Still Strong After All Those Years

Ten years ago, ecVision started out as an EDI provider with roots in Hong Kong and China. Today it has grown into a full product lifecycle and supply chain software provider, primarily serving the apparel and footwear industry, which is connecting thousands of retailers and trading partners around the world. From its US office in New Jersey, ecVision has engaged some of the biggest retailers and brand owners in the industry including Timberland, New Balance, JCPenney, Abercrombie & Fitch and Phillips-Van Heusen.

So what is it that ecVision is doing right when so many other companies are falling by the wayside? I truly believe it is a combination of factors that make an organization successful.

Our success starts with the the technology we build. In a tight economy, every "buyer" is looking to save money but still get the same or improved functionality. We can point to our ability to improve productivity by 20% to 50%, reduce costs across all spend types, provide a system from strong supplier collaboration and visibility, and minimize risk by capturing actionable information and managing the supplier network. By crossing mutliple functions in the PLM and supply chain area, we maximize the investment CXO's are making and enable everyone to see the results.

Our customer's are really #1...we just don't say it, but we mean it and show it. ecVision’s customer-centric product focus and its drive to please the user base are evidenced by its profitability and expansion. Customer retention remains at 100% and in a recent poll, over 87% of its customers plan to add more functionality to their installations in 2009.

Vision and defining the path to get there certainly weighs in when looking at marked success. In the coming year, ecVision will add functionality (new process modules including factory compliance audit and goods inspection), usability (user interface widgets and mobile extensions for wireless systems adapted from XpressRoad’s development initiatives) and configurability (UI design and improved configurability tools).

Keep you eye on us. Our proven success has enabled Private Label Retailers and Brands to benefit from our deep product Knowledge and expanding toolset. We aren't stopping yet.

The Supplier is King

Even with the biggest shopping season is here, the economy has caused a meltdown in the retail market. Smart consumer goods manufacturers and brand owners are still investing in supply chain technology to enhance their expansive supplier networks through technology portals. ecVision, an award-winning provider of product lifecycle and supply chain software solutions, is currently deploying supplier portal solutions for three giant retail organizations to be used by vendors and internal sourcing teams as they collaborate on global supply chain management and shipment tasks.

What's the buzz around enabling your supply chain networks and why?

Next week, ecVision, Apparel magazine, and AMR Reserach will release an executive whitepaper revolving around this subject. If you ware interested, drop me an email and I will pass it on when it comes out.

Change Is On the Way

With the Presidential Election at the forefront of the news, the term "change" has taken on new shape and meaning.

ecVision realizes that "change" is a good, no great thing! Especially when it means that previous processes are more efficient, time-saving, and cost reducing. As is typical with all automation, "change" doesn't come easy though. "Change" needs to be managed and controlled so that the execution works.

When an organization embraces a software solution that is as dynamic as ecVision's, there is a definite need for some "change management". We have teamed with Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), the leading retail consulting firm, to offer a service that will assist organizations that are experiencing "change" through the adaption of processes.

In the next few weeks, we will be making available a white paper and webinar that explains the benefits gained from a "change management" initiative. Stay tuned or visit http://www.ecvision.com/.

Rome wasn't built in a day!

And you can’t build an supply chain execution system in a day either!

We’ve learned in our implementations of ecVision XpressCommerce that the best way to approach a system rollout is to tackle it in multiple phases. This is especially the case for newer companies that do not have solid processes in place to lead the way through the implementation or companies looking to revamp their processes to better improve efficiency and productivity. Our advice is to always bite off only what you can chew and to take time to step back and look at the system after each phase moves into production and really determine what the next steps should be – what department needs the most help, which reports are executives looking for, where is the focus of the company moving forward? This will help with prioritizing your phased approach in order to reduce the amount of change requests that will cause delays in your rollout.

http://ecvision.com/Products/XpressCommerce.htm

Daylight Saving Time - Doing More with Less

Conceived by Benjamin Franklin, the notion was, and is, a quite ingenious method to take advantage of the daylight during those times of year when the days are longer.

We might be saving daylight, but what a difficult adjustment period it is for our internal time clocks. There are numerous studies that justify the reasoning behind Daylight Saving Time (DST). Amonth them, the cost savings from power consumption, getting more time for outdoor events during the warm summer months, dramatic reductions in auto accidents, and more. There may also be an economic benefit to DST, as daylight evening hours encourage people to go out and shop, potentially spurring economic growth.

So go out and spend money, stimulate the economy, buy new fashions. Just be sure to stay awake at work during the first week following the change.

TiVo our webcast? Well, sorta.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is one person who would know about managing time. Striking the balance for work, play, family, friends, games, love, eating, working out, doing your taxes, voting, shopping, smelling the roses, learning something new, reading a good book, watching the big game...

I could go on but you get the point.

So how do we keep from "living someone else's life"? This month I launched a new initiative at ecVision. The On-Demand webcast. The concept isn't truly unique but I am glad I was able to put it together. There are so many times that I have registerted for an online or live event, and been sidetracked with more pressing business. To solve this problem, I developed the on-demand model for our webcasts -- just register and get the link, then you can click on the link to watch and hear the presentation when every you want. Stop it, start it, rewind it. Come back another time to finish or replay it. It is there on your demand.

Try it out. Live your life this time.

NRF Big Show 2008

The name of this event was truly fitting this year in New York. It was a BIG SHOW - not just in size but in marketing tactics. In past years, the retail industry has not been "wowed" by the sensationalism that was orchestrated by the exhibitors this year to draw prospective clients to the trade show booth.


I have a firm belief that the product is what makes heads turn, but it is apparent that gimmicks and "tricks" really work with savvy retail leaders. To wit, ecVision has never used this approach at our event booths. (A raffle entry in exchange for a badge swipe is about as far as I go.)So just what did we see this year at NRF?

• Money falling from the sky...noticeably marked with the logo of the company that drew in crowds with their Fez hats, cappuccino barista, and tall, leggy scantily-dressed blondes.



• The dynamic duo of young ladies dressed in nurses uniforms complete with caps -- a retro throwback to days before scrubs and more practical garb.



• Elvis lives! At least a low-rate look-a-like who sings along to recorded tracks while posing with show attendees in front of a pink Cadillac.



• Or the trio of gals in matching silky short dresses that might be better apt for a summer party or nightclub act.
  


• Then you have the illusionists, magicians, and other slight-of-hand con artists that would make any buyer wonder where the con ends.

I can point out other examples of cheap marketing practices, but I think you get the point. I was just pleased that ecVision (and I was proud to notice, most of the companies we compare with) didn't stoop down to the level that belittles the intelligence of the industry.

When the ecVision team left the show we all made an agreement that we would rather develop a supply chain solution that impressed our audience before we resort to marketing tactics that are less than honorable.