What Walter & Partner does

Walter & Partner (legal entity W+P Solutions GmbH & Co. KG) is a German IT consulting and software company founded in 1983 in Stuttgart, specializing exclusively in the fashion industry. The firm implements and extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (D365 FO) for fashion-specific business processes, and has built a proprietary product family on top of the Microsoft stack. Customers include PUMA, Jil Sander, Karl Lagerfeld, Pierre Cardin, Wolford, JOOP!, Marc O'Polo, s.Oliver, Gerry Weber, Drykorn, HAIX, and Wellensteyn, with the company claiming 100+ projects completed across more than four decades. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, and bootstrapped, with no disclosed external funding.

The core technology is the WP product family: WP Style D365 FO provides fashion-specific ERP extensions, WP Luxury D365 FO adds an embedded PDM/PLM layer for premium brands, WP Model is a standalone product data and lifecycle management module, WP Retail Planning supports retail merchandising, and a separate DCU (Pollutant Database) product covers chemical and environmental compliance. A legacy WP Fashion AX product continues to support AX-based customers. The company is a Microsoft Gold / Inner Circle partner, integrating its extensions with D365 Supply Chain Management, Power BI, and Microsoft POS.

Revenue is generated through a combination of professional services (consulting, implementation, customization billed on a time-and-materials basis) and proprietary software licensing of the WP extensions. Engagement cycles are multi-year, and the firm operates from a Stuttgart headquarters in the Colorado-Tower (relocated October 2020) and a Vienna office opened in 2023, serving primarily DACH-region customers with selected presence in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland. Headcount is 101-250 employees.

Name

Walter & Partner

Legal name

W+P Solutions GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://walter-partner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Walter & Partner is a Stuttgart-based IT consulting and software firm founded in 1983 that implements and extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 for the fashion industry, serving brands like PUMA, Jil Sander, and Wolford with proprietary PDM/PLM and ERP modules.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion Industry ERP & Retail Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Vendor & Contract Management (Software/Cloud) (BPAEAOAD)

Keywords

• Fashion ERP software
• Microsoft Dynamics consulting
• Product lifecycle management
• Apparel retail solutions
• Textile supply chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. ERP/IT Implementation and Consulting Services: Core revenue stream from implementing, customizing, and maintaining Microsoft Dynamics 365 FO solutions for fashion industry clients. Includes individual software development, standard software configuration, modifications, consulting, and project support.
2. Software Licensing: Revenue from granting non-exclusive, non-transferable usage rights to proprietary software products (e.g., WP Fashion extensions). Standard software licenses are invoiced at 100% upon order; modifications are billed separately. Also resells Microsoft Dynamics 365 licenses.
3. Cloud/Hosting Services: Offering hosted and cloud solutions that bundle Microsoft Dynamics AX, WP FashionAX, managed IT services, and hardware/license management — providing SMB and startup customers access to the full fashion ERP suite at a monthly rental price.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Walter & Partner implements, customizes, and extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 FO) for fashion and apparel companies, delivering proprietary fashion-specific extensions (WP Style, WP Luxury) that cover the entire textile value chain from product development and collection planning (PDM/PLM) through ERP processes (purchasing, sales, retail, warehouse, logistics, production, accounting) to POS and omnichannel retail. The company also offers a cloud-based Chemicals and Environmental Management (DCU) platform for the textile supply chain and provides hosting/cloud services for SMBs.

Product overview

Walter & Partner is an IT consulting and software company specializing in the fashion industry for over 40 years. The product portfolio consists of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 FO) as the core enterprise platform, with two tiers of fashion-specific extensions: WP Style D365 FO (fashion extensions) and WP Luxury D365 FO (premium edition with embedded PDM/PLM). Legacy solutions include WP Fashion AX (based on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2/R3) with associated WP Model (PDM/PLM) and WP Retail Planning modules. The comprehensive solution covers the entire textile value chain from design and collection development (PDM/PLM/PIM) through ERP processes (purchasing, sales, retail, warehouse, logistics, production, project management, financial accounting) to point of sale (POS) and omnichannel retail management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (D365 FO) Implementation Modern, highly scalable enterprise ERP software for mid-market and large organizations with international operations. Supports both cloud and on-premises deployment. Provides ERP core functionalities with pre-defined industry functions for retail, manufacturing, and service companies. Walter & Partner implements and customizes D365 FO for fashion industry clients.
• WP Style D365 FO Fashion-specific extensions for D365 FO providing optimized network of process workflows with unified data view from product development through purchasing, sales, retail, warehouse, logistics, production, project management, to financial accounting and cost accounting. For fashion manufacturers, retailers, and verticals.
• WP Luxury D365 FO Premium enterprise edition of D365 FO with embedded PDM and PLM functionality. Extends the standard D365 FO system with Fashion Apps and Extensions including role-based design and compliance support for apparel manufacturers, retailers, and verticals. Covers collection planning, bills of materials, work plans, tech packs, cost calculation, size tables, sample ordering, and automated warehouse processes.
• Chemicals and Environmental Management Platform (DCU / Pollutant Database) Cloud-based platform for chemicals and environmental management along the textile supply chain, developed in partnership with DTB and BSI Sport. Three databases: Pollutant database (RSL management), Environment database, and Green Chemicals database (MRSL-compliant sourcing). Built on Microsoft cloud technology as an App.
• WP Fashion AX Legacy ERP Fashion solution based on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2/R3 with international proven standard enhanced by branch-specific fashion features and new layer technology. Provides integrated retail solution, financial accounting, warehouse and logistics management with EDI integration.
• WP Model (PDM/PLM) PDM/PLM solution for collection management. Can be fully integrated with WP Fashion AX or used flexibly and independently from other systems. Offers controlling and design-driven approach focused on end consumer with efficient collection management.
• WP Retail Planning Planning and control instrument for fashion retail. Links analytics and creativity for strategic planning of marketing, revenue, POS, product groups at POS, purchasing and assortment, plus operational process planning of collection framework and space management.
• Cloud Hosting Services for Microsoft Dynamics AX / WP FashionAX Hosted and cloud solutions bundling Microsoft Dynamics AX, WP FashionAX, managed IT services, and hardware/license management — providing SMB and startup customers access to the full fashion ERP suite at a monthly rental price.

