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January, 2011
Jatin Paul, Director, WFX gets interviewed by Apparel Views
Cloud Computing - The Emerging Trend In Fashion Technology
With constantly changing business environments and
faster changing consumer demands, it becomes necessary
for a business to quickly update and upgrade its production
processes to stay competitive in the industry. Especially,
when it comes to fashion, where change is constant, there
is growing need for good information tools to remain
ahead of the competition. while implementation of ERP
software is not a new initiative, very few fashion
manufacturers and traders have been able to successfully
take advantage of the business cost savings that it can
unlock. One of the big hurdles in adoption is that ERP
systems have typically been expensive and difficult to
implement. WFX, one of the leading solution providers
for the fashion and apparel industries, has been working
on a technology to overcome these barriers and enable even
the small and mid sized business to successfully adopt
technology. WFX recently launched WFXcloud.com, which
is the world’s first Enterprise Resource Planning software
(ERP) exclusively for fashion, on Cloud Computing. To
know more, the Apparel Views’ editorial team met Jatin
Paul from WFX and spoke to him about this software and
its benefits. Here are some extracts
- Could you please tell us more about WFX?
WFX was founded in February 2000 and since inception has been providing webbased
collaborative enterprise solutions for the fashion, apparel and related
industries. WFX solutions are used by over 9,000 users in 12 countries to design,
develop, and deliver more than $3 billion worth of products for the world’s leading
manufacturers, brands and retailers. One year ago, we launched the WFXcloud.com
ERP software with a handful of customers. Now, we want to build a campaign to
create an awareness of what we have been doing with this technology and how
customers can benefit from it.
- What is the WFX Cloud?
The WFX Cloud is the world’s first service to provide Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) software exclusively for the fashion industry, on Cloud Computing. This
software manages the entire fashion product lifecycle, from order management to
billing, and from production planning to inventory control. WFX plans customers’
resources efficiently, within budget and across all offices and locations. We believe
that software should be easy. Users shouldn’t have to worry about the headaches
of managing an ERP, and with WFX Cloud, they don’t have to!
- What do you mean by Cloud Computing? What are the advantages
of this service?
With WFX Cloud Computing, customers don’t need to buy software or hardware.
There is nothing to setup and there are no installation or maintenance fees. This
service handles everything from A to Z. Users can access the ERP software from
anywhere through the Internet, just like gmail or yahoo mail. Moreover, customers
don’t need to worry about AMC, support, backups, or antivirus. It’s an all-inclusive
plug and play service. Besides, the most important key feature is that it has inbuilt
tools specific for fashion and apparel.
- In terms of investment, how is this software different from
others in the market?
In the past, most companies have been hesitant to invest in such systems primarily
because of the high investment in terms of cost and effort. That has been the main
problem with traditional ERP systems. A customer would first need to buy a
server and the server side software like database licenses, server operating
systems (Windows 2000 etc.) After this they had to buy the actual ERP software
from the software company, pay for server maintenance, backup, support, antivirus and incur other costs for running and hosting the system. Finally, also pay an
annual maintenance fee to the ERP software provider. A lot of hidden costs are
incurred in running a traditional ERP system, the actual ERP software is just
one part. Now, with Cloud Computing, customers only pay an affordable monthly
subscription fee and everything else is taken care of. There are no set up
charges and customers don’t need to invest in any further hardware or software.
WFX subscription fee includes software, hosting, support, upgrades and
updates. This means our customers are always on the latest version. WFX
regularly updates and upgrades the cloud service and all of these features are
accessible to all users at no extra charge.
With this we enable our customers with software tools to manage their
business in an efficient way at a very reasonable price. With this model,
even smaller businesses having only a handful of users can leverage the
benefits of strong information management tools and the latest ERP
software technology.
- What kind of response have you received for this service?
Could you please name some of the companies that are already
on the Cloud?
The response has been extremely encouraging. Some of our recent customer
implementations are Modelama Exports, Simran International, Achievers
Creations, Maestro Engineering, KDC to name a few. The best part of the WFX
Cloud is that companies of all sizes can use it.
- How do you help first time users who don’t have enough
expertise in using such software?
With no servers, installation, or software required, WFX makes implementation
as straight forward and simple as possible. We guide new users through a
step-by-step pre-defined training programme.Trained WFX specialists work
closely with users and departments to ensure that the solution is rolled out
successfully across the organisation. Training takes place at the customer's
premises on-site, and is specific to the needs of each customer. A project
manager is assigned to monitor progress and ensure milestones are met and
in parallel, regular progress meetings with management take place to finetune
the rollout. Finally, continuous support following training helps ensure
that customers make the best use of the solution so as to achieve the quickest
return on investment.
- What are the other highlights of Cloud based ERP system?
Besides the ability to securely access the ERP on the Cloud from anywhere in the
world, WFX offers very unique features to drive down product costs for our
customers. We have in-built budgeting controls that ensures within budget
procurement and an integrated graphical production-planning module that enhances
factory capacity management. These tools are unique to WFX and are not available
in any other ERP in the market today.
- Service is a very critical part to be offered in case of such
software. How does your company take care of the service?
We always try to exceed customer expectations. Providing great service is really
very hard. From maintenance, onsite or remote technical support, online assistance,
to training and consulting, our company puts a priority on receptiveness and
convenience for its software customers worldwide. This is why we offer worldwide
customer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our support technicians are
available to assist users with their day-to-day technical and functional queries.
Besides, we work closely with customers to provide superior support and encourage
their feedback. Customer’s feedback provides us with the most relevant information
on the functionality and features of WFX products. This helps us in coming up with
new products and upgrading our existing products accordingly.
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