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Lectra announces Diamino® V5R4

With Diamino V5R4, Lectra introduces new enhancements for manufacturers seeking simplicity, speed, and efficiency in marker-making and material consumption optimization activities, during the costing, prototyping, and production phases. To overcome economic challenges and competition, manufacturers have to constantly improve their competitiveness by offering their customers high quality, creative products at a reasonable price. Material represents a significant portion of the cost to make finished products.

“Buying material is now a major expense for manufacturers in the fashion, automotive, and furniture sectors and for companies that use industrial fabrics. Marker-making is therefore a key lever for evaluating and guaranteeing the profitability of a product at a very early stage and improving its cost price. The time savings, streamlined processes, and material optimization offered by Diamino V5R4 give our customers a competitive edge. This advanced technology solution is fully integrated into Lectra’s strategy of meeting the specific needs of each market,” explained Daniel Harari, Lectra CEO.

Available as DiaminoFashion (fashion), DiaminoFurniture (furniture), and DiaminoTechTex
Diamino V5R4 extends and simplifies collaboration between a company’s various internal and external contributors by offering direct access to new export interfaces for HP-GL and Cutfile, and the newly integrated DXF format, widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries.

With Diamino V5R4, users can now manage printers and plotters via a single interface, streamlining the process and improving ease-of-use.
3/24/11

EzTextiles® Adds 325,000-Plus Vintage Print Images to Popular Online Textile Design Resource

New York, NY – EzTextiles, LLC announces the addition of a new Vintage Library to its fast-growing EzTextiles.com online digital textile design resource center. Amassed over the past decade, the more than 325,000 vintage print images is an online digital textile design resource with more than 25-million royalty-free woven plaids and stripes, prints, and knit designs. The innovative and unique site provides textile design content developed primarily for the apparel, accessories, home fashions, and related industries. Digital swatches from all EzTextiles.com libraries can be freely viewed and are available for purchase and immediate download based on a variety of subscription plans. During a limited-time launch period, newly registered users to the site can download 25 sample images.

The new library includes more than 75 categories of vintage prints. Vintage images can be searched by category, size, keywords, and other attributes. All of the 300 dpi TIF-formatted images are offered in a wide range of color options and are in repeat. In contrast to the production-ready original designs created for the other libraries on the site, vintage items are provided for use as inspiration and reference only. While the Vintage images are believed to be old and in the public domain, they are not warranted to be free of copyright restrictions.
3/15/11

Introducing TEXbase Compliance

BOZEMAN, MT - TEXbase, Inc. introduces TEXbase Compliance as the latest addition to its on-demand suite of software products. TEXbase Compliance joins TEXbase Materials, TEXbase Quality, and TEXbase Connect to form a complete “Concept to Compliance” solution that provides the data management and vendor collaboration that brands and retailers use to increase efficiency and reduce risk.

With legislation such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), U.S. manufacturers are struggling to comply with expanded requirements surrounding the testing and certification of consumer products. As these regulations have created data management challenges, TEXbase answers the call with a robust solution to a complex problem.

TEXbase Compliance creates one central location to capture and store information such as product specifications, product testing plans, test reports, component part certifications and Certificates of Compliance no matter where they were created or who created them.

“Our Compliance module is a turn-key, hosted solution that manages compliant product lifecycles from start to finish. This includes new materials and the products that contain them as well as the compliance requirements of existing and carry-over items”, comments TEXbase founder Joe Walkuski. “Features such as automatic notification of non-compliant components and finished products allows for management by exception - a key benefit of not relying on spreadsheets and email to manage your risk.”
3/8/11

Lectra Provides Leather Cutting Solutions with Leather Suite V3R1

Paris – Lectra, a world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials—textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials—, is pleased to announce the release of the new Leather Suite V3R1, specially designed for leather cutting and aimed at manufacturers in the automotive and furniture markets. This new software suite integrated into Lectra’s leather cutting solutions significantly improves profitability for companies that use leather, while also offering a large number of new features. Combined with its service contract, it provides unprecedented added value for Lectra’s customers and a rapid return on investment.

Demand in the global leather market, both in the automotive and furniture sectors, has grown significantly, particularly in emerging countries. Manufacturers are currently experiencing a strong recovery in orders, but they must also cope with a 50 to 100% increase in the price of raw leather since 2009.

Lectra’s Leather Suite V3R1 software enables manufacturers to make concrete, measurable material savings of up to 3.5% in automated mode compared with the previous version. Optimized algorithms for nesting and placing difficult parts, coupled with significantly more intuitive and automated functions, makes for a major contribution in enhancing the overall performance of manufacturers in the leather industries.

Another new feature that should significantly enhance manufacturers’ productivity is the integration of Lectra’s new operating pilot software, which comes from a technology already available on the Vector® range, into Lectra’s leather cutting solutions. For the numerous companies working with separate equipment specific to leather or fabrics, this innovation will provide a more uniform experience of operating Lectra cutting machines. Any operator trained on Lectra’s fabric cutting machines can easily work on equipment specially designed for leather, without switching to a new software environment.

Lectra’s V3R1 software suite also allows manufacturers to significantly improve the management and analysis of their cutting room performance through a completely revised reporting and monitoring module. This upgrade will not only enable them to analyze production data in depth, but also to check—prior to the cutting process—that supplier specifications have been followed (leather quality, production cost per type of supplier over different periods, etc.).
3/8/11

Visual 2000 Mobilizes Visual PLM.net Solution on New Windows 7 Tablet PCs

Montreal, QC CANADA -- Visual 2000 International Inc. announces certification of its popular Visual PLM.net® product lifecycle management solution for use with a stable of newly launched Tablet PCs powered by Microsoft® Windows® 7. Testing of the fashion-focused PLM software was conducted by Visual 2000 in January using the ExoPC Slate device. The ExoPC is an ultra-mobile, 11.6-inch touchscreen computer that utilizes the same interface and operating system found on most business computers. In contrast to consumer-oriented tablets like the Apple iPad, this new breed of Tablet PCs promise to be more appropriate for business content creators such as developers, merchants, sourcing managers, and other professionals that need access to full business software applications.

