Columbia Sportswear discuses Cloud tech at conference

OAKLAND, Calif. — Columbia Sportswear is headed to the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference, being held May 21-23, in Phoenix, Ariz., to share insights and best practices for deploying cloud technology alongside GT Nexus.

Fred Pond, VP, CIO of Columbia Sportswear, and Kurt Cavano, chief strategy officer at GT Nexus, will share lessons learned from Columbia's technology approach to executing global procure-to-pay processes in which buyers, suppliers, financial institutions and other key third parties operate on the same cloud platform.

"Back in 2005, Columbia Sportswear was one of the early adopters of cloud technology in the supply chain," said Cavano. "They connected their supply network on our platform and dramatically improved visibility into orders and payments on both sides of the transaction. They not only eliminated letters of credit but they used automated PO and invoice delivery to execute programs for early payment discounts and customs duty optimization. Columbia is truly a cloud supply chain innovator."

Columbia Sportswear is a $1.6 billion global outdoor apparel and footwear company that sources its products through a global supply chain and sells its products in more than 100 countries. Columbia utilizes cloud as an extension of its ERP system to connect with all of its trading partners and maintain a system of record for the supply chain.

Cloud technology enables companies like Columbia to improve supply chain visibility and agility while reducing costs. Financial supply chain workflow automation has allowed Columbia to grow without adding new resources in areas such as accounts payable and procurement.

GT Nexus’s clients include Adidas Group, Caterpillar, Citi, DHL, Electrolux, Levi Strauss & Co., Kohl's, Nestlé, Pfizer, Renault and Sears.