Columbia Sportswear completes OutDry acquisition
03/09/2010
Nextec cofounders and brothers Luca and Matteo Morlacchi will serve as chief executive officer and general manager, respectively, of OutDry Technologies, which will keep its headquarters near Milan and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Company. They will report directly to Mick McCormick, Columbia’s executive vice president of global sales and marketing.
Tim Boyle, president and CEO of Columbia, said: “Columbia’s acquisition of OutDry is an important addition to our portfolio of innovative technologies that deliver performance and protection benefits of greatest importance to outdoor consumers.
“We intend to deploy OutDry across our portfolio of outdoor brands, including Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel and Montrail, as well as to market OutDry to select leading brands within and beyond the outdoor industry.”
OutDry’s construction methods bond a waterproof, breathable membrane directly to the inside of the outermost layer of a shoe or glove, preventing water or dirt from penetrating to internal airspaces and fabric layers. The technology improves waterproof, breathable performance, reduces water-weight gain, maintains insulation capacity and improves fit and dexterity. It also helps reduce the growth of mould, mildew and bacteria that can develop when internal fabric layers become wet.
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