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(Ravi Rangan) Centric Software’s AI-Powered PLM Transformation

Craig and Ravi discuss how Centric Software’s AI-powered PLM platform is reshaping fashion, consumer goods, and emerging sectors by combining end-to-end product lifecycle solutions with predictive analytics and generative AI, enabling brands to streamline design, sourcing, and in-season optimization with unprecedented speed and precision.

Episode 304 of the The Retail Insider Podcast Network podcast, hosted by Ravi Rangan, Centric Software, Craig Patterson, titled "(Ravi Rangan) Centric Software’s AI-Powered PLM Transformation" was published on July 9, 2025 and runs 27 minutes.

July 9, 2025 ·27m · The Retail Insider Podcast Network

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Summary

Craig and Ravi discuss how Centric Software’s AI-powered PLM platform is reshaping fashion, consumer goods, and emerging sectors by combining end-to-end product lifecycle solutions with predictive analytics and generative AI, enabling brands to streamline design, sourcing, and in-season optimization with unprecedented speed and precision.

Episode Description

Craig Patterson and Ravi Rangan, Chief Technology Officer at Centric Software, discuss how the company’s end-to-end product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions are revolutionizing fast-moving consumer goods, fashion, and adjacent industries. Rangan details how Centric evolved from its roots in apparel PLM to now supporting footwear, consumer electronics, and even formulated products like food and cosmetics. By unifying planning, development, sourcing, and in-season optimization, Centric enables brands to streamline processes, improve cohesion, and close feedback loops that have traditionally been siloed.

 

The conversation explores Centric Software’s innovative use of artificial intelligence, from early expert systems managing complex material compatibilities to predictive analytics forecasting assortment demands and the latest generative AI applications. Rangan shares how Centric’s generative AI tools assist designers with rapid ideation and virtual sampling, dramatically reducing time-to-market by integrating creative inspiration with companies’ own qualified materials and business rules. Grounding AI outputs in enterprise data ensures that suggestions are practical, compliant, and tailored to each customer’s established processes.

 

Patterson and Rangan highlight shifting industry attitudes toward AI, especially among Canadian retailers, and discuss the critical role of keeping humans in the loop for validation as adoption grows. Looking ahead, Ravi reveals Centric’s excitement about expanding into new categories like consumer electronics and harnessing AI-driven insights to empower retailers with comprehensive, real-time product intelligence. Together, they emphasize the transformative potential of connected PLM solutions to improve agility, design accuracy, and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.

 

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This podcast is the audio version of the The Interview Series video podcasts by Retail Insider Canada are available through our Retail Insider YouTube Channel where you can subscribe and be notified when new video episodes are available.

 

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Follow Craig:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/CraigPattersonToronto
Instagram: @craig_patterson_toronto
Twitter: @RI_EIC

 

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Twitter: @RetailInsider_
Instagram: @Retail_Insider_Canada

 

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Background Music Credit: Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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