400%
ROI FROM RAINDROP INVESTMENT
$120M
IN ANNUALIZED SPEND UNDER MANAGEMENT
ERP
MS DYNAMICS
RAINDROP
MODULES
SOURCING & CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
A PROCUREMENT FUNCTIONBUILT TO LAST
When you’re the world’s leader in workwear, you don’t just show up … you show the way. The way to lead. The way to innovate. The way to protect. The way to champion.
Workwear Outfitters, strives to do for the millions of industrial, service, and governmental workers they so proudly and passionately serve, every day. So they can show up, show the way to work, too.
Workwear Outfitters is the world’s workwear authority, and leading manufacturer of innovative work apparel and footwear for workers who dedicate their lives to making our world work better. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the company employs more than 5,800 people in facilities spanning the globe. Brands under the Workwear Outfitters umbrella include Red Kap®, Bulwark®, Workrite® Fire Service, Oobē®, Criticore®, Horace Small®, Kodiak®, Terra®, Work Authority®, Liberty®, Image Authority® and Chef Designs®. Workwear Outfitters is also the exclusive licensee for Dickies® apparel in the B2B channel.
Following its divestiture from VF Corporation (VF) in 2021, Workwear Outfitters needed to establish an independent procurement function capable of supporting a newly standalone organization. Specifically, this new procurement function needed to be scalable, efficient, and compatible with the company’s current techstack. At the helm of Workwear Outfitter’s indirect procurement function was Warren Smith, Senior Manager of Indirect Procurement.
With over 30 years of procurement experience across multiple industries, Smith recognized the need for a centralized, automated solution. His goals in this initiative were to drive efficiency while improving visibility and governance. Ultimately, Workwear wanted to stand up a procurement- function that was as performance-driven as the workwear it’s known for.
“A few contracts come in every single week that need to be managed, and the process is so much faster now with Raindrop.”
FRANKLIN GOMEZ
eProcurement Analyst
OVERCOMING PROCUREMENT CHALLENGES IN A NEW ERA
Prior to implementing Raindrop, Workwear Outfitters faced significant procurement challenges, many stemming from its transition away from VF—including:
Decentralized contract management as contracts were historically managed by each business function.
Speed-to-market obstacles, specifically the need to reduce the time required to process procurement activities, execute contracts, and manage sourcing events.
Visibility and control with a need for better insights into procurement spending, vendor relationships, and contract management.
AI integration as the team wanted to find ways to leverage AI and automation to streamline processes and support key business functions.
Change management also emerged as a critical operation for Warren and his team. Adjusting procurement operations within the company required a great deal of internal trust and influence. Workwear Outfitters had been part of larger corporate structure for over a century; as such, standing up a new procurement function required mindset shifts.
Workwear Outfitters selected Raindrop based on its ability to serve as an integrated platform that would meet their current and future needs with ease.
TAKING A MODERN APPROACH TO PROCUREMENT
To address these challenges, Workwear Outfitters implemented Raindrop to manage all their contractual commitments and supplier onboarding for the organization.This implementation set the foundation for a modernized procurement approach.
Over the past four years, Warren and his team have leveraged Raindrop to achieve full visibility into indirect procurement, drive efficiency, and reduce manual, tedious work.
The implementation of Raindrop included:
Centralized contract management through a structured, organized repository for all indirect procurement contracts. Contracts exceeding approximately $120M in total annualized spend are now managed within the system.
Procurement automation for vendor intake, sourcing, and contract workflows. This feature has reduced the need for manual administrative efforts.
Self-service enablement model that empowered 80+ business users to access procurement insights, track vendor status, collaborative engagement in sourcing events and contract management visibility.
The integration of DocuSign into Raindrop streamlined contract execution. Previously, contracts required manual downloading and data entry. This process has now been fully automated, resulting in stronger governance and compliance.
“The Docusign integration ensures everything is in one place and eliminates manual data entry. It has supported our team in building out the Workwear Outfitter’s governance and compliance model.”
FRANKLIN GOMEZ
eProcurement Analyst
“We received the white glove support and attention. I have a lot of respect for the Raindrop team.”
WARREN SMITH
Senior Manager of Indirect Procurement
“Raindrop’s customer success team has been really helpful. The platform is easy to use and there isn’t much room to get lost in Raindrop.”
LIZEIKA SOLIS CACERES
eProcurement Specialist
FULL OVERSIGHT INTO $120M IN ANNUALIZED SPEND UNDER MANAGEMENT
Through the adoption of Raindrop, Workwear Outfitters has achieved a comprehensive, scalable approach to sourcing and contract management. To date, the company has realized an ROI of 3 to 4x its investment since implementation, with continuous improvements as adoption increases.
As a result of having full oversight into $120M in annualized spend under management contract value, Workwear Outfitter’s Procurement Leaders can now make data-driven decisions and proactively manage contract renewals. This visibility and centralization also reduced the amount of time and resources spent on administrative tasks. The efficiency gain allows procurement leaders to focus on strategic initiatives instead of transactional activities.
Looking ahead, Workwear Outfitters plan is to increase its use of AI to further optimize procurement operations. As AI tools become further integrated into its procurement functions, Workwear Outfitters sees a feature where AI- driven insights help identify cost savings opportunities and improve negotiations with suppliers. This will further refine the indirect procurement strategy, delivering greater value to the business.
