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Press Release
In October, 1,700 people virtually attended Gerber Technology’s annual ideation conference, which marked the beginning of Gerber and Lectra becoming stronger together as one company. Gerber and Lectra announced interoperability between Lectra’s Modaris and Gerber’s AccuMark software as well as the launch of new AccuMark and YuniquePLM v9 releases. Lectra’s Retviews, Kubix and Fashion OnDemand solutions were also introduced to the Gerber audience for the first time during the event.
ideation 2021 was made possible by 25 technology, media and industry association partners who sponsored the event, inducing WhichPLM, 3DLOOK, and Kornit Digital. “This year’s ideation marked the official uniting of two companies with rich histories in innovation,” said Ketty Pillet, Vice President of Marketing, Americas for Lectra. “This is only the beginning of what we’ll be able to accomplish together to help our customers perform better and respond to market challenges faster.”
Each year ideation is the place where the fashion, furniture, technical textiles and sign and graphics industries meet to discuss announcements, innovations, and latest trends and challenges that are shaping the future. This year’s ideation kicked off with introductions from Lectra CEO, Daniel Harari and a keynote address from Deborah Weinswig of Coresight Research.
One of the main highlights of this event were the Fashion and Sign and Graphic industry round tables. These discussions hosted some of the top industry leaders and focused on what is going on in the industry and how we can navigate for the future. Participants in the fashion roundtable included: Colleen Hau from Carhartt, Mike Todaro from Americas Apparel Producers Network, Matthew Wallace from DXM Inc. and Leonard Marano from Lectra.
“Favorite part was the Fashion RoundTable forum,” one participant said. “I took so many notes from those industry leaders and their knowledge! Awesome that they answered questions people were asking in the live time too.”
This year’s conference also marked Gerber’s first-ever Pitch Competition. Six teams developed collections using Gerber and Lectra solutions and pitched their collection to a panel of judges composed of fashion experts, which included Bob D'Loren, Chairman and CEO of Xcel Brands, Jeff Karly Drouillard, Parsons Alum and Recent CFDA FFGS20, Sebrie Springs and Kimberly Carney, FashWire, and Christina Liedtke, Founder, Astouri. The two winners, FRWL by Nicole Lee from the Brooklyn Fashion Incubator and Virago Lorica Segmentata Collection from FABRIC, walked the runway for a live fashion show at the Gerber Innovation Center during a Customer Appreciation event.
Gerber and Lectra also hosted an Executive Forum which gathered 35 executives from various companies, including Steve Lamar from AAFA, Isaac Presburger from Preslow S.A., Goor Moshe from Twine, Michael McDonald from SPESA, Karen Williams from Savitude and Sherri Barry from FABRIC, to discuss what’s currently happening in their industries and how they see the future evolving.
“Two years ago, Gerber’s ideation conference introduced me to their microfactory that they were displaying in their Innovation Center,” said Sherri Barry of FABRIC. “ideation ended up being life changing for me because there were people of likeminds there that were willing to share and collaborate and help me and our fashion incubator come up with a solution for our designers where they could sustainably manufacture using technology. Fast forward two years, the microfactory and OnDemand manufacturing is a reality at FABRIC.”
Registrants are still able to access all the sessions through the ideation platform.
About Gerber Technology, a Lectra Company
For companies that breathe life into our wardrobes, car interiors, furniture and more, Lectra crafts the premium technologies that facilitate the digital transformation of their industry. Lectra’s offer empowers brands, manufacturers and retailers from design to production, providing them with the market respect and peace of mind they deserve.
Founded in 1973, the company reported revenues of 236 million euros in 2020 and is listed on Euronext (LSS).
In June 2021, Lectra acquired Gerber Technology, a USA-based company founded in 1968. Like Lectra, Gerber Technology develops software and automation solutions for fashion, automotive, furniture and other businesses across the globe. By uniting, Lectra and Gerber Technology will become the ultimate Industry 4.0 partner for their customers.
For more information, please visit www.lectra.com.
This press release was issued December 13, 2021. Additional coverage can be found in a December 17 Sourcing Journal article here. Lectra is a SPESA member.
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