Thought is an environmentally conscious clothing brand that was founded in 1995 with the goal of making lovely, earth-friendly clothing out of natural materials including organic cotton, bamboo, and hemp. It’s easy-wear items have classic shapes and an incredibly soft feel, and they were designed to make wearing sustainably (and living sustainably) enjoyable.
Sci-Net, was selected after a competitive tender, is to thank for playing it’s part in Thought Clothing’s rapid expansion, which has seen the company’s employment more than double.
The eco-friendly firm experienced an uptick in business during the “extraordinary circumstances” of 2020 and took action to support its expansion plans by moving its e-commerce platform and establishing a new ERP system with partner of choice, Sci-Net.
Thought Clothing’s Business Development and Systems Manager, Kamal Daniels, explains: “We traded extremely well during the two-year pandemic. Wildlife was thriving, there was less pollution, and there was a strong sense of regeneration, which, in my opinion, drove sustainability and the shift to a conscious attitude to the forefront of consumer thinking and spending.
“Even though we don’t have physical storefronts, we do have concessions, and both the retail and wholesale sides of the business have seen development. Our outdated IT system was cumbersome and reliant on manual integrations with numerous partners. It was starting to get in the way, so we made the wise choice to switch to a platform that could accommodate a large amount of expansion, with Sci-Net helping us put the changes into action.
Sci-Net, a Tier-1 Microsoft Gold Partner supported Thought Clothing with the introduction of Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Business Central with its ERP>Fashion system.
It was the best fit for us from a cost standpoint, but it was also the best choice because of its rich functionality and the fact that it is a well-known platform, continues Kamal. It makes it possible for us to successfully handle all of our finances, logistics, and supply chain. It serves as our “Bible” and provides us with insight into the state of the company at any given time, from our stock position to our commitment to upcoming product lines. We are now technology agnostic because it integrates with various platforms that are available.”
“I’ve been doing this for about 25 years, and while every implementation is a little rocky, I believe Sci-Net did an excellent job with it. For us, it has been very beneficial”
Because of COVID and to reduce the project’s carbon footprint, planning and execution were actually carried out remotely. Instead of in-person meetings, MS Teams calls and other electronic tools were used to advance progress. Such an approach aligned with Thought’s environmental ethos.
Tim Adams, the Sales and Technical Director at Sci-Net, who oversaw the transition, continues, “It’s wonderful that Thought Clothing has experienced significant improvements in productivity and efficiency thanks to the solution we implemented. We believe this provides the crucial launchpad for their company’s growth because it provides on-demand reporting that can guide decision-making.
“They explained to us that, prior to implementing the ERP>Fashion system, the way they handled their internal management of employees, invoices, suppliers, and payments had unintentionally resulted in the creation of a cottage industry. They can now automate a lot of chores and streamline processes thanks to the system they have in place, which includes a website built on the ecommerce solution from ERP>Fashion with Shopify connection, future-proofing their entire company.
Kamal says: “We are a fairly small retailer, and after implementing ERP>Fashion, we discovered that other parts of the company were incredibly inefficient. We were able to identify, isolate, and target those regions with the aid of our new system. Any strategy or forward planning must be founded on your current knowledge, and the calibre of your current knowledge is crucial. We now have perfect clarity and a clear architecture where there were once questions.”
“We can now easily manage KPIs that track our progress and sales growth, giving us the freedom to respond rapidly to market demands. Data at our command is essential and has undoubtedly helped the business develop.
“Sci-Net gave us invaluable support with their in-depth knowledge of the system. The team does a great job of keeping us on track by introducing fresh ideas or improvements and explaining how they might help us. When it comes to support, we also value the human touch a lot. Since we get along well and we are all pulling in the same direction is the reason why I believe the partnership has been so successful.”
The Dynamics 365 Business Central platform, the industry-leading platform from Microsoft, is the foundation of Sci-Net’s ERP>Fashion (enterprise resource planning) solution, which has been specifically designed for the fashion industry. It provides a unified solution for fashion shops and businesses like Thought Clothing.
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