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Purpose/Impact
Emerging designers are an essential component of the fashion industry, but they face considerable challenges as they grow. As small to mid-size companies, they are too large to be managed with independent applications cobbled together but are too small to afford the complex ERP software used by design conglomerates. More to the point, ERP software, created for much larger enterprises, is not responsive to the needs of small, nimble companies.
Outcomes/Accomplishments
Infor offers 80 software products for businesses. The team of Hicks and the students planned on adapting Infor M3, the ERP software used by large fashion retailers including Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. Through investigation, they discovered, much to the surprise of their counterparts at Infor, that Waxman might be better served by CloudSuite Industrial, traditionally used by manufacturers.
Working with Infor and Noah Waxman gave students an unprecedented opportunity to see firsthand how business software drives industry, and it gave Infor a template for creating software for other emerging designers.
Status Update
The students presented their findings at Infor headquarters in November 2018. They are working with Infor’s software developers to create Waxman’s software product. When they are finished, he will choose whether to purchase the software, and Infor may market it to other emerging designers.
