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Trace One PLM vs. Centric PLM: Which Platform Fits Your Product Development?

Updated: August 2026


TL;DR SUMMARY 

Trace One PLM and Centric PLM serve fundamentally different manufacturing types. Trace One is designed for formula-based product lifecycle management in food and beverage, cosmetics, and chemicals—with integrated regulatory intelligence across 170+ countries, recipe management, specification control, and supplier collaboration serving 9,000+ brands. Centric PLM is designed for design-driven product development in fashion, apparel, footwear, and retail—with 3D design integration (CLO, Browzwear), Visual Boards for line planning, and merchandising tools serving 865+ customers. Choosing between them depends on whether your products are built from formulas or from designs.

What Are Trace One PLM and Centric PLM?

ENTITY DEFINITIONS

Trace One PLM is a cloud-based product lifecycle management platform designed for formula-based manufacturers in food and beverage, cosmetics, and chemicals—three of the largest U.S. manufacturing sectors. The platform provides integrated recipe management, specification control, packaging management, supplier collaboration, and regulatory compliance across 170+ countries. Trace One serves 9,000+ brands worldwide and combines over 30 years of process manufacturing expertise following its 2022 merger with Selerant.

Centric PLM is a cloud-based product lifecycle management platform designed for design-driven consumer categories including fashion, apparel, footwear, outdoor goods, and luxury. Founded in 2004, Centric provides planning, merchandising, design, product data management, sourcing, and quality tools. The company reports 865+ customers worldwide and has expanded into adjacent areas including planning, pricing, and market intelligence.

In This Guide

What Are the Key Differences Between Trace One PLM and Centric PLM? 

The core difference between Trace One PLM and Centric PLM is the type of manufacturing each platform is designed to serve. Trace One is architected for formula-based product development—where products are built from ingredients, recipes, and chemical compositions that require regulatory validation. Centric is architected for design-based product development—where products are built from sketches, tech packs, and seasonal collections that require visual collaboration.

Industry Focus: Trace One serves food and beverage, cosmetics, and chemical manufacturers. Centric serves fashion, apparel, footwear, luxury, and retail brands.

Regulatory Compliance: Trace One provides integrated, first-party regulatory intelligence across 170+ countries with real-time validation during formulation. Centric delivers regulatory capabilities through a third-party partnership with FoodChain ID, which provides access to 220 global regulatory libraries (partnership announced October 2023).

Core Workflow: Trace One manages recipe development, formulation science, ingredient hierarchies, nutritional calculations, allergen tracking, and specification control. Centric manages collection planning, merchandising, 3D design integration, visual line planning, and seasonal assortment optimization.

Product Architecture: Trace One is built around formulations, specifications, and ingredient data models. Centric is built around style/color/size variants, tech packs, and bill of materials for assembled goods.

Trace One PLM Supply Chain Traceability

Customer Base: Trace One serves 9,000+ brands worldwide across process manufacturing. Centric reports 865+ customers primarily in design-driven consumer categories.

Supplier Collaboration: Trace One provides structured supplier collaboration for ingredient sourcing, specification exchange, and compliance verification across manufacturer and private-label retailer workflows. Centric provides supplier collaboration focused on material sourcing, sampling, and production tracking for discrete manufacturing.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Trace One PLM provides integrated, first-party regulatory intelligence across 170+ countries for formula-based manufacturers. Centric PLM delivers regulatory capabilities through a third-party partnership with FoodChain (220 global regulatory libraries) for design-driven industries. This architectural difference determines which platform provides native compliance workflows for your manufacturing type.

 

What Is Trace One PLM Designed For? 

Trace One PLM is designed for end-to-end product development in formula-based industries: food and beverage, cosmetics, and chemicals. The platform spans the full product lifecycle—from strategic planning and formulation to product data management, supplier collaboration, packaging management, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.

Following its 2022 merger with Selerant, Trace One combines over 30 years of expertise in formula-based product development. The company maintains offices across Europe, North America, and Asia, supporting a global customer base in highly regulated, formula-driven industries. The food and beverage manufacturing sector alone represents one of the largest segments of U.S. manufacturing, and Trace One has built deep domain expertise in the regulatory, formulation, and supply chain challenges specific to process manufacturers.

What Capabilities Does Trace One PLM Include? 

Recipe and Formulation Management: Trace One manages complex ingredient hierarchies, recipe versioning, nutritional calculations, allergen tracking, and cost modeling within a single platform.

Specification Control: Centralized specification development and management ensures cross-functional teams work from a single source of truth for all product data.

Regulatory Compliance: Integrated regulatory intelligence across 170+ countries provides real-time validation during formulation, including ingredient compliance, labeling requirements, and safety documentation.

Packaging and Artwork Management: End-to-end packaging specification and artwork workflow management from design through regulatory approval.