Quantifiable outcome

• ROI on PDM/PLM investment achieved within one season
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• MS POSmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 14 April 2023MS POS was engaged by Walter & Partner to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 FO at the PAIDI production facility in Poland (KFM Furniture Sp. z o.o., Kolbuszowa). W&P acted as general contractor. MS POS handled the implementation of the ERP software in the Polish production facility as part of the PAIDI cloud transformation project.
• Arineo GmbHmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 5 March 2021Walter & Partner provided On-Premises installation expertise to support Arineo GmbH with D365 FO On-Premises deployment for two mid-sized production companies. W&P's technical team handled Azure Service Fabric installation, ADFS configuration, and system architecture, while also training Arineo's IT staff and setting up maintenance scripts. The two customer deployments serve approximately 400 and 150 users respectively.
• DTB (Dialog Textil Bekleidung)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2016W&P partnered with DTB (Dialog Textil Bekleidung) and BSI Sport to develop an innovative cloud-based platform for Chemical and Environmental Management (DCU) along the textile supply chain. The platform includes a pollutant database, environment database, and green chemicals database. Built on latest Microsoft cloud technology as an App. DTB serves as the industry association driving the initiative.
• BSI SportmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2016Co-development partner with DTB and W&P for the Chemical/Environmental Management (DCU) platform in the textile supply chain, providing domain expertise in the sporting goods and sports apparel sector.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1983Walter & Partner is a certified Microsoft Dynamics partner, specializing in the fashion vertical. The company develops proprietary fashion extensions (WP Style, WP Luxury) on top of Microsoft Dynamics 365 FO and Dynamics AX, and has been recognized by Microsoft Germany as their most important Dynamics AX partner in the fashion sector. They also share On-Premises D365 FO expertise with the broader Microsoft partner network, providing installation, maintenance, and support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centric Software: Centric Software provides PLM, PIM, and ERP solutions purpose-built for fashion, retail, and footwear brands. It is the most direct competitor to W&P's WP Luxury / WP Model PDM/PLM offering, serving many of the same European fashion enterprise customers.
• Aptos: Aptos provides retail-specific ERP, POS, and omnichannel solutions for fashion and specialty retail. Comparable to W&P for the retail/vertical segment of the fashion customer base, including store operations, POS, and merchandise planning.
• ApparelMagic: ApparelMagic delivers cloud-based ERP, PLM, and production software for fashion brands and apparel manufacturers. Highly comparable to W&P's vertical ERP/PLM proposition with a SaaS-native delivery model, addressing the same fashion manufacturer and brand customer segment.
• HSO Group: HSO is a global Microsoft Dynamics 365 SI partner with deep industry specializations, similar to W&P's business model as a verticalized Dynamics partner. Comparable in the consultant/implementation partner layer, though HSO operates across multiple verticals while W&P remains fashion-pure.
• PTC (FlexPLM): PTC's FlexPLM is a leading enterprise PLM platform for fashion and apparel, with an established customer base. Directly comparable to W&P's WP Model — notably, W&P has publicly documented a customer migration from FlexPLM to WP Model (Odlo Sports Group, 2016).
• Gerber Technology: Gerber Technology provides end-to-end software and hardware solutions for apparel and industrial manufacturing, including PLM and production solutions. Directly comparable to W&P in serving fashion and apparel manufacturers with integrated product-to-production workflows.
• Lectra: Lectra specializes in fashion, automotive, and furniture technology — including PLM, 3D design, and pattern-making solutions. Comparable to W&P across the fashion value chain, particularly in product development and pre-production workflows.

Broad incumbents

• SAP: SAP provides enterprise ERP with fashion industry capabilities (SAP Fashion Management, S/4HANA). A broad incumbent that competes with W&P for large fashion enterprise contracts, but typically at higher price points and with longer implementations than W&P's D365 FO specialization.
• Blue Yonder: Blue Yonder (formerly JDA) provides supply chain planning, retail planning, and execution solutions heavily used by fashion and apparel retailers. Comparable to W&P's WP Retail Planning and supply chain capabilities, particularly for the retailer/vertical segment of W&P's customer base.
• Infor: Infor offers Infor Fashion ERP and broader industry-specific ERP suites as a global enterprise software incumbent. Comparable to W&P as a broader incumbent offering fashion ERP, but lacks W&P's deep Microsoft Dynamics specialization and PDM/PLM embedded approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Walter & Partner