Y
ou don’t have to look hard to find a textile professional who has a horror story to tell
about a software solution gone wrong in a textile company. Planning gone awry, product tracking
off-track, dealing with roll goods, a round peg in a square hole in some programs, non-textile
language for basic textile processes, the never-ending implementation — and the list goes on. Some
of the pitfalls arise from the technology, while others arise from the process — what is needed,
who has the right solutions, and how can they be implemented without putting your company out of
business?

By the same token,

Textile World
has observed many companies that view their systems from a variety of vendors as a major
part of their success — often linking basic manufacturing information seamlessly across a global
supply chain. One past

TW
Innovation Award winner even confided that the company had decided to support its global
operation from its stateside headquarters because of the level of confidence it had achieved with
its systems.

Seven Steps



To understand how any textile company could hedge its bets for a successful
implementation, TW met with John Blasman Sr. and John Blasman Jr., two members of the family team
behind Cambridge, Ontario-based JOMAR SOFTCORP International Inc., for some hints based on JOMAR’s
textile experiences. The team also includes Software Development Manager Mark J. Blasman; and
Marianne K. Blasman and Paul E. Blasman, both heavily involved with project management. JOMAR
provides a broad range of scalable solutions for small companies to global enterprises and has
experience in traditional textile manufacturing, apparel applications, floor covering, polymer
formulation, performance yarn and fabrics, and more, drilling down to the process level for tasks
such as formulation and recipe management.

“JOMAR uses a seven-step process to effect a positive outcome, but realistically,
most of these steps would benefit any company considering enterprise or e-business solutions,” said
JOMAR CEO John C. Blasman Sr. “Initially, the company must assess its priorities. This step is the
jumping-off point and sets the groundwork for looking for and evaluating appropriate solutions,
whether it is enterprise, e-business or traditional manufacturing solutions. It also establishes
where it is with current systems. Will these need to be integrated or replaced?

“Secondly, the company needs to allocate knowledgeable people and build a project
team. Putting the right people on the team is challenging for all involved, particularly when they
have many responsibilities, but the right people can make or break the process.”

The Blasmans stress that making sure the team has the breadth of business and
systems knowledge, regardless of company size, is important. However, making sure the members can
commit the time necessary is also a major factor.

“The third step might not be available with all vendors,“ Blasman Sr. said, “but
this is when we do a conference room pilot.” He went on to explain that the pilot is the process of
matching individual business needs with the software products, and decisions are made regarding
necessary scope and functionality. In the end, a project implementation plan is created.

“Once the pilot is complete, we have a real handle on the expectations of the
project,” said President John A. Blasman Jr. “The fourth step is setting up the project
implementation and focusing on a priority-based execution. With this in mind, we use the JOMAR
hosting facilities to allow the team a broad selection of platforms. This allows the team to use
the solutions they are interested in prior to execution.” This fifth step gives team members
flexibility in verifying the choices made as well as the fit with priority-based execution, he
added.

“The sixth step involves testing and preparing the switch to new systems,” Blasman
Sr. said. “If a client and vendor have worked well together, this is the moment of truth.”<
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“We don’t want to oversimplify the process,” Blasman Jr. added. “Each of these steps
is necessary and takes hard work. But the reality is that the solutions available today and the
experience level that is available with very specific system solutions make this much more
approachable than early solutions for the textile industry. We really have come a great distance
with that.”

Refine And Improve



The final step at the completion of the project, according to the Blasmans, is a
post-audit of the implementation and systems in order to improve and refine the software solutions.
“The relationship of the client and vendor really doesn’t end there,” Blasman Jr. said. “
Manufacturers should make sure they feel comfortable with the relationship. The vendor must stay
abreast of changes in the products and technologies as well as the changing needs of the clients.
The technology is just part of the story. A good solutions provider needs to be willing to
understand the client’s business and the challenges they face to be successful.”

September/October 2007

I
n the last issue, the power of presentations as a marketing tool was discussed.
Presentations come in all types and word counts — from the 30-second elevator speech given when
someone asks what your company does to an hour-long educational seminar at an industry
conference.

Before one can organize a presentation, material must be chosen. The real charge is
choosing what not to use, because there’s always more material than one could ever present in the
time allotted. As discussed last month, a common pitfall is trying to cram too much information
into a single presentation.

“Presentations For Dummies” is one in the “For Dummies” book series, and a great
reference for those who don’t have a lot of presentation experience. It’s also a good refresher for
those who are looking for ways to be more effective speakers. A memorable presentation depends on
two critical areas — choosing the right material and selecting the right pattern of delivery. Here
are a few tips to help you pick the material to make your point:

•      
Use a variety of materials. A variety of materials makes your presentation more
interesting and increases the odds that each member of the audience will find something to
remember. Anecdotes, statistics, quotes and real-life examples all are excellent ways to help your
audience retain your presentation points.

•      
Keep the audience in mind. Analyzing your audience before you stand before them is
the best way to choose your material and a good way to prevent disaster. You don’t want to talk
down to your audience; neither do you want to talk above their heads. Understand what they already
know and what they need to know.

•      
Have some material in reserve. Always have an extra example, statistic or anecdote
at the ready. You want to be prepared should you need another example to explain your point. Extra
material also is handy for the question and answer session afterwards.

Now that you have your material, it’s time to organize it into a presentation that
follows a pattern. Studies show that messages are better understood and interpreted when presented
in a pattern. Here are some common patterns used when crafting presentations:

•      
Chronological: A presentation organized in
a past/present/future pattern is easy to follow. This pattern works well, for
example, when talking about a series of events in the life of a company or new product
development.

•      
Problem/Solution: With this pattern, you simply state a problem and offer a
solution or competing solutions.

•      
Cause/Effect: This pattern works well with scientific presentations. It also is a
great pattern to use when talking about profits or losses and what led to them.

•      
Theory/Practice: This pattern works well when discussing a topic that didn’t quite
work out as planned. What sounds good in theory doesn’t always pan out in practice, and this
pattern is a good one to use when revealing the gap.

•      
Catch Phrase or Cliché: For example: “Actions speak louder than words. While we
talk a lot about creating a corporate culture of empowered employees, our actions say otherwise.”&
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•      
Break Down A Quote: For example, “Advertising Guru David Ogilvy said, ‘If it doesn’p
p p p p p p p p p ; o t sell, it isn’t creative.’ Let’s look at that quote. Does it apply only to
our marketing campaigns or to our product lines, as well?”

•      
Divide A Word: Use a word such as “PROFITS” and break it down with each letter
representing

a point in your presentation. For example, “Today we’re talking about PROFIT. P
stands for Product. The first factor in realizing our Profit potential is our Product.”

•      
Physical Location: This pattern works well when talking about happenings in
various locations, such as multiple manufacturing facilities, varying geographic sales markets or
different target markets for your product lines.

•      
Topical: This pattern organizes information on a single topic into a logical,
common-sense arrangement. This pattern works well for sales training or any other single-topic
presentation.

September/October 2007