Löffler GmbH from Ried im Innkreis has stood for sustainable sports and functional clothing at the highest level for over five decades. What makes the Austrian company so special is that production largely takes place at the company headquarters in Ried – from fabric development in the in-house knitting mill, to cutting, to the development and production of the extensive collections for women, men and children. This high level of vertical integration is not only a promise of quality to loyal customers and enthusiastic fans, but also an expression of a consistently sustainable and responsible business model.
Löffler therefore also relies on the highest standards when it comes to digitalisation in order to guarantee this established quality standard for the future too.
Farewell to Assyst PLM.GoLive
For over 15 years, the Assyst PLM.GoLive solution was a central component of product development at Löffler. However, when Assyst announced the end of support, it was clear that a new solution was needed. A standard off-the-shelf solution was out of the question for the team – the existing processes had grown too individually and profoundly, and the demands on quality and data consistency were too high.
At the same time, the system change provided the opportunity to critically scrutinise existing application patterns and workflows, streamline them and set them up efficiently and effectively for the future.
Koppermann TEX-DEFINE™ – Experience meets innovation
With the PLM solution from Koppermann, Löffler not only found a new application environment, but also a partner that combined a deep technical understanding with practical experience of the existing Assyst environment. Koppermann was able to fully capture all existing data and processes, seamlessly transfer them and further develop them based on Löffler’s individual challenges. This was crucial, because it was clear to Löffler that all functions that had been actively used up to that point had to be retained in the future.
“The biggest challenge was to penetrate the entire depth of the highly customised PLM.GoLive database, which had grown over many years, and to prepare it for the required migration. We succeeded in analysing the complex structures down to the last detail and mapping them precisely 1:1 in TEX-DEFINE™,” explains Patrick Panhofer – PLM Project Manager, Koppermann.
In addition to the introduction of Koppermann TEX-DEFINE™, comprehensive Assyst CAD integration and the use of TEX-DEFINE™ REMOTE NOTIFICATIONS were also utilised.
Both applications are customised interface concepts that are unique on the market to date and enable standardised and bidirectional integration of Assyst CAD and all common ERP solutions.
A complex project with a clear structure
The previously used Assyst PLM.GoLive database had been extensively customised over the course of its existence and had therefore become increasingly confusing in daily use. In close cooperation with Löffler, Koppermann initially analysed every detail in preparation for the project in order to transfer all customisations precisely to the new PLM system and improve them in parallel.
A key milestone in the project was the restoration of release capability! While PLM.GoLive had not been updateable for a long time, Koppermann was able to completely take over the existing customisations and at the same time ensure unlimited release capability in the future. This not only eliminated the existing problems – it also meant that long-standing desired functions could finally be realised and new processes implemented that were previously no longer technologically possible.
Another special highlight was the introduction of a virtual developer workstation at Löffler. This allowed Koppermann’s project team to work, test and configure directly in the live environment. This approach led to considerable time savings in the project, the quality of the realisation was significantly increased and the implementation process was noticeably accelerated.
Regular, documented status meetings with all relevant stakeholders also ensured short decision-making paths, clear communication and a high degree of transparency.
A smooth transition and plenty of room for new things
The changeover from Assyst PLM.GoLive to Koppermann TEX-DEFINE™ was faster and more efficient than expected at the beginning and immediately brought noticeable improvements in everyday working life. The previously manual calculation of the material composition was completely automated and the maintenance specifications were also made much more transparent as part of the project. In addition, complex and diverse calculation processes in particular can now be mapped and processed much more clearly.
‘Despite major challenges, the changeover went better than expected,’ reports Elisabeth Heuberger – Project Manager PLM, Löffler.
“The completely redesigned areas in particular, such as the automated material calculations, were immediately very well received by the employees. The challenge was not so much the introduction of a new system, but rather the replacement of a proven and accepted application.”
It was precisely this replacement of an established system that required particular care, patience and flexibility. The integration of the deeply rooted Löffler-specific production logic and the parallel use of the old and new systems – due to long product cycles and customer-specific development processes – also proved to be challenging.
Flexible growth, digital scaling
With TEX-DEFINE™, Löffler now has a platform that masters the balancing act between standardisation and individualisation with ease. Thanks to the restored release capability, the system can be continuously updated and expanded – a decisive advantage in a dynamic and highly specialised market.