In past product lifecycle management research, we asked manufacturers why they think product launches fail-the reason most often cited was that the product doesn't meet customer needs. While still within the top three, not meeting customer needs has been replaced in this year's spending study by a new top challenge: higher than projected costs.

The more information the sourcing and product development teams can share simultaneously, the more efficiently apparel manufacturers can serve their ever-changing customer needs. One way to make this possible is to establish organic integration through the fusion of sourcing and product lifecycle management within your existing enterprise framework.