Twenty years ago this June, PTC took a bold step that would reshape the retail, footwear, apparel, and consumer products industries: the acquisition of Aptavis and the formal launch of the FlexPLM solution. What began as a visionary investment has since evolved into the most widely used PLM platform in our industry—powering the product development and digital transformation strategies of the world’s most iconic and successful brands.
This milestone 20-year anniversary of FlexPLM comes on the heels of PTC’s 40th anniversary—a powerful reminder of our heritage in innovation, customer success, and technology leadership. It’s also a moment to reflect on what has made FlexPLM such a consistent and trusted partner to the industry for two decades.
From day one: Built with the Best
FlexPLM started with a core realization: that the development of retail, footwear, and apparel (RFA) products was becoming every bit as complex as engineered products like planes, trains, and automobiles—and deserved the same level of precision, control, and visibility. From the beginning, our goal was to create a PLM solution with a dedicated data model and user experience tailored to the unique demands of the fast-moving RFA industry. It needed to be robust, scalable, and intuitive—ensuring that products could be delivered on-time, on-trend, and on-cost.
FlexPLM was born through deep collaboration with some of the most influential names in the industry—Timberland, Nike, and Reebok—who became our very first customers. Two decades later, we’re proud to say they’re still with us, continuing to innovate and grow on our platform. These long-term partnerships speak volumes not only about the strength and flexibility of the FlexPLM solution, but also about the trust, longevity, and continuous value PTC delivers as a strategic partner.
What began with a few hundred users has grown into a global user base of hundreds of thousands of designers, developers, merchandisers, buyers, and supply chain professionals—relying on FlexPLM every day to bring great products to market.
A Purpose-Built PLM for retail and beyond
Our early work with Nike, Timberland, and Reebok revealed an important truth: brands didn’t just need a basic PDM tool to manage tech packs and CAD files—they needed a scalable, secure, multi-channel, multi-geo, multi-category PLM platform that could handle the complexity of developing thousands of styles and SKUs every season, across diverse teams, brands, lines of business and global supply chains.
FlexPLM was purpose-built to meet those demands—and has continued to evolve in lockstep with the industry itself. Over the last 20 years, we’ve moved far beyond traditional PLM to support the entire digital thread of product development: from vendor-inclusive collaboration and ideation to 3D digital product creation, data-driven insights, and sustainability.
FlexPLM has not only kept pace with the retail, footwear, and apparel industries—it has helped define and advance them. And along the way, we’ve welcomed a growing community of leading global brands and retailers to the platform, working closely with them to co-develop best-in-class capabilities that address their most pressing business challenges.
More than a solution—A platform for scale and growth
With deep capabilities in private label management, multi-brand portfolios, and robust supply chain collaboration, FlexPLM has long been a leader in helping businesses scale. And we haven’t stopped there. Today, FlexPLM continues to evolve to meet the challenges of a changing world—supporting ESG and sustainability initiatives, automating compliance, and infusing AI and machine learning to improve user efficiency and deliver smarter, more data-driven decision-making.
Our product team has remained laser-focused on delivering UX enhancements, technical refinements, and functional improvements that ensure FlexPLM remains intuitive, robust, and powerful—supporting everyone from the C-suite to the factory floor.
Backed by the Industry’s Largest PLM practice
What sets PTC apart is more than just our solution. As the global PLM category leader across all industries, including retail, with a $1.3 billion PLM business, we bring unmatched scale, experience, and insight to every FlexPLM customer. Our teams combine technical expertise with industry-specific knowledge to deliver successful implementations and long-term partnerships that drive measurable results.
Looking ahead
As we mark this 20-year milestone, we remain committed to our founding principles: to listen to our customers, solve their biggest challenges, and help them deliver amazing products to the world. Whether you're a global fashion retailer, a sportswear brand, a footwear company, a home improvement retailer, or a consumer products manufacturer, FlexPLM is ready to power your next chapter of innovation.
Thank you to our customers, partners, and employees who have made the last two decades such a remarkable journey. Here's to the next 20 years of innovation, partnership, and success!
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