Aptean Apparel ERP, Exenta Edition Case Study: Gold Medal International

Gold Medal International (GMI) is a leader in the in the U.S. hosiery and accessory industry. The company distributes socks, sheer goods and accessories to the nation’s largest retail department stores, key discount merchandisers, off-price retailers and big-box retailers, as well as many regional discount and specialty stores.

With expert design, sourcing, supply chain management and efficient distribution, GMI offers competitive wholesale pricing, trendy designs and an extensive worldwide supply chain.

The Challenge

To manage the large volume of data created by selling products across 2,400 SKUs to 1,250 customers, GMI was using a highly customized solution developed by a consultant. This prevented the company from adopting new technologies and implementing new functionality that could enhance its business processes further.

To stay on top of the latest trends and seize promising business opportunities, GMI needed supply chain software that enabled agility.

The Solution

GMI formed a committee to gather requirements across the company, interviewing everyone from shippers to upper management. The company initially chose a solution that didn’t support some of GMI’s basic requirements, like managing multiple units of measure on purchase orders, which according to the previous vendor would be too complex and expensive to incorporate.

The company needed a vendor capable of providing specialized functionality and frequent updates so it could easily keep pace with new capabilities. Enter Aptean.

During the demo of Aptean’s purpose-built apparel ERP, Paul Rotstein, GMI’s CEO, asked to run through an end-to-end transaction, from creating an item and selling it, to shipping and sending out an invoice. He also asked for changes to the customer and inventory databases; and then went through the entire transaction again.

“I was blown away by the ability to edit the database. Comparing the original solution to Aptean Apparel ERP was like comparing the process of setting type to editing on a word processor,” Rotstein said.

The industry-specific functionality supported all of GMI’s requirements straight out of the box. “It was clear that the Aptean Apparel ERP solution would allow us to change and alter our business as needed without waiting for new releases,” Rotstein continued.

The Results

With Aptean Apparel ERP, GMI is able to tap into a feature-rich solution, using the industry-tailored features and capabilities to drive efficiency and enable growth.

For example, the company is now able to easily run inquiries, and its employees can easily customize the screen layout as needed, making their tasks quicker and more efficient. Employees can also attach product images to quotes and orders, making it easier to eliminate mistakes between what a customer orders and what ends up in the shipment.

Aptean Apparel ERP, afforded GMI a range of significant benefits:

• Allows the company to enhance the system and edit databases without interrupting business

• Enables rapid expansion and the ability to quickly seize new business opportunities

• Empowers employees to customize screens and queries as needed

• Simplifies process of running inquiries and exporting data

• Provides better access to accurate data for improved decision making

Just six months after going live with Aptean’s apparel ERP GMI entered a new business requiring a huge pick-and-pack operation, something that simply would not have been possible in such a short time frame with its previous system.

Offering slippers in pre-packaged configurations, the company updated its database that allowed a major retailer to mix-and-match sizes, styles and colors in a single order by simply entering a few line items on a purchase order.

According to Rotstein, one reason that apparel companies such as his struggle to pursue new business opportunities like this is because of difficulties configuring databases to accommodate a variety of merchandise and packaging options.

In the nearly two years that GMI has been using the industry-specific Aptean ERP, Rotstein estimates that the company has made nearly 200 database changes enabling them to accelerate future growth. “GMI’s business is exploding. And with Aptean Apparel ERP, it’s no challenge keeping pace with all the changes,” he commented.

Find Your Fit With Aptean Apparel Software

As GMI’s explosive success shows, Aptean’s specialized apparel ERP can serve as the perfect foundation for your digital transformation journey and accelerate your business growth. But the benefits don’t stop there. We offer a full suite of apparel software—from product lifecycle management (PLM) to shop floor control—empowering you to tackle fashion industry challenges head on. And, most importantly, come out on top, with reduced costs, streamlined processes, improved customer satisfaction and increased profitability.

What’s more, many of our systems are offered with cloud deployment to improve security, enhance agility and increase accessibility. And finally, all of this is backed up by our experienced and knowledgeable in-house teams who design, build and support our systems with your industry in mind—offering best practice advice and by-your-side support throughout your journey.

This combination of industry-specific solutions, innovative cloud systems and a long-term partnership approach is what sets Aptean apart.

But don’t just take out word for it—check out other apparel customer success stories or get in touch for a personalized demo to see the software in action and understand how your business can benefit.