Harmonizing global management reporting and financial planning with IBM and Aviana
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- IBM Cognos TM1
- IBM Cognos Business Intelligence
- SAP ERP
Tech Stack
- IBM Cognos
- SAP ERP
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Cost Savings
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Apparel
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Supply Chain Visibility
Services
- System Integration
- Software Design & Engineering Services
About The Customer
Columbia Sportswear Company is a leading innovator in the global outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment industry. Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia products are sold in approximately 100 countries and have earned an international reputation for innovation, quality and performance. Columbia products feature innovative technologies and designs that protect outdoor enthusiasts from the elements, increase comfort, and make outdoor activities more enjoyable. The firm is listed on NASDAQ under COLM, and achieved net sales in 2013 of approximately USD1.68 billion.
The Challenge
Columbia Sportswear was undergoing a large-scale ERP systems implementation and substantial business process transformation, which threatened the viability of its existing finance reporting and planning processes. The company was at risk of losing its ability to execute core financial processes without a significant level of time-consuming manual intervention combining data sets from the disparate ERP systems. The company needed a solution that would not only maintain the flow of information to key decision makers but also enhance it. In addition to streamlining information delivery, Columbia Sportswear wanted to find a solution that would provide deeper insight into the performance of various parts of its business, helping to enable better corporate decision-making.
The Solution
Columbia Sportswear selected IBM Cognos TM1 and Aviana, an IBM Business Partner, to help design and implement the solution to support management of financial planning, reporting and analysis as well as the related master data. The company also integrated the Cognos TM1 solution with its existing IBM Cognos Business Intelligence software. In the short term, the new IBM solution acted as a bridge between the legacy ERP environment and the new SAP ERP landscape. The TM1 platform was integrated with the general ledgers of both systems, enabling the harmonization of data to support global management reporting and financial planning. Enhancements were also made to Columbia’s financial planning processes to enable driver-based planning, rolling forecasts and headcount planning.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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