Techpacker alternative
Techpacker writes the tech pack.
merchmix runs the season.
PLM, costing, suppliers and merchandise planning on one record, with no per-seat fees. Live in 12 to 15 weeks.
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 outgrow a tech pack tool.
- The tech pack is one document.A style also needs samples, fit, costing and a supplier award.
- More people, more seats.Per-user pricing grows with the team, not with the business.
- Every hand-off is a retype.Approved styles still get keyed into the planning file and the ERP.
merchmix and Techpacker
Techpacker builds tech packs. merchmix runs the product and the plan.
Techpacker is a tech pack tool built for designers and small fashion teams, priced per user. The same team now offers a separate PLM, PLMBR, for scaling brands.
merchmix
forge and core
- Design boards, colourways and lab dips
- Multi-level BOM, frozen at sign-off
- Tech pack exported from the frozen revision
- Sample rounds with supplier, due date and status
- Fit rounds at the smallest, base and largest size
- Costing by colourway, to landed cost
- Supplier quotes compared, award recorded
- Critical path with risk flags
- MFP (WSSI), OTB, allocation and replenishment on the same product
- No per-seat fees
Techpacker
- Tech packs and bills of materials
- Version control and collaboration
- Adobe Illustrator integration
- Priced per user
- Merchandise planning in separate systems
What a full PLM adds beyond tech packs.
A tech pack says what to make. A PLM controls how it gets made, at what cost and by whom.
- Sample rounds tracked against the style, with due dates and owners
- Fit checked against the frozen spec at the smallest, base and largest size
- Costing by colourway, through to landed cost and the target-price gap
- Supplier quotes compared on the same criteria, with the award and the reason
- Revisions frozen at sign-off, with who signed and when
- A critical path that shows a late sample while there is still time to act
Read what PLM covers, stage by stage, in What is PLM in fashion.
Where PLM and planning join up.
In most stacks, PLM stops at an approved style and someone rekeys it into the planning file. In merchmix, the approved style and its colourways become the range option in core, inside the budget set in MFP (WSSI) and open-to-buy.
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 Techpacker.
- Run the free six-week proof of concept on your own styles, no contract.
- Start with next season's new styles. Existing tech packs stay where they are as reference.
- Load styles, materials, suppliers and size ranges.
- Build each new style's tech pack on the record from the first revision.
- Set your sample rounds, suppliers and milestones.
- Connect your ERP and Shopify.
Live in 12 to 15 weeks, end to end.
Questions, answered.
What is the best Techpacker alternative for fashion brands?
For brands that need more than tech packs, 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.
Is Techpacker a PLM?
Techpacker is mainly a tech pack tool. The same team offers PLMBR as a separate PLM for scaling brands.
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, so adding designers, developers or suppliers does not add cost. 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.
Tech packs, samples and the plan, 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