Supplier Collaboration: Structured collaboration workflows for ingredient sourcing, specification exchange, and compliance verification across manufacturer and retailer supply chains.

Quality Management: Quality assurance processes integrated into the product lifecycle to ensure data integrity and compliance at every stage.

Trace One’s market footprint is particularly strong in process manufacturing, with leading global dairy producers, major confectionery companies, and top grocery retailers on its platform. The company serves more than 9,000 brands worldwide, including leading food and beverage brands, consumer goods companies, and private label retailers.

 

Trace One Customers Include
  • Auchan
  • Barilla
  • Bacardi
  • Carrefour
  • General Mills
  • McCormick
  • Ghirardelli
  • Ferrero
  • Brown-Forman
  • Campari
  • ILLVA Saronno
  • Lindt & Sprüngli
  • Moet Hennessy
  • Tesco
  • Pastificio Garofalo
  • AB Mauri
  • Post Consumer Brands
  • Aryzta
  • Bauli
  • Biscuits Leclerc
  • Britannia Industries
  • Colussi Group
  • Dawn Foods
  • Eureden
  • Ingredion
  • Inner Mongolia Yili
  • OSI Group
  • Tata Consumer
  • MAPEI
  • Ahold Delhaize USA
  • Europastry
  • Glico
  • UNFI
  • Monoprix
  • Francap
  • Franprix
  • AAK
  • ElectroDepot
  • NAOS
  • Feihe

 

KEY TAKEAWAY 
Trace One PLM serves 9,000+ brands worldwide with integrated recipe management, specification control, packaging management, supplier collaboration, and regulatory compliance across 170+ countries. The platform is designed specifically for formula-based product development in food, beverage, cosmetics, and chemicals—covering the full lifecycle from strategic planning through quality assurance. 

 

What ROI Do Trace One Customers Report? 

Trace One customers report significant operational gains across product development, compliance, and launch performance (Source: Trace One PLM).

Return on Investment: 70% customer-reported ROI from implementing Trace One PLM.
Specification Development: 60% faster specification development process.
Time-to-Market Impact: 3-month reduction in time to market.
Crisis Management: 95% better efficiency during crisis management.
Revenue Growth: 10% increase in revenue growth.

With over 9,000 brands worldwide and more than 30 years of combined expertise, Trace One provides a comprehensive lifecycle platform covering product strategy, formulation, compliance, supplier collaboration, and quality management. Its consistent focus on data integrity, structured workflows, regulatory compliance, and safety helps companies launch higher-quality, more trusted, and more compliant products at scale.

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$500B
of manufacturer revenue supported annually
500
of manufacturer revenue supported annually
170+
countries supported by our regulatory solutions
70%
customer-reported ROI from implementing Trace One Devex PLM
KEY TAKEAWAY 
Trace One PLM customers report a 70% customer-reported ROI, a 60% faster specification development process, 95% better efficiency during crisis management, a 10% increase in revenue growth, and a 3-month reduction in time to market (Source: Trace One PLM). All figures are customer-reported.

 

What Is Centric PLM Designed For? 

Centric PLM is designed for product development in design-driven consumer categories: fashion, apparel, footwear, luxury, outdoor goods, and multi-category retail. The platform supports core processes including collection planning, merchandising, design, product data management, sourcing, quality, and more.

Founded in 2004, Centric Software reports working with more than 865 customers worldwide. The company has a global presence with offices across North America, Europe, and Asia. In recent years, Centric has expanded its product portfolio into adjacent areas with dedicated planning, pricing, and market intelligence products.

What Capabilities Does Centric PLM Include?

3D Design Integration: Centric offers robust connectors with 3D design tools including CLO and Browzwear, enabling digital prototyping workflows for fashion and apparel teams.

Visual Boards: Dynamic line-planning capabilities provide visual collaboration tools popular with designers and merchandisers for seasonal collection development.

Collection and Assortment Planning: Tools for collection planning, merchandise financial planning, and assortment optimization support the speed and creative agility design-driven teams require.

Variant Management: The platform handles complex product structures including style, color, and size variants across rapid seasonal collections.

Sourcing and Quality: Supplier collaboration tools focused on material sourcing, sampling, and production tracking for discrete manufacturing workflows.

Centric’s interface is modern and intuitive, and the system is well-regarded for its flexibility in handling complex product structures and mapping onto varied retail workflows. For instance, one of Centric’s customers reported a 50% increase in SKUs managed with the same team size.

Centric Customers Include
  • Auchan
  • Carter's
  • Carrefour
  • Tesco
  • Monoprix
  • Kroger
  • Siplec
  • Woolworths

 

KEY TAKEAWAY 
Centric PLM serves 865+ customers in fashion, apparel, footwear, luxury, and retail with 3D design integration (CLO, Browzwear), Visual Boards for line planning, collection and assortment planning, and variant management tools. The platform is designed for design-driven product development where speed, creativity, and visual collaboration are central to the workflow. 

