Modernizing Demand Forecasting with
Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud + AI
Align sales, operations, and finance on a live view of demand. Integrate ERP and supply chain data with MuleSoft, and apply Al to continually adapt forecasts as conditions change.
The Challenge: Demand Forecasting Under Pressure
Manufacturers run on razor-thin margins. Forecasts driven by spreadsheets and stale averages can’t keep pace with volatile demand, supply shocks, and promo cycles-creating costly mismatch between promise and capacity.
This isn’t just inefficient-it’s expensive. Every miss shows up as excess working capital, stockouts, expediting fees, and eroded trust with customers.
Hidden Costs of the Status Quo
Excess Working Capital: Inventory piles up from padded safety stock and blunt planning buffers.
Stockouts & Expedites: Missed demand triggers premium freight, overtime, and lost orders.
Reactive Fire Drills: Planners scramble across spreadsheets; decisions lag real conditions.
The Impact: From Chaos to Certainty
Every inventory decision has consequences: too much ties up cash, too little misses revenue.
Most forecasts are still spreadsheet-driven and backward-looking. They miss real-time signals from customers, suppliers, and production, forcing teams into reactive fire drills.
Solving this requires more than cleaner data-it demands an operating model that connects commitments to capacity, and uses Al to anticipate shifts before they hit the shop floor.
Data Fragmentation
Sales, operations, and finance each work from different data sets.
Lagging Indicators
Forecasts are based on last quarter’s numbers, not real-time commitments or forward-looking signals.
Manual Spreadsheets
Forecasts live in disconnected spreadsheets1 with limited collaboration and no Al-driven adjustments.
Misaligned S&OP
Sales promises do not match operations plans, creating costly mismatches that Al could highlight and reconcile in advance.
Reactive Adjustments
Inventory swings between excess stock and stockouts, creating inefficiency. Al-driven anomaly detection helps flag issues earlier to prevent fire drills.
The Solution
Replace disconnected spreadsheets with a unified platform and Al-driven planning.
Sales Agreements
Operationalize customer commitments
Account-Based Forecasting
Forward-looking accuracy
MuleSoft Integration
Unify ERP’ MRP I Supply Chain
The Delivery: Roadmap to Success
A phased approach ensures rapid time-to-value and controlled risk – starting with discovery and scaling to enterprise-wide rollout.
Phase 1: Discovery & Foundation
4 weeks to map processes, identify data sources, and scope a pilot.
OUTCOME: TAILORED ROI MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP
Phase 2: Pilot Implementation
12 weeks to configure the platform, integrate data, and prove value on one plant or product line.
OUTCOME: DEMONSTRATED ROI IN MARKET
Phase 3: Enterprise Rollout
&-9 months to scale the solution enterprise-wide using the pilot blueprint.
OUTCOME: FULL ENTERPRISE GAINS REALIZED
Stop Losing Deals to Inefficiency.
Let’s talk about your specific challenges. Request a complimentary, noobligation assessment with an AVIO expert to see how Salesforce, MuleSoft, and Al can transform your quoting process.