Portland, Ore.-based Columbia Sportswear Co. -- a manufacturer of active outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment -- has agreed to purchase OutDry Technologies S.r.l. -- owner of intellectual property and other assets of the OutDry® brand and its related business -- from Italy-based Nextec S.r.l. OutDry Technologies will retain its headquarters near Milan, and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear. Nextec cofounders Luca and Matteo Morlacchi will serve as CEO and general manager, respectively.

OutDry has developed patented and patent-pending technology that bonds a waterproof, breathable membrane directly to the inside of a shoe or glove's outermost layer, keeping water and dirt from getting into the internal airspaces and fabric layers, which often happens to products made using booty- or bladder-based construction methods. The technology is breathable; lessens water-weight gain; inhibits mold, mildew and bacteria growth; retains insulation capacity; and enhances fit and dexterity, according Columbia. The company's Mountain Hardwear brand debuted a line of high-performance gloves featuring OutDry technology last year.

"Columbia's acquisition of OutDry is the latest example of our strategy to build a portfolio of innovative technologies that deliver performance and protection benefits of greatest importance to outdoor consumers," said Tim Boyle, president and CEO, Columbia. "We view OutDry's proprietary construction methods, under development since 1998, as the 'gold standard' for producing waterproof, breathable footwear and gloves that outperform products still relying on the 25-year-old method of internal booties and bladders. 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."

August 10, 2010