Recorded at PI Apparel Europe 2023, in this session, we hear from Lindsay Doling, the Digital Product Creation Manager at Marks & Spencer, who shares M&S’ digitalisation journey.
After a year of discovery, testing and learning, hear how M&S has built the necessary elements needed to move forward, placing 3D at the heart of the product development process.
The session covers:
Personal Journey and Digital Transformation: Lindsay shares her personal journey, starting as a product technician and moving into digital product creation. She emphasizes the significance of her new role in improving product quality, streamlining processes, and strengthening relationships through better communication and collaboration.
Adoption of 3D Technology in Product Development: She discusses the accelerated adoption of 3D technology over the past year, particularly in the apparel industry, highlighting how this technology has enabled better visualization and decision-making in the early stages of product development.
Challenges and Evolution of 3D Integration: The presentation touches upon the initial challenges faced in integrating 3D technology, such as manual processes, scalability issues, and the need for better quality and standards. She discusses the evolution of their approach to 3D, focusing on quality, scalability, and fast, relevant applications.
Building a Multidisciplinary Team for 3D Adoption: The creation of a lab team dedicated to 3D integration was a significant point. This team included experts in design, pattern cutting, and 3D technology, along with change managers and tech specialists, highlighting the importance of a collaborative and agile approach.
Vendor Onboarding and Collaboration: She covers the importance of involving vendors in the digital transformation process. This included training vendors in the new 3D workflows and processes, ensuring they understand and meet the required quality standards.
Future Vision and Priorities: Looking ahead, she outlines key priorities such as embedding a deep team within the business for ongoing research and user feedback, ramping up vendor onboarding for scalability, and focusing on automation to simplify processes.
Change Management and Leadership Buy-In: A significant part of the discussion is devoted to the challenges of change management and securing leadership buy-in. The speaker highlighted the need for clear communication, setting realistic expectations, and demonstrating tangible results to gain support for digital transformation initiatives.
A full transcript of this session can be found here.
