First Tactical Adopts Centric PLM to Streamline Product Development

Functional gear brand transforms operational efficiency with Centric PLM integration.

First Tactical has partnered with Centric PLM to modernize product development, enhance collaboration, and strengthen its ability to deliver high-performance gear for frontline professionals.

Centric Software® has announced that First Tactical, a top-tier brand known for functional apparel and mission-ready gear for first responders, has chosen Centric PLM™ to overhaul and streamline its product development operations as demand for its specialized gear continues to grow. Centric Software delivers advanced enterprise solutions that support the complete lifecycle of fashion, luxury, outdoor, footwear, home, beauty, and multi-category retail products—from planning and design to sourcing, compliance, marketing, selling, and replenishment—to help businesses achieve both strategic and digital transformation goals.

Based in Modesto, California, First Tactical has spent the past decade focused on one mission: creating high-performance, purpose-built gear that strengthens the capability and confidence of frontline personnel. Its apparel and equipment, designed for law enforcement, fire rescue, and EMS professionals, undergo intensive field and fabric testing to ensure durability and mobility. The brand retails through its e-commerce platform and a network of select dealers across the United States and Europe.

Managing product development at First Tactical comes with significant complexity. Specifications must be meticulously controlled, especially since they are frequently integrated into official uniform standards and government procurement contracts. Products undergo testing cycles lasting up to two years, and SKU management demands handling size ranges from 28 to 74, with multiple inseam options—resulting in detailed and extensive BOM structures. Relying on spreadsheets and email created bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and challenges around visibility, accuracy, and version control.

“We are a small product development team of three and there’s a lot of work that goes into changing labels and tech packs that are stored in spreadsheets dating back to 2014,” explains Merrick Vernon, Director of Technical Design at First Tactical. “We just don’t have the bandwidth for that.”

Recognizing the need for a unified, reliable system, Vernon led the initiative to find a single platform that could optimize workflows, ensure data accuracy, improve transparency, and promote collaboration across teams and vendor partners. “We were looking for one source of information for product data and reporting and wanted to implement a PLM before expanding the team. Centric PLM is that,” he states.

First Tactical selected Centric PLM for its strong out-of-the-box functionality, workflow compatibility, calendar tools, and scalability. During the first phase, the product development and technical design teams will adopt the system, aiming to significantly reduce turnaround times and improve productivity through centralized data, automated processes, and improved project tracking.

“I spend 10 to 15 percent of my day checking in on projects. It will be a gamechanger to have a workload tracker to quickly generate updates for our President,” says Vernon. “I think the biggest benefit will be having the most up-to-date and correct tech packs for our vendors. Right now that’s our chokehold.”

First Tactical further plans to onboard their key vendors using Centric PLM’s vendor portal, enabling seamless uploading of measurements, monitoring of samples, and direct submission of cost details. “Enabling vendors to upload costing information directly into PLM and having that information in one location, rather than searching for it in spreadsheets are key,” Vernon adds.

The system is also expected to simplify First Tactical’s extensive product testing needs. “Regulations for testing requirements change annually, so we need to change care and warning labels each year. The stability and security of using PLM for that will be an enormous benefit,” says Vernon.

The team is particularly enthusiastic about Centric PLM’s calendar management capabilities. “We have a lot of hands in shared drives and that causes issues with version control and tracking. Having one source of truth, visibility and the project tracking feature is exciting,” Vernon concludes.

Fabrice Canonge, CEO of Centric Software, added, “We are proud to welcome First Tactical to the Centric Software family. We look forward to Centric PLM empowering them to streamline product development and create innovative, safe gear for critical first responders.”