The WhichPLM Comparison Engine

Investing in PLM will be one your largest business and technology investments, so picking the right solution is critical. Even though you know the challenges your business faces and have decided that a PLM solution is the answer, with more suppliers than ever selling everything from out-of-the-box systems to completely bespoke solutions, navigating the market can be difficult to say the least.

This is where the WhichPLM Comparison Engine (the first of its kind specifically designed for the retail, footwear and apparel industry) can help.

The comparison process consists of 75 easily understood questions. Taking your answers at each stage into account, the comparison engine delves deeply into data that we have collected over three decades in the industry to produce unbiased results that allow you to compare and contrast a wide range of PLM solutions on a huge range of discrete criteria, creating a shortlist of solutions that are potentially right for you.

If you have a valuable PLM project where visual merchandising is an afterthought but process planning is paramount, for example, then you are only a matter of clicks away from narrowing down an overwhelming selection with the help of our unique software and proven industry expertise.

At the end of the selection process, you will be directed to our new and improved supplier listings to learn more about the suppliers who have made it onto your shortlist, find out how to contact them and, most importantly, discover whether or not they have been independently verified by our team of experts.

In your results, Verified and Non-Verified stamps separate those suppliers whose marketing claims have been independently verified by us from those who have opted not to submit their solution for verification. While we have made every effort to include as many suppliers as possible in your results, the suppliers themselves must approach us to request an independent benchmark, and it is not a decision they take lightly.

In order for a solution to achieve WhichPLM verification, it must undergo a rigorous evaluation of every aspect of its functionality. Where a solution in your shortlist is accompanied by a Verified stamp, you can be certain that the supplier's claims are substantiated by the actual solution and that it is likely to meet your requirements.

As powerful as it is, the comparison engine is not designed to replace the in-depth process analysis and implementation support that an independent consultancy can offer, and should be considered as the first step in paring down your choice of solution.

As the Product Development Partnership, we have conducted more than 150 successful PLM implementations the world over and would be happy to provide expert analysis and assistance perfectly attuned to your unique business needs.

Until that time, though, why not find out which of the available PLM solutions are likely to work for you? We hope that the process is quick and intuitive, but we are always keen to hear from you if you have any suggestions about how we can improve our service.

Who The Comparison Engine Is For

While it was created with the cooperation and assistance of many PLM vendors, the Comparison Engine exists for the express purpose of helping end-users of PLM - retailers, brands and manufacturers – create a shortlist of the solutions that may be suitable for them.

Only those end-users will be able to register for access to the Comparison Engine. This is done so that we can provide a service that is focused on the needs of the customers it was intended for.

We are more than happy to arrange in-person demonstrations of the software and processes that make up the Comparison Engine to suppliers, but we believe it is in the best interests of our users (and their prospective customers) that access is restricted to those end-users only.

The Registration Process

It is our aim to provide a personal service and individual points of contact for each of our users. When you register you will be asked to provide your company details, at which point a member of the WhichPLM team will verify your details and provide you with your personalised login information.

This dedication to providing the best level of service means that registration is available during the hours of 09:00 to 17:00 (GMT), Mondays to Fridays.

If you have any questions outside that time, please feel free to contact us at info@whichplm.com, and a member of our team will respond to your query as quickly as possible.

Our Ethics

Users can be confident that we have no conflicts of interest when it comes to recommending a solution - we sit on no boards, we have no input into the design or development of suppliers' solutions, we hold no shares, we do not solicit or take commission and are invested only in the progression of the industry as a whole. The presence of advertising on the WhichPLM website in no way implies that WhichPLM endorses any particular solution besides those which an impartial analysis suggests may be right for the user.