules that negatively affect Infor Global Solution's business.

24

10. PESTLE Analysis of Mumbai:

a.) Political

Political instability: factions, criminal cases against leaders, corruption.

Government stipulation for foreign single-brand retailers: source30% of what they sell from SMEs.

Frequent strikes, protests and bandhs (complete or partial shutdown of cities), often instigated for political

reasons– Often in response to some change introduced or proposed by the ruling party– If it’s a union or

organization strike / protest, opposition party will support it in order to bolster its vote banks– Examples of

reasons for strikes / protests / shutdowns:

Increase in LPG or petrol prices, or even onion and potato prices

Allowing foreign supermarket chains to enter

Not raising public transport tariff (autos and taxis)

Death of a political leader

Release of a controversial movie.

Regulation changed to allow 100% FDI for single-brand retailers.

Two strong parties in most states; one is more liberal and supports progressive reforms, the other supports

the masses and blue-collared workers. For e.g.,• Mumbai: Congress-NCP v/s BJP-Shiv Sena

b) Economic

Inflation and slow economy: 40% increase in expenses, less savings every year.

Indian consumers price sensitive.

c) Social

Poor infrastructure– 4, 320, 000 kms of road network, 4 kms of road for every 1000people– National

highways: 40% of traffic, 1.7% of network, 24% 4-lanes• 29.8% living below national poverty line.

5th largest consumer economy by 2025 (McKinsey report)

Middle class households: 31.4 million, 53.3 million by 2016, 113.8million by 2026 (NCAER report).

Love foreign-label brands: e.g. Munich Polo, Da Milano, Franco Leone

Small homes (National Sample Survey Organization)– 32% of urban homes 258 sq. ft. or less– 39% of rural

homes 312 sq. ft. or less

Office space rental– 2004: Mumbai 15thmost expensive city in the world,

Piracy and knockoffs– Not just movies and music, but IKEA furniture as well

d) Technological

R&D investments: good current growth, but low overall– Only 14 Indian companies in top 1500 in terms of

annual R&D– However, Indian companies reported largest increase in R&D investment (35.1%)– 2013

investment: India – $45 billion, China - $220 billion.

Energy issues– Power supply meets only 90% demand– Rolling power cuts across the nation bring cities

to a standstill and affect businesses– 25% of population with no electricity– Electricity costs forever

rising.

Increasing connectivity– 350 million internet users by 2015– More than half will access the net via cell

phones.

Online shopping– Consumers use the internet to research, then buy offline– To counter, several businesses

offer home delivery and cash on delivery options.

Social media– Number of users hit 66 million in June 2013– 74% of urban internet users use social media.

25

11.) Infor Global Human Resources

a.) Turn HR into a strategic lever for your business

Leading organizations are transforming their Human Resources functions from administrative

support to a key enabler for achieving strategic objectives. For all businesses, talent is a resource that

needs to be actively analyzed and managed to meet shifting business and market needs. Infor®

Global HR provides you with a powerful, highly scalable, modern solution with broad and deep

capabilities to help you leverage the key data related to your workforce to drive decisions about your

most important asset.

Today’s “do more with less” paradox mandates that you extract the highest possible value from your

workforce. That’s why, more than ever, Infor Global HR solutions make so much sense. With Infor,

your organization is positioned to optimize your human capital and match the right person with the

right role for the right business result.

b.) Automate and integrate key activities

In a multitude of ways, large and small, Infor can add strategic value to your workforce and your

organization. Besides helping you actively manage a highly productive workforce, Infor Global HR

solutions can transform tedious, time consuming everyday tasks into intelligent, efficient processes

that drive business insight.

Need a better way to track and respond to employee attendance issues? Infor Absence Management

assists you in effectively monitoring your workforce, even if you have very complex time off policies.

You can take swift preventive, corrective, or compensatory actions in real-time to reduce the significant

financial impact associated with unplanned absences and replacement costs.

Managing benefits has become progressively more difficult, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Infor

Global HR Benefits provides built-in comprehensive business planning modeling, flexible rule

based management, and approvals to automate managing the entire employment benefit life

cycle—like joining an organization, life events, and departure from an organization. Each new hire

activates the notification and enrollment process, including payroll deductions setup, based on

specific eligibility criteria. Many administrative tasks previously handled by your HR department

can be delegated to individual employees via Infor self-service. Besides assuming control of their

own benefits enrollment, employees can make plan changes, add or change dependents and

beneficiaries, manage flexible spending accounts, view retirement account information and more.

Today’s marketplace requires a nimble workforce. The Time Entry feature offers a complete and

integrated workforce solution that leverages automated processing, e-mail notifications, approvals,

and interfaces with employee absence management, payroll functions, and the employee/manager

self-service from a single data source for tracking hours and making decisions.

Managers, administrators, and employees have easy access to recurring processes in a simple,

configurable, role-based tool that includes calculations, pay rates, individual, group, holiday

scheduling; calendars, and reports to streamline and manage redundant time entry related tasks.

26

Interoperability plays a key role in Infor Global

HR solutions. A prime example: When the

decision is made to hire a candidate,

employment and personal information

gathered during the recruiting and interview

phases automatically populates the new

employee’s HR record. Eliminating or

reducing the need for duplicate data entry may

contribute to additional cost savings, along

with less likelihood of data errors.

c) Track & Manage Company's Employee Information

For most large organizations, tracking employee information,

managing promotions and transfers, and keeping data current

are huge logistical challenges—not to mention a major time

constraint for your HR department and managers. In fact, the

larger your workforce, the more you’ll appreciate the kind of

assistance you get from an automated solution like Infor Global

HR.

12. Job description

Job Title: Technical Support Analyst - Mumbai

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Job Summary:

He/she has effective communication skills, excellent listener, Quick learner, documents

his/her work efficiently and is able to effectively troubleshoot complex problem and provide

best optimum solution.

Location: Mumbai

Responsibilities

include, but are

not limited to:

Working within the Professional Services and Support team:

Flexible to work in Shifts.

In a L1, L2 capacity, log, analyze, escalate and drive the closure of client and Internal

IT problem reported for products and services provided.

Perform interactive remote access sessions with customers to resolve technical issues

if any.

Perform professional technical services at client sites including software installations,

system upgrades and various other billable services as required.

Prepare, Document and Manage issue logging system, Weekly Summary reports on

Infor Global HR:

• Person system of record (employees and non-employees)

• Reporting structure

• Supervisory structure

• Positions and jobs

• Competency framework

• Work assignments

• Employment history

• Absence management

• Benefits administration and enrollment

• Time entry

• Position budget management

• Employee relations

• Occupational health

• Employee safety

Figure (1.45)

27

issue log and timesheet.

Effective oral and written communication in English for international customers.

Moderate travel required periodically with short notice.

Ensure effective customer handling, management and satisfaction.

Industry : Ptex Solutions

Required technical

skills:

Strong knowledge of Microsoft operating and database systems, including Windows

Server 2008/2003, SQL Server 2008/2005.

Knowledge in SQL Reporting / Crystal reports Preferred.

Field experience with MS SQL, IIS and .NET

Strong, demonstrable experience with data migration and Systems integration

projects.

Reports to: Client Service & Desktop Manager

Qualifications: Graduation from any computer stream.

1+ year in a software application support environment.

Significant

Assets/Desired

Skills &

Experience:

Previous customer technical support experience.

Experience working in a software development environment.

Domain Knowledge of apparel industry.

Ability to work well with minimal supervision in a fast paced team environment and a

Good Team player.

Analytical, organized and detail and document oriented with Strong interpersonal

skills.

Email: hr@ptexsolutions.com

Gender

Preference:

Male /Female

Salary: 24000 per month

Job Title: Software Consultant (Apparel) - Mumbai

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Job Summary:

Software Consultant will be become an expert in Lawson Fashion PLM software that is used for

apparel design and product development and help in presales, implementation and training Location: Mumbai

Responsibilities

include, but are

not limited to:

Working as a consultant and key resource within the Professional Services team:

Become an expert of the Lawson Fashion PLM

Perform professional consulting services at client sites including system familaisation,

business process study, system configuration, system validation, training and various

other billable services as required.

