over&back Brings Fresh Concepts to Kitchens With Aptean PLM
Industry
Home Goods Challenges
» Spreadsheet-based recordkeeping
» No shared communication platform
» Lack of visibility into the development process
Benefits
» An organized, unified database accessible by all
» Better collaboration via an organization-wide system
» A complete view of all products searchable by SKU
If you’ve browsed the kitchen and dining section of a big box retailer like Walmart, Costco or Target in the past decade, you’ve likely seen some of over&back’s high-quality dishware, glassware, flatware, linens and accessories. And if you’ve been to a dinner party in that time frame, you may well have enjoyed your drinks and meal using the brand’s products.
As a manufacturer and distributor of home goods serving large mass-market outlets, over&back has a sizeable presence and long track record of success over nearly four decades in business. The brand’s operations span the globe, with facilities and teams in the U.S., Hong Kong, Portugal, India and China.
Growth and expansion into new categories are natural next steps for an organization that’s established itself like over&back has, and leadership moved forward with the initiative in 2024. This prompted a review of the company’s technology, as key decision-makers knew the right tools would have to be in place to effectively manage the considerable influx of new items, employees and workflows.
The company decided to implement Aptean Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) after considering the options and deciding our solution was the best fit. It didn’t hurt that over&back’s main operating system has been Aptean Distribution ERP Apprise Edition for almost 20 years, and it’s helped over&back get to this point.
We spoke with Randi Levitan-Tremano, director, and Jeena Deeb, item management and product analyst, to understand what pain points over&back aimed to address, how the process went and, ultimately, why expanding the brand’s relationship with Aptean sets the table for success.
Challenges: Too Many Spreadsheets and Emails, Not Enough Organization
Up until recently, many purchasing, sales and new product development (NPD) processes at over&back were run by more manual means. Teams used their own spreadsheets, which didn’t follow a standard format, and there were emails galore rather than a shared universal platform to store and organize data and records.
“We really wanted processes to be more standardized and streamlined,” Levitan-Tremano explained. “And we knew that because we were starting in all these new categories, we’d quickly fall behind if we didn’t get a handle on it all first.”
Quoting was another area for improvement, especially given that the brand needs to source a great variety of additional materials to manufacture a wider product range. Because the merchandising team is in Hong Kong, there’s a considerable time gap between working hours, and that’s caused confusion, frustration and delays in the past.
“What was happening was, quotes that should have taken overnight were taking days because we had to go back and forth and ask all the right questions,” said Levitan-Tremano. “Sometimes we’d get a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, with no elaboration on how the problem could be fixed.”
Lastly, the business needed a better way to manage NPD, a system that would allow the team to approach the process with structure and knowledge of the full context. With so many different kinds, colors and sizes of dishware, glassware and more in over&back’s scope, it’s critical that everyone can see how the product portfolio evolves over time.
“It’s a big thing for us to be able to visualize what the item is and make sure that everyone has visibility to it,” Deeb said. “That way we can manage everything from the first step to the introduction of the item.”
“That was a problem for us in the past—we weren’t able to see the full picture. So we needed something to get the full view of a product from start to finish,” she concluded.
“Aptean PLM has made us a more efficient company. It’s brought all our teams together on one platform. We have a shared space with so much information and data. It’s benefited everyone, all around.”
Jeena Deeb, Item Management and Product Analyst, over&back
Experience: Great Collaborative Effort and Open Communication
The rollout of Aptean PLM at over&back is a testament to the power of teamwork. Deeb led the effort from her company’s side as the resident technology expert, and she collaborated extensively with Aptean implementation experts and solution consultants to ensure the system was configured to suit the business’s needs.
“They really took us through all the different capabilities of PLM, one step at a time,” Deeb said. “There was a lot of brainstorming, and working together with Aptean, I was really able to understand and identify exactly what was needed for the team to be successful and more efficient.”
Given that Aptean PLM was originally developed for fashion and apparel businesses, there were some adjustments necessary for hard goods manufacturing, but the two sides worked through each in weekly onehour meetings. They were also able to make slight modifications that would facilitate the business’s unique structure and workflows.
