Since its founding in 1897, Filson has been the gold standard for tough, comfortable outdoor clothing. Founder C. C. Filson opened a shop during the Gold Rush specializing in goods to outfit the stampeders. Long after the Gold Rush ended, Filson continued to make good with the best materials and guaranteed every piece of merchandise, even developing custom pieces based on customer’s needs. Today, the Filson name still remains synonymous with reliability, satisfaction, and honest values.
The challenge
While Filson’s philosophy has enabled them to remain successful for over 100 years, their processes needed updating for the digital era. Filson was still using excel for tech packs and relying on other manual methods that were time-consuming and inefficient. A majority of their information was stored on a local server which made it difficult to collaborate and efficiently develop products as they had to ensure data was consistent in various locations. Additionally, when COVID-19 caused many offices to temporarily shut down, they had to be able to quickly transition to remote work.
The solution
By implementing Gerber’s product lifecycle management (PLM) solution, YuniquePLM, Filson was able to consolidate their data into a single system, eliminating the need to update various spreadsheets thus minimizing errors in data. Filson was also able to streamline their design and development process through seamless integration with Gerber’s 2D pattern design solution, AccuMark. YuniquePLM played an integral role in helping Filson successfully transition to working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By leveraging the cloud-based solution, Filson was able to seamlessly transition to virtual collaboration without missing a beat. Prior to the pandemic, Filson had onboarded several other departments, including customer service, engineering, and marketing, which further enhanced the company’s ability to remain successful as they worked remotely.
The benefits
- Greatly improved collaboration which allowed them to successfully transition to remote work.
- Seamless integration with AccuMark for a truly streamlined design and development process.
- Minimized errors by consolidating data into one system, eliminating the need to update multiple spreadsheets.
- Able to onboard several departments for a cohesive and collaborative effort across the company.