Drive the change management process by partnering with users and stakeholders

Interact with cross-functional teams to ensure timely completion of the project.

28

Provide Go-Live support to the clients

Promote and maintain customer loyalty and total satisfaction.

Moderate to Frequent domestic and International traveling.

Industry: Ptex Solutions.

Required skills: Minimum 3 experience of implementing PLM or ERP systems applications in Apparel

Manufacturer or Retailers

Exposure of working with medium to large clients

Ability to work with teams

Good interpersonal and communication skills

Fluent in Written and Verbal English Language

Qualifications: B.S. Engineering. MIS, Computer Science or equivalent professional experience or

certification

Post Graduate from Fashion colleges including – NIFT, Pearl or JD institute or equivalent

college

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Significant Assets: Domain Knowledge of apparel industry

Knowledge of Apparel Software solutions inc ERP systems

Analytical and document oriented.

Excellent organizational, customer service and communication skills.

Email : hr@ptexsolutions.com

Gender Preference:

Male/Female

Salary: 25000 per month

Designation / Job Title : Developer, Microsoft SQL Server 2008

No. of openings : 1

Range of years of experience

:

Minimum of 1 year working Experience in Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008

Job description (brief) : The Position: Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Creating functions, Stored Procedures and Triggers in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 for

Product Lifecycle Management System

Location: Mumbai

Will he/she be handling

a team (Y/N) :

No

Mandatory Skills : 1. Excellent Knowledge in SQL Query (SQL Server 2008/2005)

2. Excellent Knowledge of Transact SQL Query (SQL Server

2008/2005)

3. Excellent Knowledge of SQL Triggers (SQL Server 2008/2005)

4. Excellent Knowledge of Functions and Stored procedures (SQL

Server 2008/2005)

5. Excellent Programming Logics and Inter Personal Skills

29

6. Excellent Communication Skills in English (Written & Spoken)

Industry: Ptex Solutions

Good to have Skills : SQL DBA knowledge (SQL Server 2008/2005)

Knowledge of Microsoft SQL Reporting Service

Reports to: Module Leader-Team Lead

Platform : Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Qualification : Graduate in any Stream with excellent Computer Knowledge

Location preference : Mumbai

Email : hr@ptexsolutions.com

Gender Preference: Male/Female

Salary 27000 per month

Designation / Job Title : Developer, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Location: Mumbai

No .of openings : 1

Range of years of

experience :

Minimum of 1 year Experience in Microsoft SQL Reporting Service

Job description (brief) : The Position: Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Report developer should create reports to be published on to a Report Server using

Microsoft or Other design tools that use Report Definition Language (RDL), an XML-

based industry standard used to define reports. Using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

and the Microsoft .NET Framework, developer should leverage the capabilities of

their existing information systems and connect to custom data sources, produce

additional output formats. Also required to modify and updating existing reports.

Industry Ptex Solutions

Will he/she be handling

a team (Y/N) :

No

Reports to: Module Lead- Team Leader

Mandatory Skills : 1. Excellent Knowledge in SQL Query (SQL Server 2008/2005)

2. Excellent Knowledge of Transact SQL Query (SQL Server

2008/2005)

3. Knowledge of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and Programming

in ASP.NET

4. Excellent Knowledge of Functions and Stored procedures (SQL

Server 2008/2005)

Good to have Skills : SQL DBA knowledge (SQL Server 2008/2005)

Platform Microsoft SQL Server 2008/2005

Qualification : Graduate in any Stream with excellent Computer Knowledge

Location preference : Mumbai

Gender Preference: Male only

Email : hr@ptexsolutions.com

Salary: 23000

30

12.1 Infor Global Solutions Recruitment Strategy

Infor is a company unparalleled in application breadth, market experience, open technology, and global reach. The

best part is, they are achieving their goals while holding fast to the principles on which they were founded: customer

service, teamwork, value, integrity, and a total cost of ownership that is lower than what any of our competitors offer.

An outward-facing company. Of all the descriptions of our firm—global leader, the world's third largest provider of

business software, the tenth largest software company in the world—this is perhaps the one that most accurately

captures the culture of Infor. Infor is a dynamic, team-driven place to work, where solving business problems for

customers is our top priority.

a.) Equal opportunity Employer

Infor does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex,

gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, marital status, age, veteran

status, protected veterans, military service obligation, citizenship status, individuals with disabilities, or any other

characteristic protected by law applicable to the state in which you work.

b.) Post Military Careers at Infor.

Infor recognizes the discipline, integrity, and commitment to hard work of their US military. Having served and

defended their nation, veterans are well-trained, highly skilled, and in the right role, will add significant value to their

company.

Infor offers a

challenging,

performance-driven

environment where

results are

recognized and

rewarded.

Infor offers world-

class solutions and

professional services.

Infor helps their

customers solve their

most critical

business challenges.

Infor is more

profitable and

growing rapidly

around the world.

Infor offers a

competitive

compensation

package, a business

casual environment,

and exceptional

employee benefits,

and time-off

programs.

List (1.7)

31

12c.) Recruitment Strategy at Infor:

1> Online Application

You can apply for a job online by searching at careers.infor.com for the jobs you are interested in and by

clicking on “Apply.” You will have the opportunity to share with us your skills, training and professional

experience. Your CV will then be saved immediately and confirmed by e-mail.

2> Pre Selection

Each application is carefully reviewed by our local recruiters. Our pre-assessment focuses on the

combination of your background, skills and professional experience and, if qualified, may lead to a first

individual interview. This will enable us to assess your motivation, competencies and potential and set

them in perspective with our corporate culture.

3> In - depth Analysis

Once the pre-selection stage is over you may meet with one or two managers whose job is to assess how

your profile and expertise align with the job. You will also meet our Human Resources Director who is

responsible for the overall recruitment. In some countries this interview phase may include quantitative

tests and group assessment centres, particularly for young graduates.

32

4> Decision

The various people who have met you will meet to take a decision.

5> Job Offer

If you are qualified for the job you applied for, you will be presented with an employment contract which

you will sign in the presence of the Human Resources Director.

6> Welcome

Although the Infor integration programme may vary from country to country, it always includes certain features:

An induction day in your department

A detailed presentation of your post (missions, objectives, contacts, etc.)

The Infor Discovery seminar that focuses on presenting the Infor Global Solutions , the work

culture and other relevant information for all new hires.

33

12.3 Training & Development

a) Master Infor products. Maximize your potential

Training is the critical component needed to ensure you realize the full value of your investment and achieve

unparalleled benefits for your business. Learning solutions are available for every stage of your product

lifecycle with Infor, including new implementation, upgrading, or further advancement to your application.

Our goal is to provide you with the right content, at the right level, at the right time.

b) Get your project team up to speed

Different levels of application and technical training are designed to prepare your project and technical teams for the

various decisions they will face. You can choose to receive training at your site, online, virtually, or at an Infor location

near you, depending on your needs and preferences.

Level 1 :Overview & Use Level 2:Configuration &

Administration

Level 3:Installation &

Integration

Provides product overview

and essential knowledge

necessary to use the system.

Accelerates the

deployment of Infor

software through

knowledge of

configuration options and

administration.

Explores software

installation and

integration with other

systems, as well as how to

extend the application

Delivery Methods:

Instructor Led Classes

Instructor -Led Virtual

Classes

E-Learning Classes Self Directed Learning

Classes

Face-to-face training in your

office or at one of our

education sites.

Classes taken from any

location with the support

of an instructor.

Recorded classes that can

be accessed anywhere &

at any time.

Flexible training taken at

your own pace;includes

demonstrations,labs,social

collaboration, and access

to an instructor.

Measure your success through Infor Education certifications -

We are pleased to announce the expansion and growth of our certification

program. We know it is important to our customers to have a formal measure

of success in place to ensure the best possible outcomes for implementations.