The ExoPC Slate features a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1080p graphics, and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity. Windows Tablet PCs are also available from Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and other computer makers. Microsoft delivers mouse- and keyboard-free mobility through Tablet PC capabilities found in the Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows 7.
2/8/11

Lectra Appoints Edouard Macquin Worldwide Sales Director

Paris – Lectra, a world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials—textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials—, is pleased to announce the appointment of Edouard Macquin as Worldwide Sales Director, effective January 1, 2011.

Since 2005 Edouard Macquin has served as Director of Lectra South America. His remarkably varied career has earned him extensive knowledge of the trade sectors relevant to Lectra’s customers, as well as an in-depth understanding of the company’s technology and services offer and its added value.

Macquin holds an MBA from São Paulo Business School and speaks French, English,
Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. He joined Lectra in 1987 in R&D and later assumed various positions in services and then marketing, in France, Italy, the United States, and Brazil. In 2000, he was appointed Director of Lectra Brazil.

Based in Paris, Edouard Macquin reports directly to Daniel Harari.
1/26/11

FESPA Digital Textile Print Conference

Orlando, FL -- FESPA’s 3rd Digital Textile Conference will be held during FESPA Americas on February 25, 2011 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. A host of digital textile printing consultants, experts and printers will be sharing a wealth of knowledge, experiences and insights into the latest innovative products, market trends, case studies and trade secrets.

Dr. Mike Fralix, President and CEO of [TC]², will discuss the future role of digital printing in the supply chain. A firm believer that tomorrow's soft goods industry leaders are going to thrive through the use of digital technologies and processes that are integrated across continent, Mike will highlight the potential of digital printing technology.

This one day conference will provide a comprehensive overview of the trends that are pushing new boundaries within textile print production. Topics will include: industry strategies, digital fashion, environmental impacts, digital textile inks, outdoor markets and far more.

Click here to learn more: www.fespa.com/dtc, or contact Michela Marcantonio, Conference & Events Assistant, at 001 44 7137 228 353 or email michela.marcantonio@fespa.com.
1/18/11

Inauguration of the Institute for Innovation and Competitiveness

Paris, France – Lectra, a world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials—textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials,—announces its participation, as a member of the Founders' Committee, in the creation of the Institute for Innovation and Competitiveness.

The new institute was inaugurated on January 11, 2011, at the Paris campus of the international business school ESCP Europe, under the patronage of Christine Lagarde, French Minister of Economic Affairs, Finance, and Industry, and presided over by Hugues du Rouret, President of the Governing Board of ESCP Europe; Pascal Morand, Chairman of ESCP Europe; and Pierre Guénant and Patrick Gounelle, Co-chairs of the Europe+ Foundation. More than 500 participants attended this event.

As a veritable think tank created and supported by ESCP Europe and the Europe+ Foundation, the Institute’s mission is to promote a broader vision of innovation. Its main activities center around thematic projects such as open innovation, co-creation, the role of design and creativity, the emergence of new business models, and the influence of patents and intellectual property. The institute is a crossroads for reflection, encouraging exchanges with government authorities in order to analyze and influence innovation-related public policies, at both European and national levels. It also organizes meetings and exchanges among businesses, academic institutions, and government authorities.

The two governing bodies are the Scientific Committee, comprising representatives of academia, corporations, and public institutions, and the Founders' Committee, which includes managing directors of ESCP Europe and Europe+, executives of the founding corporations, including Lectra, and qualified individuals.

Lectra's support for the Institute for Innovation and Competitiveness translates into preferential relationships and an exchange of knowledge. Lectra will open its doors to students nearing graduation and give them the opportunity to study business cases that involve subjects for group reflection, such as the processes of innovation, client relationships, or new business models.
1/12/11

Lectra First PLM Software Vendor to Achieve TEC Certification for "PLM for Fashion" and "PLM for the Distribution of Fashion Products and Accessories"

Paris – Lectra, a world leader in integrated technology solutions for industries using soft materials—textiles, leather, industrial fabrics and composites—has announced that Lectra Fashion PLM V2R2, its product lifecycle management solution designed specifically for the fashion industries, has just been awarded certification of the Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC). Lectra Fashion PLM is the only solution to have achieved TEC certification in the fashion and fashion products and accessories distribution sectors.

Despite constant pressure to innovate and improve quality while maintaining profitability, some fashion companies remain reluctant to embrace product lifecycle management. The vast majority, however, are convinced it would streamline their organization and processes and improve productivity.

In addition to evaluating the solution in detail—1400 criteria were reviewed—the TEC certification report helps clarify the benefits of PLM and reassure companies about their investment decisions, while demystifying the processes and stages involved in setting up and maintaining PLM.

"The certification report written by TEC for Lectra Fashion PLM is an excellent decision-making aid and confirms the solution's relevance for meeting the specific needs of companies in the fashion industry," said Daniel Harari, Lectra CEO. "The report provides a key to understanding PLM that will enable fashion companies to explore it without trepidation and to save time and gain confidence in identifying the ideal partner to support them in their project."

According to the TEC Focus Indicator, Lectra Fashion PLM is categorized as dominant for manufacturing process management, product quality and compliance, visual merchandising, design and product developments, and core PLM functionality for fashion/retail industries.
1/5/11