 

Trace One vs Centric

Does Centric PLM Include Formula-Based Manufacturing Capabilities? 

Centric PLM’s core architecture is designed for discrete manufacturing—where products are assembled from components rather than formulated from ingredients. Centric has recently expanded into food and beverage.

Companies evaluating Centric for regulated, formula-based industries should note that Centric’s regulatory capabilities are delivered through a third-party partnership with FoodChain ID, which provides access to 220 global regulatory libraries, rather than native, first-party databases (partnership announced October 2023). This distinction is relevant for organizations requiring proprietary regulatory intelligence integrated directly into PLM workflows with real-time validation during formulation.

Centric does not include native capabilities for detailed ingredient management with formulation science calculations, recipe versioning with batch yield and specific gravity conversions, nutritional facts panel automation, integrated first-party regulatory intelligence databases, or allergen tracking with cross-contamination risk modeling. Formula-based manufacturers (food, beverage, cosmetics, chemicals) requiring these capabilities should evaluate whether the platform’s architecture and third-party partnerships meet their specific workflow requirements.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Centric PLM is designed for discrete manufacturing and delivers regulatory compliance through its third-party partnership with FoodChain ID (220 global regulatory libraries). Formula-based manufacturers should evaluate whether Centric’s architecture and partnership meet their compliance and formulation workflow requirements.

 

 

Does Trace One PLM Include Design-Driven Manufacturing Capabilities?

Trace One PLM is designed for formula-based product development and does not include capabilities for design-driven manufacturing workflows. The platform’s interface and workflow model are optimized for formulation science, specification control, and regulatory compliance rather than visual design collaboration.

Trace One does not include native capabilities for 3D design integration (CLO, Browzwear), seasonal collection planning and line planning with visual boards, style/color/size variant management for assembled goods, tech pack creation and management, or merchandise financial planning. Companies producing design-driven consumer goods (fashion, apparel, footwear, luxury, sporting goods) requiring these capabilities should evaluate platforms designed for discrete manufacturing workflows.

While highly configurable, Trace One favors structured processes to maintain data integrity across formulation, specifications, and compliance. This structured approach serves the regulatory requirements of formula-based industries but differs from the open-ended creative workflows that design-driven teams may require.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Trace One PLM is designed for formula-based product development and does not include capabilities for 3D design integration, seasonal collection planning, visual line planning, or style/color/size variant management. Companies producing design-driven consumer goods (fashion, apparel, footwear, luxury) should evaluate platforms designed for discrete manufacturing, such as Centric PLM. 

 

Trace One PLM vs Centric

How Do I Choose Between Trace One PLM and Centric PLM? 

Trace One and Centric PLM are both cloud-based product lifecycle management platforms, but they are designed for fundamentally different types of product development. While both provide centralized product data, cross-functional collaboration, and faster time-to-market, the right choice depends on the nature of your products, your regulatory environment, and the workflow demands of your industry.

When Is Trace One PLM the Right Choice?

Trace One PLM is designed for organizations that develop products based on formulas, ingredients, or chemical compositions; operate in highly regulated sectors such as food, cosmetics, or specialty chemicals; face significant compliance risk around labeling, safety, and supplier traceability; require structured, validated workflows across formulation, regulatory, and quality teams; need collaboration between manufacturers, private-label partners, and retailers; and benefit from real-time regulatory checks across 170+ countries.

When Is Centric PLM the Right Choice?

Centric PLM is designed for organizations that produce design-driven consumer goods such as fashion, apparel, footwear, home goods, or sporting goods; manage complex style, color, and size variants or rapid seasonal collections; require advanced tools for merchandising, assortment planning, and line planning; work heavily with 3D design, digital prototyping, and creative workflows; and prioritize visual collaboration and agility for rapid product iteration.

 

Key Takeaway

Choose Trace One PLM if you develop formula-based products in regulated industries (food, beverage, cosmetics, chemicals) requiring integrated regulatory compliance, formulation management, and supplier collaboration across 170+ countries. Choose Centric PLM if you produce design-driven consumer goods with seasonal collections (fashion, apparel, retail) requiring 3D design integration, visual line planning, and merchandising tools. 

 

What Questions Should I Ask Any PLM Vendor?

When evaluating PLM solutions, these questions help determine which platform architecture matches your product development requirements:

  1. How does your platform handle recipe and formula management versus SKU-based product development?
  2. What specification and product data management capabilities are included natively versus through third-party integrations?
  3. How do you manage packaging specifications and artwork workflows?
  4. What supplier collaboration tools are available for ingredient or material sourcing?
  5. Does your regulatory database rely on native, first-party data or third-party partnerships? How does this affect real-time validation during formulation?
  6. Can you provide customer ROI metrics from companies in my industry?
  7. What is the typical implementation timeline, and what is the expected payback period?