Functional and technical certifications will be available for consultant

services, administration, installation, security authorization, and integration.

List (1.8)

34

c) Infor Campus

Infor Campus is our learning management system—a central hub for all your learning activities. Use Infor Campus to

register for public instructor-led courses, launch self-paced eLearning subscriptions, view product-specific learning

tracks, and more.

Sign up for Infor Campus Log in to Infor Campus Need Help: Contact Xtreme Support:

Call 866-246-2213 or 678-319-

8114

Email:inforcampus@infor.com

12.4 Infor Culture through testimonial

a. ) Large corporation with personal touches

VISUAL Application Specialist (Current Employee) – Portsmouth, NH – August 15, 2015

I work with a great team, enjoy fairly flexible hours, have the opportunity to work from home a few days per week. I

am presented with challenges every day, and no two days are the same in the Support world. My management team is

hands on and very available.

Work from Home

Able to work from home; hours can be flexible.

b.) Very Stable and Family oriented company.

Product Support Analyst (Current Employee) – Tampa, FL – December 7, 2015

I love my job, wonderful co-workers and management. Its like a family environment. Sometimes, the hardest part of

the job is dealing with client during month end close as they are attempting to close out their accounting period. A

normal day is taking calls from our clients who has problems with the software. It ranges from user error to browser

settings. The fun part is identifying the issue because it can be a range of things.

Pros

Stable Job that allows growth within., They assist you in meeting your personal goals.

Cons

Hard to move up as most stay till they retire.

c) Fast moving dynamic environment

Senior Presales Solution Consultant -NA Sales (Former Employee) – Alpharetta, GA – September 24, 2014

Never the same day to day.

Travelling to existing customers.

Continuous customer facing discoveries.

Customer Requirements gathering & analysis.

Demos: POC.

Dedicated co-workers working as team players.

Keeping up with new offerings.

Fast paced activity with existing Customers

Pros

great it support

Cons

35

constantly changing strategic positioning

12.5 Recruitment Process at Ptex Solutions. The recruitment process at Ptex Solutions takes place in Five steps:-

1 Online Application

2 Pre- Selection

3 First round interview

4 Assessment center -Knowledge based skill test

5 Two final round interviews

Online Application: You can apply for the Jobs at Ptex Solution's website or through Times Jobs.com.

Just choose the Job and Fill in the application form.

Pre-Selection: After the application, there will be an Online Test. It’s a Numerical Reasoning test, and

there are many mock tests available online.

First Round Interview: The first round of interview is the first time you will come face to face

with the managers from The Body Shop. This interview is to assess your capabilities in the role you are

required to fill.

Assessment Center: The assessment center is a board of managers who will review your

performance so far and determine if you will be a suitable asset to the company.

Online Application

Two final

round

Interviews

Pre- Selection

Assessment

Center

First Round

Interview

List (1.8)

Chart (1.6)

36

Two final round interviews: The assessment center is a board of managers who will review your

performance so far and determine if you will be a suitable asset to the company. time to arrive.

Training & Development at Ptex Solutions

Training of the candidate takes place in the same manner as Infor Global Solution's does it.

13 Infor Organizational Chart

Chart (1.7)

37

14 Benefits for Employees Insurance,Health

& Wellness

High

Rating

Low

Rating

Financial &

Retirement

High

Rating

Low

Rating

Family &

Parenting

High

Rating

Low

Rating

Health Insurance √ Pension Plan √ Maternity

&

Paternity

Leave

√

Dental Insurance √ 401K Plan √ Work from

Home

√

Flexible

Spending

Account(FSA)

√ Retirement

Plan

√ Fertility

Assistance

√

Vision Insurance √ Employee

Stock

Purchase Plan

√ Dependent

Care

√

Health Savings

Account (HSA)

√ Performance

Bonus

√ Adoption

Assistance

√

Life Insurance √ Stock Options √ Childcare √

Supplemental

Life Insurance

√ Equity

Incentive Plan

√ Reduced

or Flexible

Hours

√

Disability

Insurance

√ Supplemental

Worker's

Compensation

√ Military

Leave

√

Occupation

Accident

Insurance

√ Charitable

Gift Matching

√ Family

Medical

Leave

√

Health Care On-

Site

√ Unpaid

Extended

Leave

√

Mental Health

Care

√

Retiree Health &

Medical

√

Accidental Death

&

Dismemberment

Insurance

√

Vacation &

Time Off

High

Rating

Low

Rating

Perks &

Discounts

High

Rating

Low

Rating

Proffesional

Support

High

Rating

Low Rating

Vacation &

Paid Time Off

√ Employee

Discount

√ Diversity

Program

√

38

Sick Days √ Free Lunch or

Snacks

√ Job Training √

Paid Holidays √

Employee

Assistance

Program

√ Professional

Development

√

Volunteer

Time Off

√ Gym

Membership

√ Apprenticeship

Program

√

Sabbatical √ Commuter

Checks &

Assistance

√ Tuition

Assistance

√

Bereavement

Leave

√ Pet Friendly

Workplace

√

Mobile Phone

Discount

√

Company Car √ Company

Social Events

√

Travel

Concierge

√

Legal

Assistance

√

15. Economic Overview of Infor

Infor Global Solutions, Inc. develops and delivers enterprise software solutions for medium and large customers

globally, focusing on verticals in the manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, automotive and food & beverage sectors.

Based on this statement alone, it would appear Infor is a major player in the enterprise software industry, and I

suppose the fact it’s even included in this discussion is credence to the fact that, in one sense, it is.

Based on our analysis, however, Infor is not as well positioned in the industry as many tech analysts would have you

believe. Although the company is trying to refocus its technology strategy, for instance with its release of Infor 10x, its

wide array of technology products still have no real focus. They were largely acquired without any thought to

rationalization; and though the company is attempting to standardize localizations and mobile access across its

portfolio, it will have difficulty surviving in the transition to the cloud.

Further hindering Infor’s chance at cloud success is the fact that their software license fees are under pressure. Selling

cloud leads to a lower demand for professional services with license value received on a subscription basis and

therefore total license revenue taking much longer to receive, typically between 24 – 36 months. This hurts cash flow.

For a company like Infor that already has a negative operating cash flow this could put them under even more

financial pressure; and this for a company that is experiencing a slew of other financial stresses, including five

consecutive years of losses (with net losses of $76 million as of May 31, 2013), current liabilities exceeding current

assets, $5 billion of debt and a negative shareholder equity of $500 million.

39

Given all of these factors – the company’s legacy technology, high debt levels and other financial stressors – I’d

conclude that software purchasers should be careful about venturing into business with this company. It is in a weak

position and presents considerable risk that would not be overly apparent when a company is considering only its

software solutions. As a risk adverse organization ourselves, we see Infor as a company that may not even be around

in ten years.

16. Financial Overview of Infor

Infor's Software license fees and subscriptions revenue increased 12 percent, with SaaS revenue up more

than 60 percent in fiscal 2015, compared to the same period last year1. SaaS bookings increased more than

300 percent as more than 45 million users now access Infor applications in the cloud in 96 different

countries.

The growth Infor is experiencing marks an inflection point for the company, where the heavy investments

we've made in cloud software that meets unique industry needs with an elegant user experience are paying

dividends.

Infor is well-positioned to accelerate growth as more companies eschew the monolithic era of legacy

software vendors in favour of flexible, secure cloud applications with the last-mile functionality they need

without the costly customization they don't.

