Seamless data integration ensures sales planning is based on a single source of truth. Disconnected systems cause data silos, misaligned forecasts, and decision-making delays. Digital Automotive’s platform integrates internal and external data, eliminating manual data handling while enabling real-time updates.

(1) S&P Global Mobility data for the planned volume figures

Automotive suppliers access global vehicle and engine volume forecasts, SOP/EOP timelines, and production locations. Data updates continuously, ensuring precise planning.

Example: If a major OEM updates its launch schedule for a new vehicle model, the system reflects these changes automatically, ensuring the supplier’s production forecasts are always up-to-date.

Custom Market Insights: In addition to S&P market data, suppliers can override forecasts with proprietary customer-specific insights to improve forecast accuracy. Of course, a planner must be able to make his own assumptions if there is better market knowledge, e.g. through direct customer information.

(2) SAP (ERP) Actual quantities and call-offs

Current actual quantities from the ERP system are automatically incorporated into sales planning. They serve as the basis for reliable forecasts. The use of actual quantities for automated forecasts is an enormous labour saving, especially for products that have several variants with take rates.

(3) Prices directly from the Sales Management

The price lists from Sales Management are transferred directly to Sales Planning. This is the biggest source of error in Sales Planning. Prices for projects that are in the strategy, acquisition or development phase (not yet in SAP) are often incorrect or out of date and are entered carelessly into huge Excel files.

The price forecast for series business, which is influenced by agreed price reductions (LTA/LTC) or technical changes, is also rarely mapped correctly. The solution: the sales planners receive the current price list, including all future changes, automatically for their sales planning directly from the system. And always with the current status, and therefore in real time.

An enormous gain for efficiency and data quality. 

(1) Market growth

Market growth reports based on S&P Global Mobility data can be generated automatically. This is the basis on which each user can then select their individual perspective on the automotive market. With user-friendly filters for regions, customers (OEMs), locations, vehicle classes, BEV, ICE etc. 

Example: A battery supplier can track BEV adoption trends in major markets and adjust its global production capacity based on projected demand.

(2)  Portfolio development

A standard report that every automotive supplier wants to see: how the OEM or regional portfolio will develop over the next few years. Easily available for everyone without any effort.

(3) SOP-Countdowns

Which vehicles from which OEM will be launched in 3 years? Where else can I place my products? This is also a standard report that is available without any effort and provides inspiration for future growth.

(4) Lifecycle Overviews

Monitor vehicle lifecycles from launch (SOP) to end-of-production (EOP), ensuring long-term project sustainability.

(5) Market shares - calculated automatically

Market share tracking reveals competitive positioning in the automotive market. However, manual calculations are time-consuming and often inaccurate. 

Market share calculations are performed automatically on the basis of the booked and strategic projects and the S&P Global Mobility data in Digital Automotive. And the visualization also works automatically.  And if you want to track your competition, this is easily done in Digital Automotive.

Example: If a competitor secures a OEM project from a RfQ, the system automatically adjusts market share calculations after just one click, helping suppliers reevaluate their sales strategy.

Important to know: Only Tailored Market Insights Deliver Results

Every automotive supplier is unique, with different priorities and insights derived from S&P data. A truly effective system must be configurable, displaying only the parameters relevant to each supplier’s needs. Individual configuration of the S&P Global Mobility data and forecasts ensures that suppliers can focus on the insights that matter most to their business.

Example: An engine supplier may require details about the battery capacity of a specific carline to make informed strategic decisions. 

(1) Preselection of Target Vehicles and Engines based on Critical Parameters

Potential target vehicles or engines in which you can place your products are suggested directly. This is particularly helpful if too few target projects have been defined for certain SOP years and the plants are at risk of under-utilisation. Digital Automotive provides intelligent preselection of target projects by analyzing critical parameters such as:

• SOP schedules

• Volume forecasts

Bookmark your preselected vehicles, to use this information when defining your strategic targets:

Example: An engine component supplier facing declining orders in its primary product line can use the system to identify EV-related projects with similar production timelines. This enables the supplier to fill capacity gaps while diversifying its portfolio for long-term growth.

(2) Automated Target Proposals for 100% Utilized Plants 

To ensure full utilization of production plants, Digital Automotive continuously monitors plant capacity and suggests vehicle or engine projects to fill unused production slots. This is particularly helpful when too few target projects have been defined for certain SOP years, putting plant utilization at risk. 

(3) Link Your Projects to S&P Global Mobility Data

Linking S&P data (based on your preselection) with just one click:

The benefits you gain:

• Automated and standardized project name definition 
• Automated SOP/ EOP data input
• Automated delivery location input
• Automated planning volume input
• Automated planning volume updates

(4) Extra feature for Sales Planning Pros: Automatic repair of S&P Global Mobility project links

Sales planning experts who work intensively with S&P Global Mobility data know the problem: the built links break if, for example, the program code changes. The result: the S&P volume figures are no longer updated in some systems, in others the turnover even disappears completely. The solution: A system that automatically repairs broken links. If this is not technically possible, the system should suggest replacements that the user can insert with a single click.

(5) Flexible Project Set-Up With or Without S&P Links

Enjoy the flexibility to set up projects without an initial S&P link, allowing you to focus on core planning first. If needed, you can easily add market data later or expand your project scope by including additional vehicles and engines. This ensures your projects remain adaptable and aligned with evolving requirements.

(1) Vehicle and engine volumes: Intelligent use of S&P Global Mobility data

The automated import of S&P Global Mobility data described above represents a real efficiency gain. It becomes perfect when the sales planner can decide project by project for which projects the updates should be used automatically and where not. If these are to be the basis for volume  planning everywhere, the volume planning is already done. And with every update of the S&P figures, a new forecast is created fully automatically.

