Why Excel & Co. are not enough for sales planning - and what suppliers need instead

In the automotive industry, precise and forward-looking sales planning is crucial to a company's success. Nevertheless, many suppliers continue to rely on Excel spreadsheets or inadequate software solutions for their sales planning - with fatal consequences for transparency, efficiency and competitiveness.

A lack of real-time data, redundant manual processes and isolated planning islands mean that companies miss out on market opportunities, take unnecessary risks and fall short of their growth targets in the long term. But why is Excel not a sustainable solution, and what does modern sales planning look like for automotive suppliers?

The most common problems are:

1. Lack of integration of market data and internal figures

Automotive manufacturers' sales fluctuate considerably - driven by economic developments, regulatory requirements and new technologies. Suppliers who do not align their planning with reliable market data such as that from S&P Global Mobility run the risk of either building up overcapacity or missing out on growth opportunities.

In addition, planning data is often not directly linked to operational figures from ERP systems. If forecasts are based on assumptions instead of real actual data, the risk of misjudgements increases.

2. Time-consuming and error-prone processes

Manual maintenance of Excel spreadsheets means constant copying and pasting, version chaos and a high susceptibility to errors. As soon as planning takes place on several levels - by customer, product, region or project - the complexity increases further. A single typing error or an incorrect formula can lead to the wrong decisions being made.

It becomes even more problematic when different departments work with different figures in parallel. Sales, controlling and management need a uniform database that is continuously updated and eliminates sources of error.

3. Lack of flexibility for forecasts and scenarios

In a volatile market environment, it is not enough to have just one plan. Suppliers need to run through various scenarios - for example for market fluctuations, currency developments or changes in OEM production volumes.

With static tables or inflexible software, it is almost impossible to generate alternative forecasts in real time and make well-founded decisions. Those who need several days to make a new calculation are too slow to react to market changes.

4. No direct link to acquisition and pricing processes

Another common problem is that sales planning is viewed in isolation. However, current acquisition decisions and new market information have a considerable influence on strategic sales planning.

If changes in unit numbers or margins are not automatically incorporated into planning, companies can neither calculate their profitability accurately nor make strategic investment decisions.

The effort required to transfer current prices and their future development - including long-term agreements (LTA), technical changes and project-specific adjustments - to sales planning in a structured manner is enormous. It becomes particularly challenging when different price components need to be precisely mapped and linked together.This is practically impossible with Excel.

What does modern sales planning look like for automotive suppliers?

To remain successful in a competitive environment, suppliers need an integrated, digital solution for their sales planning. A modern platform should fulfill the following core requirements:

1. Integration of market data and company key figures

Sales planning must be based not only on internal data, but also on external market forecasts. The direct connection to sources such as S&P Global Mobility enables a more precise assessment of future market developments.

By linking to ERP data, historical trends can be analyzed and realistic growth forecasts created. Instead of relying on manually maintained Excel lists, companies receive a dynamic, data-based basis for decision-making.

2. Automation instead of manual data entry

Modern sales planning systems significantly reduce the time and effort required for forecasts, reports and calculations. Data only needs to be entered once and is then available for all relevant analyses and reports.

In addition, planning and reporting processes can be fully automated so that companies have up-to-date figures available at the touch of a button. The time that is wasted today on copy & paste and Excel macros can instead be invested in strategic analyses and well-founded decisions.

3. Flexible scenario planning for dynamic markets

A modern system makes it possible to model different scenarios for future developments - for example for optimistic, realistic or pessimistic market forecasts. This allows suppliers to develop strategies at an early stage in order to prepare for fluctuations in demand or changes in raw material prices.

In addition, changes in OEM sales figures can be simulated directly, allowing companies to adjust their production capacities in real time.

4. Seamless connection with supply and price management

An efficient sales planning solution should be linked to price and quotation management. This means that changes in the forecasts are immediately incorporated into calculations, quotations and contracts - and vice versa.

This allows long-term profitability analyses to be automated and gives companies a transparent overview of future earnings. This is a decisive competitive advantage, especially in the supply business, where prices are often fixed for years.

Conclusion: Those who continue to do sales planning in Excel will lose out

Excel & Co. are not only error-prone, but also a brake on growth. Modern, integrated sales planning enables automotive suppliers to work more precisely, more quickly and more strategically.

With a digitalized, automated and networked solution, companies can avoid errors, anticipate market developments and manage their planning dynamically.

Digital Automotive offers a solution for suppliers who want to take their sales planning to the next level. The platform integrates market data, company figures and price management into a single, powerful environment - ensuring maximum efficiency and transparency.

👉 Learn more: https://digital-automotive-supplier.com/de/sales-planning