During fiscal 2015, Infor added approximately 2,900 new customers, including approximately 500

competitive wins against legacy vendors SAP and Oracle. New customers and go-lives in the year

include Wyndham Hotels, Ferrari, San Francisco Municipal Transport Agency, Hershey Entertainment and

Resorts, Boskalis, EBSCO,Legacy Health, Best Western International, Kaman Industrial Technologies,

and Wagner equipment (CAT)

Infor also focused on upgrading its large install base through an expanded ecosystem of system integrators,

including new agreements with HCL Technologies and Ciber; the company continued momentum with its

UpgradeX program and successfully completed upgrades at customers including San Antonio Water System,

and Kansas City Water Services. Infor added 97 new channel partners to the Infor Partner Network, and saw

channel revenue increase 18 percent. Other highlights for the year include:

Record attendance of more than 7,000 at Inforum, Infor's annual user conference, held in September in New

Orleans

Announcement of Infor Xi, the company's next major enterprise release featuring multi-tenancy, open source,

mobile-first design, and built-in data science

Continued delivery of Infor CloudSuiteTM industry suites, with suites available for Aerospace & Defense,

Automotive, Distribution, Equipment, Facilities Management, Fashion, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Hospitality,

Industrial Manufacturing, and Public Sector

Introduction of Infor Cloud Suite Business, a robust general ERP solution providing integrated financials, HR, and

CRM capabilities to mid-market companies as well as an attractive swap-out program for Net Suite customers

who wish to migrate to Cloud Suite Business

40

Launch of the Infor Education Alliances Program, a learning and collaboration program to power next-

generation leaders and businesses, with initial members including Brandeis, The City University of New York

(CUNY), The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Austin, and the New York Urban League

Creation of Infor Dynamic Science Labs, a new internal organization based in Cambridge, Mass. focused on

infusing machine-learning and big data analytics into Infor applications, making them faster, smarter, more

scalable and elegant.

With the change in our fiscal year end from May 31 to April 30 effective for fiscal 2015, our results for fiscal 2015

reflect the 11-month transition period from June 1, 2014 through April 30, 2015.

The revenue and bookings increases reflected above relate to the 11-month transition period of fiscal 2015 and

the comparable unaudited 11-month period from June 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014, as recast for fiscal 2014.

17. Industry Project Proposal Ptex Solutions Synopsis/Introduction on the Project:

Project Title: To study the introduction & selling process of PLM & MockShop software to the fashion retailers based on the functionality of the particular software.

Problem Statement:

To understand different retail organizations needs of introducing the Infor PLM software in their Merchandising

department & MockShop in Visual Merchandising department. To identify the problem in product demonstration.

Project Objectives (Purpose of reducing the timeline of introducing the software to retail organizations ):

To understand the target market of specific companies who want to introduce the merchandising software and

visual merchandising software to their organization.

To understand Indian retailers consumer behavior of buying the software on which basis.

To find whether the Indian market is viable in terms of price, product, place & promotion for the particular

specified design & merchandising software.

Scope and Objectives of chosen title:-

◦ To do the deep study on the scenario of the Indian market of adapting a new software to streamline their

retail buying & selling process.

◦ To understand consumer behavior of the Indian retailers on understanding the processes of selecting the right

software, buy, use & upgrade its new versions . The consumers understanding about the software, it's

services, experiences or ideas to satisfy needs and impacts of using the software in the near future.

◦ To understand how buying decisions will get influenced when the software is introduced to a person who has

a significant role to play based on the position he is hired for the company.

◦

41

18. Why India?

Inspired by the Indian IT-ITES success story, several other locations have been presented as alternate options for

offshore outsourcing. However, feedback received from several MNCs having multi-country operations as well as

syndicated analyses comparing the various sourcing locations has revealed that India continues to offer and deliver

the best ‘bundle’ of benefits sought from global sourcing. With significant potential still untapped, it is expected that

the global sourcing phenomenon will continue to expand in scope, scale and geographic coverage. As global delivery

matures, multi-location strategies will become the norm and most sourcing destinations, including emerging

locations, will grow in size. Building on its existing strengths, India will remain the leading destination and will

continue to play an important role in most global sourcing strategies.

18a) New approach to research and design through PLM

Product life cycle management (PLM) has emerged as a key ingredient of the business strategy for the Indian

manufacturing industry. In its initial avatar, PLM helped manufacturing companies in the form of computer aided

design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) tools. Since then, Indian manufacturers have been

increasingly adopting PLM to support their efforts in product planning, collaborative product development, validation

and manufacturing planning among others. The integration of PLM goes back right into developing new products and

evolving new practices into manufacturing.

But there are a number of questions in the mind of an entrepreneur or management of a company about the pros and

cons of such products. To find conclusive answers to these questions, The Economic Times along with Siemens PLM

Software India organized a panel discussion called Enterprise PLM on 17 September 2008 at Hotel Le Meridien in

Pune. The aim was to highlight how PLM will lead the way to become an integral part of corporate strategies in the

near future.

After information technology, global manufacturing companies are eyeing India as an outsourcing hub for engineering

design. A number of big global multinationals like Suzuki Motors, Bosch, ABB and Intel have set up their own research

and design centers in India. Some other global players have adopted a different business model and have outsourced

their research and design activities to small niche players in India. PLM as a tool comes handy for such design centers.

These two business models are the growth drivers for PLM markets in India. In addition to that, the domestic

companies in sectors like automobiles, auto components, engineering services and hi-tech instruments are moving up

in value chain and investing significantly in research and design. This will again provide fuel to the already growing

PLM market.

PLM as a tool has tremendous potential to help domestic manufacturers as well as companies doing design

outsourcing work for the global majors. For instance, a global multinational might have a number of design centers

spread geographically across the globe. Designers in these centers can cater to the designing needs of the

manufacturing operations of the parent company irrespective of plant locations. There are three benefits to the global

multinationals (or companies doing outsourcing work) from this. First, there would be no conflict among the

designers working on the same design across different geographies and second, work can be done from any location

which offers cost advantage. Also, the company's design division can work seamlessly round the clock.

42

"PLM will give the designer "to do list" in the morning hour. Once he finishes his job during the day, he can check in

and manager can further review it", said Mr. Narendar Reddy, Managing Director-India Siemens PLM Software

Operations.

18b.) Siemens Software named as leading PLM provider in India

Dataquest magazine, India’s leading information technology (IT) publication, has recognized Siemens PLM Software as the leading provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software solutions in India for the third consecutive year. Dataquest ranked Siemens PLM Software as the leading vendor in the PLM market in India during FY 2013 with a

market share of 22 percent. The findings, based on an in-depth analysis of the Indian PLM market, are detailed in

Dataquest’s DQ Top 20 report on enterprise applications.

According to the DQ Top 20 report, India’s PLM market witnessed a modest growth of 4 percent during FY 2013. This

was attributed to a general slowdown in the manufacturing sector in India, particularly in the automotive industry.

However, the report also recognized the growing acceptance of technologies like 3D and HD-PLM by manufacturers in

India.

With PLM being a key enabler of innovation, the report also recognizes the significance of establishing country-

specific business and manufacturing clusters in India, thereby extending PLM solutions to new markets, especially to

small and mid-sized manufacturers.

Suman Bose, Managing Director, Siemens PLM Software India, stated “We are honoured with this recognition from

Dataquest for the third consecutive year. We thank Dataquest for their comprehensive coverage of the PLM market in

India, especially in the current context of challenges faced by manufacturing sectors in India.

PLM has had a significant impact and has enhanced competitiveness of manufacturing companies in India. This

recognition of our leadership is a testimony to the success of our customers in attaining global competitiveness and

our commitment to continually push ahead for all manufacturers in India.”

18c) Strengths of IT Industry: 1) Large Human Resource:- Every year, approximately 19 million students are enrolled in high schools and 10 million students in pre-

graduate degree courses across India. Moreover, 2.1 million graduates and 0.3 million post-graduates pass out of India's non-engineering colleges. While 2.5-3 percent of them find jobs in other fields or pursue further studies abroad, the rest opt for

employment in the IT industry. If the flow from high schools to graduate courses increases even marginally, there will be a massive increase

in the number of skilled workers available to the industry. 2) Indian Education System The Indian education system places strong emphasis on mathematics and science, resulting in a large

number of science and engineering graduates. Mastery over quantitative concepts coupled with English proficiency has resulted in a skill set that has

enabled the country to take advantage of the current international demand for IT. 3) Quality Manpower Indian programmers are known for their strong technical skills and their eagerness to accommodate clients.

