Case Study: How Ariat Gained Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility with QIMAone

Case study

Ariat International is a US-based leading brand of innovative footwear and apparel. Ariat is widely recognized as the leader in equestrian footwear and apparel and one of the fastest growing work boot and workwear brands. Ariat products are available worldwide both online and via a network of authorized retailers.

Ariat partnered with QIMA to bring the QIMAone digital platform to its apparel supply chain — improving communication, transparency, and collaboration on product quality across the board. Continuous improvement has always mattered to Ariat, but global sourcing was changing fast, and the COVID-19 pandemic made the case for real-time visibility even more urgent.

QIMAone brings every link of the supply chain together in one place. Years of working with Ariat gave QIMA a deep understanding of its apparel products and processes — and a clear view of how QIMAone could give Ariat greater supply chain visibility and stronger quality management.

Rolling out QIMAone across Ariat's supplier network gave the brand reliable inspection data and a far more accurate view of product quality. In line with Ariat's philosophy of putting quality ownership in factories' hands, QIMAone let vendor partners run their own self-inspections — while Ariat's quality team got the tools to analyze results, plan corrective actions, and monitor progress, with full visibility.

Connecting every source of quality and compliance data, from factory to distribution center, gave Ariat a new level of visibility into its supply chain — reducing the need for third-party QC and cutting overall costs. Empowering suppliers with self-inspections is also driving continuous improvement proactively, for better quality and lower costs long-term.

Automated Tools to Increase Productivity and Ensure Consistent QC

Applying unified quality standards across every apparel factory was a top priority for Ariat. QIMAone made that possible, with easy-to-use workflow and checklist builders and a wide-ranging library of customizable inspection templates. Ariat's quality team imported its existing standards and specifications straight into QIMAone and distributed them to every vendor.

When specifications change, QIMAone pushes the update straight to inspectors and suppliers automatically — so every inspection runs against current QC requirements, with less room for human error and no manual follow-up needed.

QIMAone also automates routine tasks like inspection booking and scheduling, freeing up Ariat's back-office teams to focus on managing quality and improving the sourcing network, instead of paperwork.

An Accurate View of Quality Leads to Improved Efficiency and Lower Costs

Access to every source of quality and compliance data through QIMAone gave Ariat a 360-degree view of its apparel supply network — and the ability to manage processes, people, and data proactively instead of reactively. With real-time visibility into production, Ariat's quality team can spot issues early, and direct communication with vendors means those issues get resolved in real time, saving time and money before small problems become bigger disruptions.

Flexibility and scalability were also key to Ariat's choice of QIMAone. Its intuitive interface and integration tools make onboarding easy for internal users, inspectors, and suppliers alike, and an on-demand training library helps share knowledge across the sourcing network and bring new team members up to speed fast. Because QIMAone supports every consumer goods category and mixed inspection strategies, Ariat stays flexible in choosing QC providers without losing the platform's support.

How QIMA can help

With our 20 years of experience conducting on-site audits and inspections, QIMA is ready to be your worldwide global Quality Excellence partner.

Our SaaS platform, QIMAone, is the first in its class, and includes all the features discussed in this article. We were the first QA service provider to establish an online reservation process, so we have digital in our DNA. QIMAone includes our QIMA Academy to provide your team with the best training possible.

QIMAone can also be used to check non-conformities and unauthorized subcontracting through GPS tagging that triggers inspections and audits.

We’d love to show you how QIMA and QIMAone can help your business thrive.

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