Outdoor clothing specialist J. Barbour & Sons has signed a deal with supplier Lawson Software for an IT project to improve its international supply chain.

The system will cover operations in the UK, France, Germany and the US, and is based on software designed for the specific needs of the fashion industry.

Barbour had found that its business processes were becoming increasingly complex, covering sourcing, design, manufacturing, distribution and retailing of its products.

The growing number of seasonal collections and variations in size, colour and style led the company to look for an integrated enterprise resource planning system.

Barbour hopes that the project will improve productivity through better supply chain planning and more efficient purchasing.

"With our busiest period beginning in June, it was crucial that we found a software vendor that could deliver within a tight timeframe," said Brenda Readman-Bell, finance and IT director at J. Barbour & Sons.

"Lawson is able to offer lower cost of ownership and faster implementation times, and we are already on the way to achieving this."