Gobi Cashmere selects US' Centric Software for digital transformation

This move is expected to aid Gobi Cashmere's global expansion plans, as Centric Software's enterprise solutions will enable the company to plan, design, develop, source, and sell a variety of products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home decor, consumer electronics, cosmetics, food and beverage, and luxury items, while achieving strategic and operational digital transformation objectives.

This partnership is expected to provide Gobi Cashmere with the tools and resources necessary to achieve its long-term growth goals, Centric Software said in a press release.

Founded in 1981 with a strong focus on growing the local economy in a sustainable, authentic, and eco-friendly way, Gobi Cashmere produces high quality, yet affordable cashmere apparel and accessories. The company practices the purest form of sustainability from the raw materials they use, to their manufacturing and supply chain. Gobi is a Mongolian company employing 1500+plus people, with sales in over 30 countries around the world. They sell via physical stores and their direct-to-customer (DTC) e-commerce site which ships to places like the US, Australia, France, and Germany.

Chief growth officer at Gobi, Amarsaikhan Baatarsaikhan, said: “We started out first and foremost as a manufacturer; it is still our bread and butter... we can source and manufacture the highest quality cashmere in the world. Over the last decade or so we've been transitioning toward adding retailing. In 2019, we launched our global operations and global expansion.

“The changes in our business made us ask ourselves where we would like to be regarding our vision of being a company that changes the perception of cashmere and becoming the number one cashmere company in the world.”

After learning about PLM and then experiencing a demo with Centric, Baatarsaikhan described how the selection team were all on chat and messaged each other, ‘This is exactly what we are looking for!’

“We were aiming for #1, and we felt that Centric was the market leader by a long shot in comparison to the others. The quality of the answers, the responsiveness and the level of engagement that we had with the (Centric) people in the presales process—we felt we could trust and work with this team, not just for the implementation period, but also into the future to create a relationship and lasting bond,” added Baatarsaikhan.

“I believe productivity in our teams will increase with the help of Centric PLM. On top of that, I think that planning will be much more on target in the near future based on being able to know what and how many products have been selling in the European, North American and Asian market. I also expect that data accuracy will be improved,” said Misheel Otgontugs, executive vice president at Gobi Cashmere.

Gobi takes CSR seriously, and is proud of the sustainability and traceability that has been a part of the company since its inception. Everything is taken into consideration: the cashmere gathered from the goats of nomadic flock herders, the high ratio of women employed by the company and sustainability in their fully-owned factories.

Baatarsaikhan also said: “First, we want to make sure that everything within Gobi is sustainable; exactly which herders we source from, that they treat their animals ethically and take action towards grassland preservation and against deforestation. Second, from an environmental perspective, ensuring that our manufacturing processes are sustainable. We have been reducing: energy, water consumption, waste, chemicals in dyes, CO2 emissions. We are looking to continually improve this and Centric will help us do it.”

The data to validate these important aspects is currently being tracked in spreadsheets, which has proven to be challenging. Gobi is looking forward to having all data in one central, digital repository, increasing efficiency and productivity and aligning it with sales and marketing.

“We want to benchmark where we are in terms of comparison to our competitors. So, where are we in terms of our product pricing, promotions and what does our website look like?” added Baatarsaikhan.

Notably, Gobi had selected StyleSage (now Centric Pricing) for its excellent functionality before they realised it had been acquired by Centric Software, the release added.

“We are honoured that Gobi Cashmere, our first customer in Mongolia and an important company to their country, has chosen two of Centric Software’s solutions. Both Centric PLM and Centric Pricing will drive efficiency and insight into Gobi to achieve their goals. As always, I am delighted with the exemplary service our team has demonstrated, instilling the confidence for Gobi to trust us with their business, now and into the future,” said Chris Groves, president and CEO of Centric Software.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)