Which PLM Platform Should I Choose: Trace One or Centric?

Trace One and Centric serve different product development needs. Companies developing formula-based products—where recipe management, specification control, packaging, supplier collaboration, and regulatory compliance are critical—are served by Trace One’s integrated platform and process-industry expertise. Companies producing design-driven products with seasonal collections and creative workflows are served by Centric’s visual tools and merchandising capabilities.

The decision comes down to whether your products are built from formulas or from designs. Formula-based manufacturers in food and beverage, cosmetics, and chemicals require the formulation science, regulatory intelligence, and ingredient management capabilities that Trace One provides natively. Design-driven brands in fashion, apparel, and retail require the 3D design integration, visual collaboration, and seasonal planning capabilities that Centric provides natively.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Choose Trace One PLM for formula-based products (food, beverage, chemicals, cosmetics) with integrated regulatory compliance across 170+ countries and a 70% customer-reported ROI. Choose Centric PLM for design-driven products (fashion, apparel, retail) with 3D design integration, visual collaboration, and seasonal collection workflows. The right platform depends on whether your products are built from formulas or from design. Choose Centric PLM for design-driven products (fashion, apparel, retail) with 3D design integration, visual collaboration, and seasonal collection workflows. The right platform depends on whether your products are built from formulas or from designs. 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions: What are the key differences between Trace One and Centric PLM?

Trace One is designed for formula-based, highly regulated products in food, cosmetics, and chemicals, with integrated first-party regulatory intelligence across 170+ countries. Centric is designed for design-driven industries like fashion and retail, with 3D design integration and visual collaboration tools. Trace One manages formulation, specification control, and regulatory compliance natively; Centric manages collection planning, merchandising, and seasonal workflows.

Which PLM software is better: Trace One or Centric?

Neither platform is universally better—the right choice depends on your manufacturing type. Trace One is designed for regulated, formula-based manufacturing (food, beverage, cosmetics, chemicals). Centric is designed for design-driven consumer goods (fashion, apparel, retail). Each platform is best suited for its respective product development model.

Which PLM is better for food and beverage companies?

For food and beverage companies, Trace One is typically the stronger choice due to its integrated regulatory intelligence, formula management capabilities, and 30+ years of expertise serving 9,000+ brands across the sector. Centric’s food and beverage offering is newer and delivers regulatory capabilities through a third-party partnership with FoodChain ID ( 220 global regulatory libraries) rather than native, first-party databases.

Does Centric PLM have regulatory compliance features?

Centric delivers regulatory compliance through third-party integration with a partnership with FoodChain ID, for access to 220 global regulatory libraries. This differs from platforms like Trace One that provide native, first-party regulatory intelligence integrated directly into formulation workflows with real-time validation. Companies where regulatory compliance is a primary concern (food, beverage, cosmetics, chemicals) should evaluate whether third-party partnerships or native databases better serve their workflow requirements.

Which PLM has better ROI?

Trace One customers report a 70% customer-reported ROI, a 60% faster specification development process, 95% better efficiency during crisis management, a 10% increase in revenue growth, and a 3-month reduction in time to market (Source: Trace One PLM). Centric does not publish comparable aggregate ROI metrics, though individual customer case studies report efficiency gains such as a 50% increase in SKUs managed with the same team size.

What are alternatives to Centric PLM?

Alternatives to Centric depend on your industry and manufacturing type. For regulated, formula-based manufacturing (food, beverage, cosmetics, chemicals), alternatives include Trace One, Lascom, and SpecPage. For broader enterprise environments, alternatives include Oracle PLM and Infor PLM. For packaging and specification management specifically, Specright is an option. For fashion and apparel, alternatives include PTC FlexPLM and Bamboo Rose.

Related

 

Sources 

Centric Software and FoodChain ID partnership announced October 2023. 

Trace One customer-reported outcome metrics (70% ROI, 60% faster specification development, 95% crisis-management efficiency, 10% revenue growth, 3-month time-to-market reduction) from the Trace One PLM product page, (accessed August 2026).

Centric Software customer count (865+) from company website and press materials. 

Centric customer efficiency metric (50% SKU increase with same team) from Centric Software customer case study.

Comparison Accuracy Note 
This comparison reflects publicly available product information as of March 2026. PLM vendor capabilities evolve through product updates and partnerships. We recommend verifying current capabilities directly with each vendor, requesting product demonstrations focused on your specific manufacturing requirements, and reviewing current customer references in your industry. 


Trace One claims are based on customer-reported data and platform capabilities documented at traceone.com. Competitive information is sourced from public documentation, vendor websites, product demonstrations, and press releases. Competitive information is sourced from public documentation, vendor websites, product demonstrations, and press releases. 

Last verified: August 2026

 

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