Sourcing work wear has been made faster and easier by new software, which allows anyone wanting overalls to design and order on line. Introduced by Equipsafety and known colloquially as DYOWW – short for Design Your Own Work Wear – the software revolutionises the ordering of overalls.

Launched by Equipsafety in April, increasing numbers are turning to the internet to make their overall orders rather than physically turning up at branches to discuss colour swatches, designs and style options.

Little wonder when you visit and choose the DYOWW option. Through the click of the mouse, you can select from 12 different styles, drop a selection of colours onto the overall style to see how colours look together, and then try another style with the same colour choice. There's a choice of accessories, which can be added such as domes, heavy duty zips, nylon double sliders and plastic zips. Again through the click of the mouse, these options can be inserted. There are added features such as sleeve and leg closures, then there's the chance to introduce reflective tape. Electronically you can drop reflective tape into any position depending on what you want to achieve and see how it looks. It's easy to make adjustments too.

When it comes to pockets, there's a range of choice including sleeve pockets, cargo, cellphone or a small zip pocket on the chest.

The Design Your Own Work Wear package will soon provide the opportunity to introduce branding. Customers will be able to size logos and see how they look in different places at different sizes.

Once an order is complete, customers can select 'submit,' fill out the order form and wait for their order to arrive. The e-Business Manager at Crane Distribution (NZ) Ltd , Neal Young, says the software includes a facility 'in behind' which automatically calculates the costs as customers 'build' their overalls order. "That cost acts as a guideline to a branch to confirm the actual price to a customer once the query is received," Neal says. "The software speeds up the ordering and delivery of overalls, helps Equipsafety be more responsive and enhances the accessibility of overalls to a wide client base."

"It gives our customers the flexibility to order what they want and to experiment with colour matches before making a decision. If you want a purple and blue combination with reflective safety tape, then you can see how it looks on the website before making any commitment."

Part of the package also allows customers to also select from a choice of materials.

Neal says Equipsafety is examining the potential to extend the software package to other safety equipment.

You can check out DYOWW at www.equipsafety.co.nz.