Reflections on My Work at Columbia Home Products

Introduction

During my tenure at Columbia Home Products (CHP), I gained invaluable experience in the manufacturing and IT integration sectors. CHP, known for its GraniteWare speckled pots, pans, and roasters, has a rich history of production in Terre Haute, Indiana since the late 1800s. My role involved significant IT challenges and opportunities as the company expanded its product lines through strategic acquisitions.

Company Background

Columbia Home Products is renowned for its durable and affordable GraniteWare products, particularly its porcelain on steel stock pots and roasters. Every Thanksgiving, the demand for CHP’s turkey roasters surges, with significant sales through major retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. The GraniteWare product line is a staple in many households due to its longevity and affordability.

Acquisitions and Integrations

During my time at CHP, the company acquired several other cookware manufacturers and import-export businesses, which expanded our shelf space and profitability. Notable acquisitions included Joyce Chen, Keilen, and Snow River Wood Products. These companies specialized in niche markets such as Asian cookware and seafood cookware.

Integrating these companies posed unique challenges, especially due to their varying ownership structures which required separate databases. We needed to aggregate sales and forecasting data across these disparate systems, ensuring seamless access for sales representatives and executives.

Data Challenges and Solutions

Merging data from the acquired companies required extensive use of Union Joins in SQL to combine data from different databases. This process was crucial for providing a comprehensive view of sales and forecasting data to our sales force and executives.

The ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) process was another major task, involving:

• Mapping
• Planning
• Risk Assessment
• Data Cleaning
• Standardization
• Preparation
• Backup
• Migration
• Integration Testing

Each step was essential to ensure data accuracy and integrity, facilitating a smooth transition and integration of data from the acquired entities into our existing systems.

Development of Intranet Site

To support the executives and sales reps, I developed a public-facing intranet site. This platform allowed for interactive access to sales and forecasting data, streamlining the decision-making process and enhancing data visibility across the company. The intranet site played a critical role in managing the increased data complexity brought on by the acquisitions.

Conclusion

The period following the 2008 financial crisis saw a bulk of these acquisitions, positioning CHP for growth and increased market share. Through strategic IT initiatives and effective data management, we successfully navigated the complexities of integrating multiple businesses, ensuring sustained profitability and operational efficiency for Columbia Home Products.