EAST has gone live with the multi-channel business system, Prologic CIMS V7.7.

This allows the women's lifestyle clothing and accessories chain to implement significant improvements to its critical path, reporting, product management and allocation and replenishment processes. Angus Stewart, IT manager at EAST, comments: "The next project that we see providing benefit is the adoption of CIMS Critical Path Management. We are currently using Excel spreadsheets, with in excess of 1,000 rows for individual garments and 100 columns for various pieces of information such as sizes, purchase order details and measurements. These spreadsheets are accessed almost constantly by our merchandising, buying, garment technicians and design teams. Needless to say with spreadsheets, there are potential duplications, deletions and inaccuracies, risking huge administrative problems. As we launch a new collection every two weeks, an unusually fast business model, we cannot afford stock to be late into the warehouse or to our stores."

The new system will also allow EAST to roll-out improved allocation and replenishment processes. In October, it begins a longer term project to review reporting processes throughout the business. "Our need to improve critical path management was a direct result of our recent growth and expansion, whereas improvements to the allocation and replenishment, grading and the reporting processes are process driven. Having completed this upgrade, we are now able to implement these projects to tackle our particular business pains," says Stewart.

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