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Developed in conjunction with customers in the Apparel Footwear Solution (AFS) Consortium, including charter members Reebok International and VF Corp., SAP's AFS was designed to meet distinct requirements of the apparel industry.
"VF and Reebok worked with SAP on detailing the requirements for SAP, and we got Kurt Salmon Associates involved about two years ago to review the requirements and ensure they were industry requirements and not unique company requirements," explains Jeff Singer, apparel/footwear industry manager for SAP.
Can AFS accommodate the multiple dimension requirements of apparel manufacturers? "Are 16 dimensions enough?" Singer asks, touting AFS' sales order and inventory functionality and vendor outsourcing capabilities - all of which operate in a real-time environment.
Officially launched in February, a number of companies have been testing beta versions of AFS for months. This month, Reebok will be the first to throw the switch and "go live." VF will follow suit by the end of the year, replacing 14 different systems in the United States alone with the single ERP system.
"SAP will be the backbone for running our enterprise," says Leroy Allen, vice president of re-engineering for VF Corp. "This will include our jeanswear, intimate apparel, knitwear, playwear and work clothing coalitions. We believe that...