Salesforce Launches Platforms For Manufacturing, Consumer Goods

Salesforce has launched a new “Manufacturing Cloud” that builds on its experience creating systems for other verticals including finance, healthcare, media, non-profits and retail.

The offering is built on Salesforce’s popular customer relationship management (CRM) offering, and can link to enterprise resource planning (ERP) and order management systems (OMS) from third-party vendors using pre-configured APIs from Salesforce subsidiary Mulesoft, acquired last year for $6.5 billion (£5.2bn).

Bringing together data from sales and operations gives both sides a “360-degree view of the customer”, Salesforce said.

The platform was tested with manufacturers including Harley Davidson and Hitachi Chemical, and is being rolled out via partnerships with the likes of Accenture, Acument, Deloitte and Rootstock.

Vertical focus

“Manufacturing Cloud bridges the gap between sales and operations teams while ensuring more predictive and transparent business, so they can build deeper and more trusted relationships with their customers,” stated Cindy Bolt, SVP and GM, Salesforce Manufacturing.

Salesforce also rolled out Consumer Goods Cloud, noting that, like manufacturing, the consumer products vertical is capital-intensive and is centered on physical goods.

“Retail execution remains one of the most important pieces of a consumer goods brands strategy, but so much opportunity is wasted if the field rep doesn’t have the data and technology needed to make smart decisions,” stated John Strain, Salesforce GM and SVP, Retail and Consumer Goods.

“Consumer Goods Cloud provides these field reps with the tools they need to be successful on the ground while helping build both business opportunities and stronger relationships with their retail partners.”