In some cases, clients outsource work to get access to more specialized engineering talent, particularly in the area of telecommunications. India also has one of the largest pools of English-speaking professionals. Strengths at a Glance

•Great history in software development •English Language proficiency •Government Support and policies Cost advantage

43

•Strong tertiary education •Process quality focus •Skilled workforce •Expertise in new technologies •Entrepreneurship •Reasonable technical innovations •Reverse brain drain •Existing long term relationships •Creation of global brands •BPO & Call center offerings •Expansion of existing relationships •Chinese domestic & export market •Leverage relationships in West to access overseas markets •Indian domestic-market growth

19) IT INDUSTRY IN INDIA

The Indian information technology sector has been instrumental in driving the nation's economy onto the rapid growth curve.

According to the Nasscom-Deloitte study, the IT/ITES industry's contribution to the country's GDP has increased to a share of 5.2 per cent in 2007, as against 1.2 per cent in 1998.

Simultaneously, the Indian IT services market is estimated to remain the fastest growing in the Asia Pacific region with a CAGR of 18.6 per cent, as per a study by Springboard Research.

India's IT growth in the world is primarily dominated by IT software and services such as Custom Application Development and Maintenance (CADM), System Integration, IT Consulting, Application Management, Infrastructure Management Services, Software testing, Service-oriented architecture and Web services.

A report by the Electronics and Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) estimates software exports to register a 33 per cent growth in the current financial year with export figures during FY 2008 expected to reach US$ 45 billion.

The country's IT exports have, in fact, come quite far, starting from a few million dollars in the early 1990s. The Government expects the exports turnover to touch US$ 80 billion by 2011, growing at an annual rate of 30 per cent per annum.

POLITICAL FACTORS:- For IT industry the Indian political structure is stable, but there are fears of hung parliament due to a lack of

clear majority in parliament creating fear of wrong investing in the minds of investor thereby reducing capital.

The political divide in India is not one of policy, but essentially of personalities. Economic liberalization (which is what foreign investors are interested in) has been accepted as a necessity by all parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Thus, political instability in India, in practical terms, posed no risk to foreign direct investors because no policy framed by a past government has been reversed by any successive government so far.

You can find a comparison in Italy which has had some 45 governments in 50 years, yet overall economic policy remains unchanged.

Even if political instability is to return in the future, chances of a reversal in economic policy are next to nil. As for terrorism, no terrorist outfit is strong enough to disturb the state. Except for Kashmir in the north and

parts of the north-east, terrorist activity is either non-existent or too weak to be of any significance. It would take an extreme stretching of the imagination to visualize a Bangladesh-type state-disrupting

revolution in India or a Kuwait-type annexation of India by a foreign power.

ECONOMICAL FACTORS

Currency fluctuations caused by the devaluation of the dollar has affected the industry during the last global

44

recession. Real estate prices decline resulted in rental expenditure forcing customer to leave luxuries goods such as

electronic and computers that need software to work. Recession cause low attribute rate due to job layouts and job cuts. India economic attraction has helped in

convincing investors due to low cost advantage. With India’s global IT spending yet to decline due to entry of new IS companies and the cause of the

recession. With clients industry faced with reduction of work force due to job layoffs and unsuitable balance sheet most

companies have decided not to make much expenditure in purchase, but make optimum use of existing facilities to make profits.

Most debtors with financial crisis have been granted more time to pay up causing large debt deficit. With the decline of banking and financial sectors, the revenue from there is expected to decline, hurting the

bottom line of IT majors DOMESTIC IT SPENDING:-

"Compared to other countries, India is in a better position. Its domestic market is expected to grow around 14% this year.

GLOBAL IT SPENDING:- Indian enterprises spending on information communications and technology (ICT) in 2015 is expected to grow at more than twice the rate in the Asia Pacific region.

India will remain the highest growth market for telecommunications with around 35 million new subscribers in 2015, an 18 per cent increase from 2014, with the growth occurring in selected technologies mainly mobile.

REAL STATES PRICES :-

Decline in real estate prices has resulted reducing the rental expenditure thus the industry will grow if the real estate price goes down.

ATTRITION Almost every sector in India is facing high rates of attrition these days. A recent study revealed that employees leave either because of compensation reasons or due to better growth opportunities.

ECONOMIC ATTRACTION:- India, with its low cost advantage and emergence of several private players, represents the fastest growing

market. Further the geographical location of India serves it the advantage of being exactly halfway round the world

from the US west coast, which is another reason why India is preferred destination of many big brands. India’s development and contribution in world’s information technology sector is of highest reputation. Cities like Bangalore have become the favorite(most preferred) destinations of all the big banners like HSBC, Dell, Microsoft, GE, Hewlett Packard, and several Indian multinational firms like Infosys Technologies, Wipro, and Microland who have set up their offices in the city.

It is because the city offers good infrastructure, with large floor space and great telecom facilities. This can be judged on the basis of the high growth statistics of India and the changing outlook of the companies towards India.

SOCIAL FACTORS English language being widely spoken in India has help in fostering the industry’s relationship and

interaction in India and on the global stage. India is one of the few countries to have an increasing share of working population, since there is great

availability of both skilled and unskilled labour force. Great number of institute and universities offer IT course creating room for availability of IT professional at

lower cost since there is job competition. India has to produces great numbers of IT professional each year to meet its demand. India continue to

45

produce IT professionals each year, this has help industry for IT professionals inwards. Industries have to consider the type of services the software is meant for, age difference of users, life style of

the different countries of supply. It should be noted that there will always be difference in client behaviours which is supported by the fact

that different customers have different taste.

SOCIAL ISSUES;-

Should Industry be concern with the issue of global warming? Yes it is affected by many government laws regarding it like in china, where company with great amount of carbon emission are charge great amount of tax.

Likewise being a major player in the global IT market Infosys has introduces measure to help in the reduction of carbon emission by trying to reduce its water consumption, electricity utilization, carbon emission and partnering with other companies in troubleshooting this global dilemma.

EDUCATION:-

There are large number of universities and institutes in India offering IT education. And there are large numbers of students which ever year passed these courses and join the IT industry.

The Indian labor is not only cheap but is technically skilled too to the world class level. It is due to the Indian Education System that includes in its course curriculum the practical knowledge of the

latest technology that is developed in world along with the fluency in English Language that imparts compatibility in an Indian technician to communicate and work throughout the world.

CAREER PROSPECTS

In the year 2014-15, the industry hired approximately 3, 80,000 people. Out of these, the ITeS sector hired 2, 00,000 people and the rest were taken by IT sector. The recruitment trends of some IT giants are given below: TCS- 35,000 Infosys-30,000 Wipro-28,000 Satyam-20,000 Some of the areas of specialization in the IT Industry are-

Designing Research and Development in Peripheral Integration Product Quality Control and Reliability Testing Computer Manufacturing Maintenance Service System Developing /Programming /Software Engineering Networking Application Programming EDP/ E- Commerce Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Database Warehousing and Management Operating jobs, Computer operators, Data Entry

WORKING AGE POPULATION:- Working age population also affects the industry a lot because every person has different value, lifestyle,

attitude, and also the satisfaction level. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS;-

TELEPHONIC Cellular mobile telephony tariffs in India are the lowest in the world. India has the second largest telephone network after China

INTERNET India had as on September 2014 45.3 million active internet users. NEW IT TECHNOLOGY:-

46

With the evolution of SOA and semantic web services, enterprise solution heeds to the limitations of conventional enterprise systems by providing data convergence and concept reutilization with intelligence.

Almost all industry domains have benefited from SOA strategy in order to build more flexible and malleable IT architecture involving re-usable services. CAD:-

Current Computer-Aided Design software packages range from 2D vector-based drafting systems to 3D solid and [[Freeform surface mo |surface]] modelers. Modern CAD packages can also frequently allow rotations in three dimensions, allowing viewing of a designed object from any desired angle, even from the inside looking out.

Some CAD software is capable of dynamic mathematic modeling, in which case it may be marketed as CADD — computer-aided design and drafting.

