Polygon Software, a leading developer of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions for apparel businesses, today announced the release of PolyPM version 4.6. PolyPM's new release features vendor Quality Assurance, which provides a comprehensive environment for collecting vendor performance data and for integration of raw material testing and results tracking into the entire product lifecycle. The collected information can be used for evaluating vendor performance, accepting or rejecting materials, issue tracking, and supplier audits. The new release of PolyPM also features enhancements that improve the user experience and overall function of the product.

Quality assurance is a critical business process for apparel businesses as they source raw materials from vendors and suppliers from all over the world. By integrating quality assurance into PolyPM's PLM and ERP solution, product development teams and manufacturers can replace point solutions and spreadsheet or paper based systems, thereby achieving complete automation. Using PolyPM's quality assurance, product development departments and manufacturers are able to achieve real-time visibility of vendor performance through:

User-defined testing procedures Develop any number of inter-related testing procedures specifying methodology and acceptable range of results.

Inspection management Selectively inspect incoming raw materials with approval rejection standards and user-defined rating systems.

fabric dyelot approval with integration to receiving Independently check/test dyelot submits with approve/reject rating and receiving contingent on approved dyelots.

Cost recovery and chargeback Track rejected materials and issue returns and chargebacks.

Vendor audits Evaluate vendor performance and develop overall vendor ratings.
Nonconformance management
Identify and track raw material nonconformance and produce analytic reports showing history and trends.

PolyPM version 4.6 incudes more than one hundred new features. Some of the more notable features are: user-defined colors for all tables, forms, and statuses and user-defined color themes; a number of style costing calculation enhancements; calculation of material overage requirements based on customer; a number of scan and pack enhancements; new tables that show bundle level or cut order progress based on time & action calendars, and a variety of new features for barcoding work-in-process and raw materials. Polygon Software maintains an aggressive schedule of three or more major releases annually.

Web-enabled, using Microsoft SQL database engine, PolyPM integrates all aspects of the design through production process: product development, costing, sourcing, manufacturing, inventory, sales, distribution and now production planning. By integrating business processes and people anywhere in the world, businesses use PolyPM to realize more efficient workflow, improved productivity and cost reductions. PolyPM creates an environment that lets management get decision making information when and how it needs it, to ensure faster time-to-market and exploit new business opportunities. Plus, PolyPM is flexible enough to change with business conditions, so management won't need a cadre of programmers to customize and restructure the system as business conditions change.

About Polygon Software

Polygon Software has a long and prestigious history of developing advanced software applications for the apparel industry. Starting in the 1970's, the founders of Polygon developed the first CAD/cAM system for apparel manufacturers, the AM-1. Today this system is the world's leading apparel CAD/cAM system marketed by Gerber Technology. In the 1980's Polygon introduced PolyNest, the first open apparel CAD/cAM software running under Microsoft Windows. PolyNest revolutionized the way apparel CAD was distributed by enabling end-users to acquire their software and hardware from multiple sources. Polygon's latest product, PolyPM, is the first product to integrate PLM and ERP into a single solution, automating the transition from design to manufacturing. PolyPM transforms the way small to mid-sized brands, distributors and manufacturers operate, by providing information technology that previously was only available to the
big-guys, in a system that lets users independently customize their installation to reflect their business practices. For more information, please visit www.polypm.com.

Learn more about quality testing and quality assurance.