Dreamsport Ltd.
Transformational systems deliver significant cost savings and support business expansion.
Industry
Sportswear Challenges
» Limited system capability
» Lack of real-time data
» Multiple inventory management processes
» Fragmented ordering processes
» Disparate and siloed reporting
Nottingham-based Dreamsport designs and manufactures unrivalled customised sports kit for international professional, and amateur clubs, universities, and schools, working across numerous sports, organisations and age groups. Since launching in 2009, the business has rapidly expanded and now has four sub-brands, including European distribution teamwear rights for the American brand, Under Armour. Pioneering new sustainable products to reduce environmental impact, their PlayerLayer brand markets EcoLayers, made from recycled water bottles, their products are supplied in biodegradable packaging, and they have produced the world’s first football kit made from bamboo.
The Situation
In 2019, after 10 years of growth, Dreamsport sought a coherent way of working to support its sophisticated levels of personalisation right down to individual items – and to enhance its white label business, which both sources and distributes internationally. Dealing in bespoke products offering players and coaches an active role in developing their kit and the use of eco-innovation materials, the business has highly unusual supply chains and needs to plan and forecast 18-24 months ahead. The company needed a new business-wide platform which could be tailored to their specific needs, which would also support their expansion plans, both organic and through acquisition.
materials
The Solution
Collaborating with the team at Dreamsport, we overhauled and unified their key business processes, including strengthening their product customisation processes with specialised planning software capable of delivering sophisticated levels of personalisation of items right down to individual items.
Automated product sourcing and release provides greater efficiency, visibility and data integrity, customer communication is enhanced with a multi-stage approval process, warehouse management systems now have real-time tracking of deliveries improving customer service and focused business intelligence delivers a comprehensive, integrated view of all business data for better business decisions.
“Aptean sold this as a partnership, and they have certainly delivered on that. They have been great to work with and there is still loads of untapped potential.”
Why Aptean Apparel ERP?
Aptean’s long-established expertise in the clothing industry was a key factor in Dreamsport’s selection, as was the focus on strong relationships and values shared by both companies. They wanted to work with a business with whom they could forge a strategic partnership through both innovation and technology.
Aptean’s systems were fully in place in early 2020, and despite the disruption of Covid-19 they have helped Dreamsport to secure more than fifty new customers and thirty-seven contract renewals for customised sports kit. Within just a few months of going live, 50% of all orders were placed through the Wholesale Web Portal, delivering significant cost savings.
“We are dealing in bespoke products, so we must plan and forecast demand 18-24 months ahead. The
we use for our eco-innovation also mean that we have highly unusual supply chains. We are growing fast, organically and through acquisition, so having confidence in the functionality and scalability of our systems is vital.”
Simon Beatham, Operations Director
“It has been a transformative experience which quickly bore fruit. It has provided us with a solid platform and the benefits are huge.”
One Version of the Truth
By joining up different brand processes all information now feeds into a central hub for one version of the truth. Standardising procedures has delivered a uniform way of working that is clear for all employees, ensuring their time is spent doing tasks rather than trying to work out how they do it.
Empowering customers The Aptean Wholesale Web Ordering module provides a portal for both Dreamsport’s customers and sales representatives to enter sales orders online. Providing an Ecommerce look and feel, the user is intuitively guided through the order entry process with real-time access to the latest product and promotional information. Ranges of products can be tailored for individuals or groups of customers, as well as the configurable nature of the product catalogue to display, limit or hide stock availability levels. The Wholesale Web portal strengthens customer relationships by empowering customers and users to place and track orders anytime and anywhere at the touch of their fingertips!
Key Benefits
» Ecommerce integration has significantly enhanced customer service and stock control
» Combined individual brand processes with all information feeding into a central hub for one version of the truth
» Specialised planning software has vastly improved the product customisation process
» Empowers customers with access to the Wholesale Web Portal and integrated Ecommerce
» Automated product sourcing and release for greater efficiency, visibility and data integrity
» Enhanced customer communication with a multi-stage approval process
» Improved warehouse management, with real-time tracking of deliveries
» Focused business intelligence enabling better business decisions