The people that work in this field are called: Designers, CAD Monkeys, Automotive Design Engineers and Digital Innovation Engineers. Computer-aided design is also a common work activity for the traditional engineering professions.

Software technologies A CAD system can be seen as built up from the interaction of a graphical user interface (GUI) with NURBS

geometry and/or boundary representation (B-rep) data via a geometric modeling kernel. Unexpected capabilities of these associative relationships have led to a new form of prototyping called

digital prototyping. In contrast to physical prototypes, which entail manufacturing time and in the design Hardware and OS technologies Today, CAD systems exist for all the major platforms - CAD systems like QCad, NX provide multiplatform

support including Windows, Linux, UNIX and Mac OS X; ArchiCAD and Vector works work on both Windows and Mac OS X, but not on Linux; and, for example, AutoCAD works on Windows only.

Right now, no special hardware is required for most CAD software. However, some CAD systems can do graphically and computationally expensive tasks, so good graphics card, high speed (and possibly multiple) CPUs and large amounts of RAM are recommended.

The human-machine interface is generally via a computer mouse but can also be via a pen and digitizing graphics tablet. Manipulation of the view of the model on the screen is also sometimes done with the use of a space mouse/Space Ball. Some systems also support stereoscopic glasses for viewing the 3D model.

The Effects of CAD This trend mirrored that of the elimination of many office jobs traditionally performed by a secretary as word processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc. became standard software packages that "everyone" was expected to learn.

LEGAL ASPECTS AND POLICIES IT Act 2000:

The arrival of the Internet and the World Wide Web made it possible for people to communicate and transact over cyber space. It was a revolutionary step for humanity, but it also created a significant need for the regulation and governance of these activities, a requirement that lead to the creation and implementation of cyber laws across the globe. India became the 12th nation in the world to adopt a cyber law during 2000. Digital signatures have been given legal validity and sanction in the Act. The IT Act also addresses the important issues of security, which are so critical to the success of electronic transactions. The Act has given a legal definition to the concept of secure digital signatures that would be required to have been passed through a system of a security procedure, as stipulated by the Government at a later date.

Indian Copyright Act: The copyright of computer software is protected under the provisions of Indian Copyright Act 1957. Major changes to Indian Copyright Law were introduced in 1994 and came into effect from 10 May 1995. Copyright Act clearly explained: • The rights of a copyright holder • Position on rentals of software

47

• The rights of the user to make backup copies • Most importantly the amendments imposed heavy punishment and fines for infringement of copyright of software. Income Tax Deduction under sections 10A/ 10B of Income tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) in respect of profits derived from export of computer software. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS:- Environmental conservation and protection is an issue which has gained prominence because of deteriorating environmental balance which is threatening the sustainability of life and nature. Largely, business is also held responsible for such situations as emissions from industries polluting the air, excessive chemical affluent drained out in water making it poisonous and unfit for use, usage of bio non-degradable resources affecting the bio-chain adversely and exposure of employees to hazardous radiations bring their life in danger. All these have been taken very seriously by different stakeholders in the society including the government and legislations and movements are creating pressure for an environment friendly business. These have far reaching implications for business ranging from the kind of business, the product being manufactured, how it is manufactured and how friendly it is for mankind and nature. ENERGY EFFICIENT PROCESS AND EQUIPMENTS:- Companies are focusing on reducing the carbon footprints, energy utilization, water consumption etc. CONCLUSION:- Information technology (IT) or information and communication technology (ICT) is a broad subject which deals with technology and other aspects of managing and processing information, especially in large organizations. Particularly, IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect process, transmit, and retrieve information. Over the past 20 years, its prevalence has dramatically increased so that it is now a part of nearly every aspect of daily life.

20 ) Marketing Segmentation:

Demographic:

Age: 30-52

Gender: Male and Female.

Occupation: Visual Merchandising Managers, Merchandisers

Socio Economic Group: Mid- range, premium and luxury income people.

Geographic:

Customer :In Mumbai

Behavioral:

Rate of Usage, Benefits sought, Loyalty, Readiness to purchase.

Psychographic:

For introducing Infor Fashion PLM & Mockshop ,I preferred targeting Indian consumer based on their status, one

who is modern, sophisticated, and is keen about learning new software's of the highest quality, built in with added

features to streamline merchandising work.

Targeting:

48

Age groups

Who are aware about new software?

Who belong to the Apparel Industry & Footwear?

Belonging to the medium and high class society.

Positioning:

Customer Value Proposition

Usage Occasions

Focus on benefits of the software.

What are the switching costs for potential users for your market?

21) Marketing Mix

a) Product:

Visual Retailing-Mockshop

Infor Global Solutions-Infor Fashion PLM

b) Product Categories:

Visual Retailing-

1>Mockshop

2>Shop Shape

3>Style Shoots

Infor Global Solutions-Infor Fashion PLM

1> Infor M3

2> Infor Fashion PLM

22) Promotion Strategy’s: B2B Marketing:

Brochures form an integral part of the traditional printed marketing collateral, despite the growing popularity of

online marketing initiatives. A well-designed brochure is very much a collectible item, not only for its captivating

visual effects, but for the loads of product-specific information featured in it.

Let's take a look at a few compelling reasons for companies to include brochures in their marketing arsenal:

Brochures help capture the attention of potential customers, especially in the case of small and emerging businesses that are on a tight budget.

They are both effective and pocket-friendly than product advertisements on magazines and newspapers, given the fact that prime space on print media is costly. Advertisement space is shared by several businesses competing for public attention, making it a challenge to really get noticed amongst the competition.

Brochures or booklets, on the other hand, can focus entirely on the business and its offerings, thereby getting the undivided attention of all potential customers who browse through them. The key, however, is to make the content both interesting and informative, supporting it with appropriate images, and including a call to action.

They are versatile pieces of printed information that can be used for promoting almost all types of products and services, and in different venues, right from reception desks of offices to promotional events. They are

49

found in several formats such as menus, flyers, product guides, and newsletters, in addition to the conventional tri-fold style.

Brochure printing services are definitely more cost-effective, given the discounts that are usually offered with bulk printing. The cost per brochure reportedly comes down with the number of prints. Regular customers also enjoy discounted brochure printing offers.

Effective marketing campaigns are all about customer interactions. Brochures are simply just another way to interact with customers and generate leads for the sales teams to follow up.

A printed brochure is any day easy to access and read when compared to content from an e-mail or a website.

Given the multi-fold benefits of using brochures for marketing purposes, it should be noted that the quality of design, content, images, the paper and the ink used for brochure printing is the key factor, which determines its effectiveness.

Ptex Solutions can hosting informational webinars.

It can set up booths at popular industry tradeshows.

Ptex can send out email newsletters positioning their company as an industry expert on LinkedIn &

Facebook.

Ptex can try to maintain an active, interactive social media presence.

Attend industry networking events and building buyer relationship.

23) Segmenting & Planning

a) Target Market: Premium and luxury brands and retailers. Like:

Raymond's

Arvind Brands.

Reliance Fashion Brands.

Global Desi

Landmark Group

b) Targeting sector: Apparel, Footwear Retailers.

Out of 1175 Connections ,I was able to approach 200 people since (February 1st to April 30th).

c) Connected through LinkedIn (to name a few):

Madura Garments.

Global Desi

Reliance Trends Ltd.

D mart Online Fashion

Shopper Shop.

Aditya Birla Retail Ltd.

Pantaloons.

Arvind lifestyle Brands Ltd.

United Colors of Benetton.

Global Desi.

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The questionnaire will be presented to the customer along with the product demo video and company presentation

24) Questionnaire

1) Have you ever purchased MockShop software before in India?

