Centric PLM alternative
Full fashion PLM.
Live in a season.
forge is fashion PLM for mid-market brands: tech packs, samples, costing and suppliers on one record, joined straight to planning. 1/10 the cost of enterprise suites.
FORGE · TECH PACK
Coast rain shell
CR-014 · Coastline SS27 · Outerwear
- Summary
- Construction details
- How to measure
- Colourways
- Size specification
- Bill of materials
- Packaging & labelling
- Sewing instructions
- Technical flats
- Style No.
- CR-014
- Season
- Coastline SS27
- Base size
- M
- Size scale
- XS, S, M, L, XL
- Supplier
- Harbor Tex
- Fit status
- Base size approved
Why brands look beyond Centric.
- Enterprise scope, enterprise cost.A mid-market brand pays for a suite built for global scale before it uses it.
- Modules to join.PLM, planning and pricing, and product experience are separate products, each to buy, implement and connect.
- Time to value.A suite rolls out in phases. merchmix is live in 12 to 15 weeks, end to end.
merchmix and Centric
Separate products, or one record.
Centric Software is a leading fashion and retail PLM, majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes since 2018. Alongside PLM, it sells separate products for planning and pricing, market intelligence, visual boards and product experience.
merchmix
forge, core and core plus
- Design boards, colourways and lab dips
- Multi-level BOM, frozen at sign-off
- Tech pack exported from the frozen revision
- Sample and fit rounds against the frozen spec
- Costing by colourway, to landed cost
- Supplier quotes compared, award recorded
- Product information ready for Shopify
- MFP (WSSI), OTB, range and option plans
- Allocation and replenishment by store and size
- 1/10 the cost of enterprise suites, no per-seat fees
Centric
- PLM for development, cost and collaboration
- Planning and pricing as a separate product
- PIM, DAM and content as a separate product
- Market intelligence and visual boards
- Majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes
- Built for global brands, retailers and manufacturers
Where PLM and planning join up.
In merchmix, PLM and planning are not two products to connect. The approved style and its colourways become the range option in core, inside the budget set in MFP (WSSI) and open-to-buy. From there, core plus allocates it to stores by grade and size, and replenishes it as it sells.
The same record carries the product information to Shopify. Your ERP stays the system of record: run horizon, or connect NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA or Microsoft Dynamics 365.
FORGE · SIZE SPECIFICATION
Coast rain shell
Values in mm · Base size M · Grade rule per point
| Point of measure | Tolerance | XS | S | MBase | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body length | ± 5 mm | 700 | 710 | 720 | 730 | 740 |
| Chest width | ± 5 mm | 540 | 560 | 580 | 600 | 620 |
| Sleeve length | ± 5 mm | 820 | 835 | 850 | 865 | 880 |
| Hem width | ± 5 mm | 520 | 540 | 560 | 580 | 600 |
| Hood opening | ± 3 mm | 300 | 300 | 310 | 310 | 320 |
- XS · Requested
- M · Approved
- XL · Requested
FORGE · BILL OF MATERIALS
Coast rain shell · Moss
SS27 · CR-014 · Base size M · GBP
- Components
- 6
- Suppliers
- 3
- Material cost / garment
- £15.70
| Component / placement | Usage | Rate £ | Cost £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight ripstopShell · Moss · Harbor Tex | 1.80 m | 5.80 | 10.44 |
| Recycled meshBody lining · Slate · Harbor Tex | 1.20 m | 1.40 | 1.68 |
| Water-resistant zipCentre front · Moss · North Trim | 1 pc | 2.10 | 2.10 |
| Pocket zipLeft + right pocket · North Trim | 2 pcs | 0.45 | 0.90 |
| Elastic cordHood + hem · Moss · North Trim | 1.20 m | 0.30 | 0.36 |
| Label setBrand + care · Woven Works | 1 set | 0.22 | 0.22 |
| Total material cost / garment | £15.70 | ||
What changed from revision 02
Front zip updated to a water-resistant finish.
Signed off. This revision is locked.
Maya Chen · 04 Sep 2026, 14:32
Downstream teams use revision 03. Further changes start a new revision.
Moving from Centric.
- Run the free six-week proof of concept on your own styles, no contract.
- Start with next season's new styles. In-flight styles finish where they are.
- Load styles, materials, suppliers and size ranges.
- Build each new style's tech pack on the record from the first revision.
- Connect your ERP and Shopify.
Live in 12 to 15 weeks, end to end.
Questions, answered.
What is the best Centric PLM alternative for mid-market fashion brands?
For mid-market brands that want PLM and merchandise planning without an enterprise suite, merchmix. forge covers design, BOM, tech packs, samples, costing and suppliers, and hands the approved style straight into planning, allocation and replenishment. See how the main platforms compare.
How is merchmix different from Centric?
Centric is an enterprise suite of separate products for PLM, planning and pricing, and product experience. merchmix covers PLM, product information, merchandise planning, allocation and stock in one platform built for mid-market retailers and brands, at 1/10 the cost of enterprise suites, live in 12 to 15 weeks.
Who owns Centric Software?
Dassault Systèmes took a majority stake in Centric Software in 2018.
Does merchmix handle tech packs?
Yes. Each style has a full tech pack in forge: construction details, how to measure, size specification graded across the run, BOM, packaging and labelling, sewing instructions and technical flats. Approved revisions are frozen, and the tech pack exports as a PDF for the supplier.
How does merchmix handle samples and fit?
Sample requests are logged against the style, with round, supplier, due date and status. Fit rounds are recorded against the frozen spec at the smallest, base and largest size, and late samples show up early on the critical path.
What does merchmix cost?
1/10 the cost of enterprise suites, with no per-seat fees. Priced by stores, SKUs and the products you enable, quoted after a one-hour demo with sales and product.
Do we have to replace our ERP?
No. merchmix has its own retail ERP, horizon, and it also connects to yours. Keep NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA or Microsoft Dynamics 365 as the system of record, or run the retail record in horizon.
How long does it take to move?
Live in 12 to 15 weeks, end to end. It starts with a free six-week proof of concept on your own data, no contract.
Your next season, on one record.
A one-hour demo with sales and product, then a free six-week proof of concept on your own styles, no contract.
Updated 26 October 2026