The Third Strike – Siemens Retail PLM

In February 2022, Siemens announced a Retail PLM solution based on the?Mendix Platform. It is the third time Siemens has tried to launch the retail PLM solution.

It is excellent news for the retail industry as they will have an additional PLM platform choice that is dominated by Centric Software and PTC’s FlexPLM in Tier 1 Vendor category.

What caught my attention is that Siemens co-developed the retail solution in collaboration with CLEVR, the same model they leveraged on their first try. The first one was co-developed with India-based System Integrator on the Teamcenter platform, and the US-based home improvement chain did not receive that well. The advantage Siemens has for the current solution is built on a low-code cloud-native solution offering a SaaS subscription model. It will be fascinating to see the new architecture of the retail solution and see if Siemens leveraged the retail PLM data model they had built on Teamcenter. I believe the current solution leverages the old retail PLM data model for the backend and uses Medix for the user experience. It is possible to build and roll out new functions and features very quickly by combining a robust retail PLM data model with a low code platform for UX like Mendix.

Siemens had acquired Mendix Platform, a low-code platform?that Siemens acquired in 2018. To catch up with leading retail PLM solutions, Siemens and CLEVR will have to invest significantly in product features and functions. One of the key elements will be integration with 3D design tools, i.e., CLO, Browzwear, Optitex, etc., along with other systems, i.e., Merchandizing and ERP systems. The current release has integration with Browzwear. However, integration to CLO and Optitex will also be critical, along with integration to Solidworks. The good news is that two European Footwear companies have implemented the retail solution.

However, it will be interesting to see how fast Siemens can penetrate the market with just CLEVR as their partner to support the development and implementation.

I foresee that PLM vendors in the retail industry will continue to evolve, and mergers and acquisitions will continue when analysts forecast a recession in the near term.

Last year, Lectra acquired Gerber, one of the oldest PDM vendors for retail, and had pioneered it. Also, we have a new PLM retail player in the market, i.e.,?BackbonePLM, which is a pure cloud-based SAAS solution.

For now, It is game on for Siemens supported by CLEVR

#mendix #siemens #siemensplm #rfa #backboneplm