Yes No

2) Which software's would you consider buying?

a) Adobe Photoshop

b) Corel Draw

c) Sketch up Pro

d) Gems ERP

e) Infor Fashion PLM

f) Mockshop

f) All above Other, please specify _____________

3) What is the cost of PLM & Mockshop upgrade which different brands offer ?

a) Upto 2 lakhs b) upto 4 lakhs c) upto 6 lakhs d) upto 8 lakhs e) upto 10 lakhs f) upto 14 lakhs

4) If you have used Mockshop how would you rate the software?

a) Excellent b) Very Good c) Just Right d) Too High e) I do not know

5) If you have used Infor Fashion PLM how would you rate the software?

a) Excellent b) Very Good c) Just Right d) Too High e) I do not know

5) Do you think the use of Infor Fashion PLM & Mockshop can reduce employee cost to company ?

a) Yes b) No c) Other's please specify_________________________

6) Do you think the product Infor Fashion PLM & Mockshop has the following benefits after watching the Demo?

a) Innovative b) Time Saving c) Improved communication d) Better buying strategies e) Product Costing

assumption before production Other____________

7) What is the drawback you think on return on PLM & Mockshop investment?

a)Only has data management system b) Upgrades are generally driven by IT c) Maintains Shipping

BOM

Identification

Name: ______________________

Number: ____________________

Organization: ________________

E-mail Id: _______________________________

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25.) Questionnaire Analysis:

1) Have you ever purchased MockShop software before in India?

2) Which software's would you consider buying?

40%

25% 25%

50%

20% 20%

35%

8%

0

1

2

3

4

5

Yes No

Have you ever purchased MockShop software before in India?

Age(25-30)

(30-35)

(35-40)

(40-45)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Photoshop

Corel

Sketch

Gems

PLM

Mockshop

430.00%

250.00%

350.00%

450.00%

300.00%

250.00%

240.00%

440.00%

180.00%

280.00%

100.00%

600.00%

200.00%

200.00%

300.00%

500.00%

200.00%

500.00%

330%

200%

100%

500%

200%

100%

(40-45) (35-40) (30-35) Age(25-30)

Chart (1.8)

Chart (1.9)

52

3) What is the cost of PLM & Mockshop upgrade which different brands offer ?

4) If you have used Mockshop how would you rate the software?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Upto 2 lakhs

4 lakhs

6 lakhs

8 lakhs

10 lakhs

14 lakhs

430%

250%

350%

450%

300%

200%

240%

440%

180%

280%

100%

500%

200%

200%

300%

500%

600%

400%

300%

400%

250%

210%

100%

200%

(25-30)

(30-35)

(35-40)

Age (40-45)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Excellent Very Good Good I don’t know

(40-45)

(35-40)

(30-35)

Age (25-30)

Chart (1.10)

Chart (1.11)

53

5) If you have used Infor Fashion PLM how would you rate the software?

6) Do you think the use of Infor Fashion PLM & Mockshop can reduce employee cost to company ?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Excellent very Good Good I don't know

(40-45)

(35-40)

(30-35)

Age( 25-30)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Yes No

(40-45)

(35-40)

(30-35)

Age (25-30)

Chart (1.12)

Chart (1.13)

54

7) Do you think the product Infor Fashion PLM & Mockshop has the following benefits after watching the Demo?

8) What is the drawback you think on return on PLM & Mockshop investment?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Age(25-30)

(30-35)

(35-40)

(40-45)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

data management upgrade (IT only) only shipping BOM

Age (25-30)

(30-35)

(35-40)

(40-45)

Chart (1.14)

Chart (1.15)

55

Questionnaire Analysis:

25a. Maturity of PLM in India

During discussions manufacturing organizations in India, there is a sense that the focus on PLM is very low in

India compared to many other countries. Wanted to get into depth of it. I realized there are multiple issues with

PLM adoption.

1. Cost of PLM software V/S Employee Cost:

Pricing of most of PLM solutions available in market is not suitable

for Indian Market. These are generally USD price converted into

INR. With a high conversion ratio, the price doesn’t justify the

investment. Say if a very small PLM implementation cost

$7535.86,which is ₹ 5,00,000. In this cost a company can hire 3

more fresh engineering graduates from premier institutes or hire 3

more 5+ year experience person. With this high cost of a basic

implementation, it becomes unviable option for Indian companies to implement PLM with the $ cost unless

organizations are large and the benefit so achieve is also very large.

2. Lack Product Innovation Culture:

Apart from a small number of companies, most of the companies are just manufacturers. They produce what design is

provided to them. These are generally contract manufacturers. They innovate in service & process but not in Product.

Product is generally as told to them and they manufacture it in bulk. Even the trend is changing over time where

organizations are understanding importance of own products. The other major reason for organizations not investing

in Innovation, that it is easy for organizations to copy a product than make it from scratch, due to lack of strong IP

protection laws.

3. Design driven by Partner/foreign owner:

Indian manufacturing is dominated by Auto sector, with 25% of total

manufacturing depends on Auto. Almost all Auto companies (exception

TATA Motors & Mahindra & Mahindra), including Maruti of India, are

owned by foreign Auto companies. The parent company drives majority

design & innovation, Indian office only works for some level of localization,

with approval from parent. In all these cases, companies follow what parent

company is following & use PLM from parent company

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4. Conclusion:

In my view, For PLM market to grow in India, PLM companies will have to workout India or any developing country

specific pricing strategy. Benefits of PLM should be better articulated …. Also Indian companies will need to focus on

products design and manufactured in India, so they see value of PLM in India.. Till then Maturity of PLM in India will

remain low.

25b .) What is the cost of Infor PLM Upgrade?

In my recent interaction with one of customers, customer informed me about their plan to upgrade PLM system. Out

of curiosity, I asked him about the cost for the upgrade. To my great surprise the costs which

were considered were only a very small portion of cost involved in an Upgrade. The customer

responded that their project will be executed by internal resources. So the cost of upgrade is

very low. During the discussion informed him about “Cost due to Loss of Business”. So the next

question is why there should be loss of business if PLM system is upgraded?

I explained – “Cost due to Loss of Business“: Organizations generally take

a decision of major system upgrade only when there are major changes to the

PLM software. A major upgrade brings many UI & functionality enhancements.

For a user, it changes the feels of software, so user need to un-learning and

re-learning way of working . Research shows, when there is a significant

change in the way user need to perform day to day activity there is a huge

drop in productivity of certain amount of time. Due to this change,

organization’s

response to business slows down.

But it is not easy to calculate the cost associated with loss of business, as it is

not immediate most of the times. But some level of cost should be

apportioned to loss of business which may occur due to disruption to

business.

Other major cost involved in a upgrade project are 1. Actual upgrade cost – Cost of Resources

2. Downtime cost

3. Licence & hardware cost

4. Data clean-up

5. Productivity Loss

Conclusion: To calculate total cost of upgrade project may not be straight forward, but when these costs are

considered it gives a better picture of “Cost of Upgrade”. Upgrade for me is more critical than initial implementation

most of times.

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25c) What is your return on PLM investment?

I was going through multiple articles on PLM ROI & one by Oleg

“Why hard to sell PLM ROI?” did strike me. The conclusion of this blog

is very important.

” If you want to improve something, you must be able to measure it first. In

my view, this is a main problem with PLM ROI. The focus of PLM system and

vendors should be on providing systems and tools that can measure activities.

Companies should do the same.”

One of the major problem of PLM implementation is, it starts as a data management system in a small department.

So like ERP there is not organizational initiative (to start with). In this case organizations don’t start with big vision or

even knowing as to what they want to achieve. To know “what has changed”, you need to know “what it was?”.

Organizations fail to capture “what it was?”, as the whole process of implementation starts very adhoc.

Whenever I discuss with customer, I try to convince them, to consider PLM as an Enterprise program, even if they

don’t have budget right now they should look at holistic picture and draw a functional roadmap of PLM journey. This

also gives chance to record all different parameters within organizations.

Other issue I see is Upgrade Process. Upgrades are generally driven by IT. Upgrade is a very important milestone of

PLM journey, it should be looked at as a stepping stone to next level of PLM. I always feel that organizations should

perform Audit before even taking decision of upgrade. At this point all improvements delivered by PLM should be

reviewed and new targets should be set.

