During the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference, being held May 21-23, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona, Columbia Sportswear and GT Nexus will share insights and best practices for deploying cloud technology in a multi-enterprise environment to accelerate financial supply chain performance.
Fred Pond, Vice President, Chief Information Officer 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 3rd 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.
Summary of Columbia Sportswear's Session at the 2013 Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference:
Cloudsourcing: Physical and financial supply chain convergence in action
Despite years of hype, the concept of intertwined information networks that synchronize the flow of goods and money have proven elusive for most companies. Columbia Sportswear has led innovation in this area by moving global sourcing and vendor financing to the cloud to connect its network of suppliers, logistics providers and financing partners on a common platform. In this case study session, learn how a cloud based multi-enterprise platform has enabled Columbia to operate as an agile network, driving improved responsiveness, supply chain segmentation and operational excellence.
About GT Nexus
GT Nexus operates the world's largest cloud-based business network and execution platform for global trade and supply chain management. Over 25,000 businesses across industry verticals, including adidas Group, Caterpillar, Citi, Columbia Sportswear, DHL, Electrolux, Levi Strauss & Co., Kohl's, Nestlé, Pfizer, Renault, and Sears share GT Nexus as their standard,multi-enterprise collaboration platform.