“We really thought through the process at a higher level, so we could consider all the different possibilities and scenarios that could come up,” explained Deeb. “For example, we thought about filling out forms in the solution and how we could make that more user-friendly for our merchandisers in Hong Kong.”
Open and regular two-way communication is a hallmark of Aptean software deployments, and over&back’s team had dedicated professionals on-call to answer any questions or initiate a larger conversation.
“We definitely went back and forth a lot about a bunch of different things, but they were always there for us along the way,” Deeb said. “Any questions we had, even outside of that one-hour call, Aptean was really helpful in answering.”
Benefits: Scaling the Product Line, Boosting Efficiency and Standardizing Procedures
Since the decision was made to expand the product line in 2024, the number of items over&back offers has approximately tripled. The business’s Aptean PLM solution has been a big part of that, and it’s also helped the brand operate in a more organized and structured fashion.
“Even the layout makes everything a little bit more standard,” Levitan-Tremano said. “And anything that isn’t clear, it’s much easier to clear it up. When a question comes up overnight, the whole team is discussing how to solve it, and everyone who needs to see those conversations has visibility into them.”
Aptean PLM has also made over&back’s employees more productive. There’s less guesswork when everyone has a single source of truth. Processes that once had to be handled manually can now be automated, including tedious re-entry of data, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) can be enforced.
Other PLM functionalities that have been valuable for the business include working with Pantone color numbers and searching for items by stock keeping unit (SKU)—the latter is especially useful for finding products that over&back has made in the past that are due for a comeback. And last but not least, it’s helped staff escape their crowded inboxes.
“There’s no more searching through emails to make sure you have the latest info—you can trust what’s in the system,” Levitan-Tremano said. “I think it’s also helped some of our less organized team members become more organized. And they love it, because now they know where their stuff is, so that’s been a big plus.”
“I would say we’re at least 50% more efficient than we were without system. Having the good SOPs in place has been huge for us. Now we know that everyone’s on the same page. They know what we
Takeaways: Stay Flexible and Approach the Process Holistically
When asked for their words of wisdom for other businesses considering PLM software, both Levitan-Tremano and Deeb encouraged pragmatism. They suggested making a list of the pain points you want to address, then investigating which solutions on the market can help you accomplish those goals. And keep an open mind throughout the project.
“To a certain degree, you need to be at least somewhat flexible. People are used to what they’re used to,” Levitan-Tremano said. “We said, ‘This is what we really need, and this can wait.’ Because we didn’t force a rollout of the entire system, everything A to Z from the very beginning, what we are using is working so much better.”
It’s also important to remember that everyone at your organization will be using the system, so you should think about the many use cases for different roles and how you can make everyone’s job easier and more fulfilling. Implementation is as much about change management as it is upgrading technology.
“Definitely consult all of your teams so you can streamline their processes in a way that works for all of them, no matter how they work,” Deeb said. “They might also need to adapt, maybe change their timelines or method of organization. You can customize the system to best fit your company, but your staff also need to be adaptable with the system.”
“There’s no more searching through emails to make sure you have the latest info—you can trust what’s in the system. I think it’s also helped some of our less organized team members become more organized. And they love it, because now they know where their stuff is, so that’s been a big plus.”
Randi Levitan-Tremano, Director, over&back
Outlook: More Color and Comfort for Homes Around the World
The partnership between over&back and Aptean is deeper now, and the brand is better ready to entertain with more beautiful, well-made pieces that bring a touch of elegance and style to your kitchen and dining room. The business’s new PLM system is helping them maintain that forward momentum.
“Aptean PLM has made us a more efficient company,” said Deeb. “It’s brought all our teams together on one platform. We have a shared space with so much information and data. It’s benefited everyone, all around.”
There’s a reason why these two businesses came to the table together—three, in fact. Great solutions, great people and a great result.
Contact us at info@aptean.com or visit www.aptean.com.
Aptean is a global provider of industry-specific software that helps manufacturers and distributors effectively run and grow their businesses. Aptean’s solutions and services help businesses of all sizes to be Ready for What’s Next, Now®. Aptean is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
To learn more about Aptean and the markets we serve, visit www.aptean.com
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