As an expert for modern, high-quality knitwear collections, RABE Moden GmbH of Hilter in Lower Saxony stands for innovative and trend-conscious fashion. The company of long-standing has grown continuously for years and today represents superior quality and practiced sustainability.
Koppermann has supported these developments since the year 2007 in the form of its Product Lifecycle Management solution TEX-DEFINE™. The central management of data of relevance to the collection and the resulting improvement to process efficiency coupled with the avoidance of duplicate entries represent a decisive added value, as articles are developed on the basis of a detailed collection framework plan. In addition to libraries for efficient data maintenance the model system offers the option to use existing models from previous seasons as “product shells” for the future. Taking the previous season and its economic efficiency into consideration in this manner provides decisive support for a structured and targeted collection development.
Equally worthy of special mention is the Koppermann Disposition Tool that is used for pattern duplication in material ordering. The application calculates the exact requirements for material and other ingredients on the basis of the pattern count. The system then automatically generates order lists for each supplier. In this way the Disposition Tool enables the selection of the best supplier on the basis of arithmetical and logistical parameters at any time and with full transparency.
A custom-developed interface to the in-house ERP system in place at RABE Moden is another unusual milestone in this project. A system administrator specially trained by Koppermann on site can make the adjustments necessary for fast and error-free data transfers. The high flexibility of the Koppermann PLM solution was also of major benefit to the company’s strategic development through the acquisition of the companies LUCIA and LeComte. “Our cooperation with Koppermann is an important mainstay in our corporate development”, reports Jörg Weber, managing director at RABE Moden, “because flexible adaptation options enable our customized Koppermann PLM solution to grow with our company and to react to new requirements with pinpoint accuracy”.
RABE Moden has also used the Koppermann TEX-DESIGN™ creative solution since 2010. It enables seamless continuity throughout the entire development process.
In addition, the special TEX-KNIT™ tool offers a wealth of stitch variants and structures for simulating knitted images and surfaces that bring the product visually to life early on in the digital draft mode.
No two companies are the same, and today’s clothing industry in particular is subject to continuous change. It is therefore hardly surprising that clothing specialists such as RABE Moden are continuously optimizing their processes and adapting them to meet market demands.
This is why the current Koppermann project at RABE Moden is clearly oriented towards process optimization. The PLM solution from Koppermann will in future automatically generate a selection of available producers and recommend the best possible pricing model itemized either as complete articles or as passive contract processing articles. This makes it possible to directly ascertain and appoint the right producer on the basis of all arithmetical factors.
Fine-knit process optimization made to measure – innovative with passion.
About RABE MODEN
The family business based in Hilter was established in St. Egidien, Saxony in 1920 by Albert Rabe. The company offers innovative products made specifically to meet the needs of fashion and quality-conscious RABE customers.
In addition to its core competences in knitwear and jersey, RABE is a reliable and well established partner to around 2,700 retailers in the segment for ready-made clothing and coordinates. High wear comfort and outstanding quality have successfully characterized the company in the marketplace for many years. RABE Moden has experienced huge development during the past decades. RABE is meanwhile an institution when it comes to comfortable and fashionable ladies wear, not only in Germany and other German-speaking countries such as Switzerland and Austria. RABE Moden GmbH and its brands RABE, THOMAS RABE, LUCIA and LeComte are active in 25 countries around the world and achieved a total turnover of 104.4 million euro during the 2014/15 business year. 320 employees currently contribute towards the success of the company.