Most difficult part of PLM ROI analysis is attaching cost to improvements like: Improvement in Part reuse, Reduction

in Design Errors or reduced cycle time. Organizations take these as granted and don’t attribute $$$$ savings to these

and many other Key Parameters.

Conclusion:

It will be easy of CIO’s to take decisions, if cost associated to these wastages is shown and how it can give returns. I

think, to sell PLM, you need to show these indirect savings, which are actually $$$$ savings but not calculated

generally in organizations. When it comes to ERP, it is direct $$$$ which is saved. But in PLM it is indirect $$$$ which

is saved & they need to be appropriately presented with help of experts.

25d) Implementing Effective PLM

I have been writing lot of stuff in my notebook, but didn’t get time to convert it digitally. Recently I am helping a Small

size company with their business processes. My initial interaction started with need of Innovation Management. This

organization wants to transform them into Innovative organization and move from being a Product driven

organization to combination of Product & Sales driven organization. When we started discussing with Management,

first requirement we got, is they would like to make work space more challenging and setup processes which will help

them transform. As an approach we decided to perform an outside-in analysis of organization. During this analysis we

58

realized need of activities to be performed before we move towards Innovation and PLM. We started helping them

with Sales processes, Customer Support process & handle the immediate challenges they were facing.

As we moved towards inside the organization, where we can help organization with Innovation & Product launch

processes, it was more important to change culture of organization. The culture change was required with-in

management thought process & also employees approach to Innovation.

Implementation of PLM was next progression for us. Discussions with most of the users revealed that their

understanding of PLM was limited. For consultants like us, it was mandatory to bring the users on same page of PLM

understanding so that we implement an Effective PLM. We started with orientation of business community towards

an effective PLM & converted it into a organization wide activity than limiting it to specific departments.

If you realized my topic is not “Effective PLM Implementation” but

“Implementation of Effective PLM”. What is Effective PLM? For us Effective

PLM is: To bring value to our customer & its customers through implementation

of Product Launch Processes & systems. When we started journey with this

customer, we always had kept implementation of effective PLM at heart of our

engagement. And that is the reason for which we started with an outside-in

approach.

For this organization, which deals in specialized industrial equipment, Sales

process & customer support processes were required to be aligned with product development. These two processes

were voice of customer. Since they are in specialized equipments, their customers most of the times won’t know what

they want. They will only have rough idea about application of these equipments. So trying to get direct feedback on

new products was not helpful. So if we look at Effective PLM definition again, implementation of Sales Process &

Customer Support processes was critical for getting VOC. Also process of integrating new products into sales through

configuration was equally important. These two activities which are generally not linked to traditional

implementation of PLM, gave us a system, what we called an Effective PLM systems.

If we would have gone ahead with traditional PLM thought processes of starting with product data management, we

would have implemented PLM effectively, but I am not sure if PLM would have been effective or not.

Conclusion: It is important to implement Effective PLM than just implementing PLM effectively. For Effective PLM

implementation, PLM consultants would be required to understand PLM in its true sense and dig out areas where

most value lies for a customer. These are just my thoughts on Effective PLM implementation.

Today most of the industrial manufacturers are not delivering final product from their factory to the customer. The

whole product is shipped in parts to the end customer and assembled there. Many times when assembling, it is

realized that some parts are not shipped. This leads to major delays to the project

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So it is imperative for organizations to maintain Shipping BOM & it should be derived from Engineering Information

to avoid any missed items.

Shipping BOM is a flat structure of Assemblies / Sub-Assemblies which are shipped directly to customer site, which

then can be used for assembling the final product. A Shipping BOM can also contain all the equipments / Tools /

phantom parts which will be required to assemble the items at customer site.

A quick search on Google yields no results for Shipping BOM, this shows there is almost no focus on this critical item

either from PLM or ERP. Ideally a Shipping BOM should originate in PLM & ERP can maintain the information about

as shipped BOM for a particular order. A Shipping BOM should be derived from EBOM / MBOM in a similar way as a

Purchase BOM can be extracted and then used to ensure all required items Manufactured internally or Bought-out are

delivered to customer site before final assembly.

Conclusion: Shipping BOM is a very critical item of overall Product’s Lifecycle Management especially in Industrial

Machinery sector. There should be a mechanism built to extract shipping information early in lifecycle and used to

reduce shipping slippages.

26) Situation at Future Retail Ltd who are aware of Infor Fashion PLM &

Mockshop

"The main problem for us introducing technology was finding employees that could use it, and finding the time and energy to train those who couldn't.

the reality is that no amount of training and support materials is guaranteed to compel staff to change their communication and work behavior that might defeat the introduction of technology tools. What changes behavior, beyond training?

Peer pressure Messages from a variety of sources Incentives to change behavior Penalties for non-participation

Meeting with General Visual Merchandiser (FBB-Future Retail Ltd) .Tried to motivate behavior change and an embracing of tech tools: (Role as a Store VM)

I was a part of a huge, multi-office international organization that adopted a new software program that would take

over all human resources and budget database functions. Unfortunately, those who would actually use the software

weren't involved in the choice, so they felt very much that something was being imposed on them that they didn't ask

for. Bad start, definitely. The organization engaged in several activities to both educate staff on why the software tool

was a good thing and how to use the software, such as:

training as a group watching a slide show presentation or interacting with a live trainer training from each individual's desk top watching a slide show presentation or with a trainer sitting right

there with the person a user guide distributed to all staff onsite user group meetings

60

a phone hotline to get immediate questions answered discussions in department and organizational-wide staff meetings recognition of staff members use of the software by supervisors in department and agency-wide meetings

and on and on. About 60% of the staff became both comfortable with the software and convinced it was worth using. But 40% didn't. What finally got them to use it was a mandate -- their reports would no longer be accepted in any format except such that was generated from the database itself. The mandate got the remaining 40% on board within probably two weeks. These illustrations include examples of peer pressure (new members expected use of online tools by the association, staff expected by their peers to use new software), incentive to change behavior (elimination of postal costs and phone charges to mail or fax press releases, testimonies from colleagues at staff meetings, recognition by supervisors for use of new tool).

What could these methods look like in practice? Here are some ideas:

Peer pressure Ask each staff member, at each staff meeting and in all program and employee regular progress reporting and evaluation reports, to provide an update on how they have used one of the tools or engaged in any learning activities regarding tools.

Messages from a variety of sources Staff should be encouraged to talk about tech tools in all program planning meetings and how they could be/should be used. Staff members should also be encouraged to circulate links to newspaper articles, blogs or other online articles that highlight the benefits and challenges of using certain tools.

Incentives to change behavior o Supervisors should laud staff members who report use of online collaborative tools, in face-to-face,

one-on-one meetings, at staff meetings and in other internal communications. o Use of collaborative tools should be acknowledged in staff performance reviews. o Honest discussions of problems in using online collaborative tools should be encouraged and those

who participate in such should be lauded for talking about such. o A requirement to use certain tools. For instance, requiring staff members to use Google Docs, rather

than email, to collaborate in the writing and editing of a file, no exceptions. o Staff could ask other staff members to comply with the use of certain tools. For instance, a staff

member could say, "Hi, I just received the document you want my comments on as an attachment to your email. Please share it with me via Google docs and I will be happy to get started right away. This is more than peer pressure this means a staff member is required to use the tool, or not receive staff feedback.

o Supervisors should note a staff person's refusal to use at least some online collaborative tools, particularly the official shared work space for floor staff, in performance reviews and in face-to-face meetings (followed immediately by conversations on how to address this lack of use, support needed, etc.).

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27) Company LinkedIn Account:

Connections on LinkedIn:

Companies followed :

Figure (1.46)

Figure (1.47) Figure (1.48)

Figure (1.49)

62

28) Brochure for “Ptex Solutions” Front

Back

Figure (1.50)

Figure (1.51)

63

Figure (1.52)

64

Front

Back

Figure (1.53)

Figure (1.54)

65

Figure (1.55)

66

29. Limitations

I have tried to introduce the MockShop software again but the Visual Merchandising Manager was not in favor of

upgrading the software which proved to be a limitation for me.