The economic downturn taking its toll on high-street retailers has not changed the IT agenda of clothing manufacturer Calvin Klein.

The business has seen an increasing pressure to use technology to drive automation, streamline supply chain processes and reduce any unnecessary overheads, head of IT in Europe Francesco Forni told Computing.

Some of Calvin Klein’s main back-office projects include interfacing its previously separate underwear business with the group’s central retail database, as well as the ongoing refresh of its replenishment system for jeans products. Business intelligence is also high on the agenda, and the group is looking to add extra functionality to its Business Objects-based platform.

“The idea is to optimise staff time and avoid time wasting on inventories and reporting, so we are looking at mobile solutions to enable faster data access,” said Forni.