Expanding Web of Colour

Fashion Business International, Oct 2004

Malaysian-based eWarna has made a tremendous impact with its web-based approach to colour management, since its launch on to the international scene only three years ago. Its most recent progress is marked by the release of version 2.0 of XMatch, its web-based colour workflow application, one of whose features is an XML link to Product Lifecyle Management (PLM), CAD and other supply-chain solutions.

eWarna points out that, typically, a colour-management system used for colour approval works with data that is also used in PLM solutions (buying division, fabric type, collection number, season, etc) with only the actual colour-reflectance measurement being unique to the colour manager. Without an easy link, this data must be retyped for every colour approval.

But because X M atch has an Application Programming Interface (API) that most industry-leading PLM solutions can communicate with, 'jobs' or specifications created by designers and merchandisers on the PLM side can be directed to automatically create colour jobs for matching approval in XMatch. The company says colourists and dyers throughout the supply chain use XMatch to manage their digital lab-dip approvals, bulk approvals, bulk sorting and so on, with the API ensuring that the approval status of each stage is also presented in the PLM tracking module.

"XMatch has saved up to 75% of colour-approval workload for major specifiers already running it on its own," said Richard Lawn, chief strategy officer of eWarna. "Logically, all colour-approval managers should be able to function as part of the PLM solution at the specifier end, but also be able to be an individual web-based system for colourists, dye mills or garment assemblers who are not linked to the PLM. This saves a lot of re-typing, meaning less work and fewer mistakes, and also means that one of the most important parts of fabric development can be tracked inside the PLM."

XMatch 2.0 also delivers:

• High network visibility, allowing users to view colour activities four levels down the supply chain
• Customisable workflow to address specific colour-communication requirements
• Friendly user interface
• New tools, including bulk colour approval, unlimited reports creation and support for multiple report formats

First US Patent

In another development, eWarna has gained its first US patent, for its 'System and Method for On-Line Color Algorithm Exchange'. Utilised primarily in its award-winning LabWorks Pro software, this technology is designed to reduce time in the colour-prediction and matching process.

eWarna pioneered and created the world's first Internet-based colorimetric engine, a technology platform that facilitates seamless colour creation, measurement, prediction, comparison, and collaboration across global supply chains. "We built our core colour-exchange technology to enable our clients to fully leverage the power and connectivity of the Internet to solve colour challenges," said Ashu Rajbhandari, executive chairman and CEO of eWarna. "This patent validates our commitment to managing colour online and demonstrates our ability to create truly innovative solutions."

eWarna says it expects approval of several additional international patents over t he coming months. Most of these centre d on eWarna's Online Color exchange (OCX), an Internet platform for colour communication and management.

New Architecture

eWarna also recently announced the preview release of Color Services, a new colour-on-demand architecture that provides international scientific-standard colour functions for enterprise applications, through open-standard web services protocols. With this initiative, eWarna hopes to spawn the development of more colour-management applications in colour-critical sectors outside textiles.

"We are very excited with the preview release of the first two colour function­alities, Color Search and Color Compare," said Richard Lawn. "As an example of their power. Color Search is used in our Color Trade web site, which allows a seller to attach colour reflectance records on the OCX to item-listing records on eBay, and then lets a buyer search the listings, using text and a precise colour as target. We believe this is the first step to a world where colour data can be treated as an integral product attribute within mainstream business applications."

S. Subramaniam, chief technology officer of eWarna, added: "Amazon attracted 25,000 independent developers within 10 months of launching its web-services program, resulting in dozens of new applications, helping small merchants sell on the Net. We want to work with established co l our-management-solutions vendors, independent programmers and other enterprise-solution vendors to create more colour-aware applications."