Contrast Apparel Business Systems: NetSuite to AIMS 360

This article is relevant if you are seeking a new business solution in the apparel industry.

Contrast NetSuite to AIMS 360 Features

While in discussions with a prospective client, they indicated they are considering a new business solution for their garment distribution company.  One solution they are considering is AIMS 360.  The prospective client, and old friend, is coming to us because they worked with us the past. Prior to becoming a NetSuite Systems Integrator in 2008, our professionals have done work in soft goods industries.   To help our friend quickly think about the two solutions, we summarized the following information.

Let’s remember that NetSuite is classified as general purpose ERP, CRM, eCommerce solution that can adapt to particular industries due to its extensible platform.  Our analysis was conducted quickly by reviewing the features enumerated on the AIMS 360 web site.  A more complete analysis would include in-depth product evaluations to ground our thinking.  Yet, this analysis should be helpful for companies that need a summary.

AIMS 360 is an apparel management solution used by 5,000 companies.  It was designed in the 1980’s by garment executives in Los Angeles.

Each bullet point below is an AIMs360 feature as described by their web site at the time of this writing.  Each parenthesis represents a contrast, or answer, to NetSuite’s built-in features.

• Inventory control  (standard)
• Production & tracking (NetSuite add-on; the workflow should be carefully evaluated)
• Cutting tickets & WIP (WIP is available; no ‘cutting tickets’ native — yet likely can be configured.)
• Bill of materials (BOM) (available in NetSuite’s Light Manufacturing)
• Style cost sheets (likely requires a report to make comparable)
• Order processing (standard)
• Order allocation (available via available to promise and practices surrounding quoting and sales order approvals)
• Picking tickets (standard)
• Invoicing (standard)
• Purchase orders (standard)
• Credit card processing (built in integration with multiple gateway services)
• Licensing & royalties (not out of the box – would require configuration)
• Factored & non-factored A/R (not directly – but multiple AR and bank accounts are native)
• RMA & credits (standard)
• Sales commissions (add-on: use NetSuite’s Incentive Compensation)
• Automated UPC assignment (NetSuite supports three UPC types.  But generation not automated without some script)
• In-house integrated EDI (multiple third party providers offer EDI connectivity providing different service levels)
• AIMS GL Integration™ with QuickBooks (not applicable; NetSuite replaces QuickBooks)
• AIMS RemoteLink™ remote order entry (standard: built-in by design)
• AIMS WebLink™ online wholesale (standard: built-in by design)
• Taking orders on an iPad (standard: supported via Safari Web Browser)
• AIMS Analytics for iPad (standard: iPhone analytics package available)
• AIMS EasyShop™ online retail cart (standard: built-in eCommerce)
• Shipping integration with UPS & FedEx (standard)
• Scan & pack (standard)
• Case pack (standard)

Key NetSuite Differentiation to AIMS 360

The following are key NetSuite features that you may want to consider relative to your apparel system requirements.  We suspect that AIMS 360 is not strong in these areas.

1. Full general ledger with budgeting and forecasting
2. Built-in financial management / reporting
3. Multi-company, subsidiaries and intercompany transaction management
4. Full CRM capacities including out-bound email campaign and in-bound web form management.
5. Robust extensible platform: custom records, fields, logic
6. Strong operational reporting, dashboard analytics and email alerting
7. Web and cloud maturity: since 1998 with over 12,000 active companies
8. NetSuite is the #1 fastest growing fully integrated ERP solution.  They are public, and well financed.
9. Investment in on-going internal product development — the environment supports rich third-party add-ons.

NetSuite versus AIMS 360 Technology

This is a contrast between NetSuite’s technology versus AIMs360.   NetSuite was designed, from the beginning, as a subscription service and is a product of the Dot Com revolution.

1. Pure Multi-Tenant Cloud solution; designed from the start to be pure web.
2. No software installation required.  It appears that AIMs is Windows based.  As such, to make AIMS 360 ‘cloud’ requires an afterthought mechanism using a remote Windows desktop and a third party hosting provider; or you can host AIMS 360 yourself (in today’s terms, a weakness).
3. Works on all client (desktop and mobile) platforms that are supported by modern browsers.  AIMs says they have an add-in for the Web but it appears to be a module, not core.
4. Requires no IT as there is no software or network to install.  AIMs has a technology footprint and will require concerns for up-time, performance, upgrade, backup and data security.

Marty Zigman

Holding all three official certifications, Marty is regarded as the top NetSuite expert and leads a team of senior professionals at Prolecto Resources, Inc. He is a former Deloitte & Touche CPA and has held CTO roles. For over 30 years, Marty has produced leadership in ERP, CRM and eCommerce business systems. Contact Marty to set up a conversation.

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