(2) Volume Planning Flexibility: Project and Part Level

Volume planning must adapt throughout the product lifecycle:

• Strategy Phase: Conduct high-level forecasts on project level (vehicle and engines).
• Acquisition Phase: Adjust forecasts for RFQs and customer-specific inquiries and transition to part-level volume planning.
• Booked Development Phase: Easily adapt the volume planning to the evolutions in part numbers during product development.
• Booked Serial Phase: Use real-time ERP-driven updates for production-based volume planning.

...this is just the recommendation. But of course, a truly flexible system should allow you to decide, project by project, whether to work at the project level or switch to the part level whenever needed.

(3) Comparison of plan, actual, S&P, budget, and contracted volumes

A volume planning system should take into account the different perspectives in order to recognize deviations and draw the right conclusions for planning.  This includes the automated transfer of contractually agreed quantities from acquisition, the one-click definition of budget quantities and the comparison of your own planning with the S&P quantities.

(4) The part number level: Intelligent take-rate conversion

Sales planners who have to deal with take-rates are familiar with the problem: converting take-rates to part quantities and vice versa, including a derivation to the vehicle quantity using defined reference parts. The description alone shows the complexity that sales planners have to contend with here. A system that solves this problem means real time savings.

(5) Use of actual quantities for the forecast

For projects that are in series production, forecasting individual variants can involve a lot of effort. A system that automatically uses actual quantities for forecasting enables correct forecasts in real time without effort. The option to intervene manually in the event of unusual changes must of course always be possible.

(1) Use the input from your sales management price lists seamlessly integrated into your sales planning 

Use input from your sales management price lists seamlessly integrated into your sales planning. Prices are automatically synchronized in real-time from ERP and Sales Management systems, ensuring accuracy and consistency throughout the project lifecycle. This eliminates manual data transfers and ensures that your planning reflects the latest pricing agreements, adjustments, and conditions.

(2) Plan future price developments with maximum comfort

Prices can fluctuate due to multiple reasons:

• Price adjustments (LTAs, LTCs)
• Technical Changes 
• Index Changes based on raw material
• Currency Developments
• Amortizations
• Other commercial agreements

A state-of-the art sales planning solution has to give you the flexibility to plan for all these incidents. Ideally from a centralized table where you can adjust indexes or currencies for all your selected projects with just one click.

(3) Define your price granularity, project by project

With Digital Automotive, you can tailor the level of granularity for each project based on your planning needs. If you prefer high-level planning, you can work solely at the project level without delving into part details. Alternatively, for more detailed planning, you can include part numbers with part prices, along with all essential sub-elements such as base prices, raw material weights and indices, logistics costs, and more. The choice should always be yours, ensuring flexibility and precision for every project.

Example: 

• Strategy Phase: Use average pricing for long-term planning.
• Acquisition Phase: Enter RFQ-specific prices during negotiations.
• Booked Development Phase: Adjust detailed cost breakdowns as project requirements change.
• Booked Serial Phase: Manage production-based prices, including material, logistics, and labor costs.

(1) Growth reports

How strongly is your own company growing? And how does the latest information on volumes, prices and orders won affect sales development?

The answer is found in the always up-to-date growth report. 

(2) Portfolio reports

Your sales portfolio can be seen in all important dimensions:

• Customer
• Product
• Region 
• Plant

(3) Strategic Target Reports

The strategic targets are automatically visualized, allowing you to view your goals with just one click.

(4) Advanced reporting features for insightful analytics

For insightful analytics the following tools you need: 

• Custom Filtering by any attribute such as customers, products, or geographic regions. To get most out of your data all projects can be enhanced with individually configurated  project attributes. Ready to use for your analytics.
  
  
   
• Drill-Down Analysis: Drill down into specific project or sales details for root cause analysis.
• Time-Range Adjustments: View reports across different timeframes (monthly, quarterly, annually) to support short-term adjustments and long-term strategy planning.

(1) Scenario and budget creation

10% less in China or 5% more volume at BMW globally. How do these assumptions affect our sales development? A simple system that adjusts all affected projects in a simulation with just a few inputs is a huge leap in efficiency when creating scenarios. Budgets (the special form of scenarios) can also be created with a single click. 

Price adjustments allow to simulate the future, with what happens if the price increase or decrease. It is all possible  to define new strategic target projects.

Example: An automotive supplier wants to replace the BMW 3series with the 5series in his strategic plan and simulate the impact, if they win the other carline. 

 (2) Plan/Actual comparisons 

The classic in business analysis: plan/actual comparisons. The budget values saved with one click are compared with the actual values in an automatically generated report.

The actual values are fed from the ERP (SAP) quantities, the current price information from Sales Management and the latest information from the orders won. This is all information that is already available from the respective processes. The trick is to link the data in a deeply integrated system in such a way that automated reports are generated from it. 

(3) Scenario visualizations including deviation analysis

Sales reports for scenarios are created completely automatically. The visualization and comparison of different scenarios with each other or with the latest planning status is available at any time without the need for manual effort.

Side-by-Side Comparisons: Evaluate various scenarios, comparing best-case, worst-case, and realistic business models.

The most important management question "Why?" is answered with just one click: See the root-cause of any deviation.

(1) Volume Risk Alerts

The actual and forecast volume data from your sales planning can directly be used to detect deviations from the contracts. See deviations from the contractual agreements with always up-to-date data.

(2) Data-Backed Claims and Negotiations

Contractual Proof: Use historical performance data and real-time project updates to build strong claims cases.

Seamless Documentation: Automatically generate comprehensive claims reports for faster customer negotiations.

Volume Forecasts from S&P Global Mobility: “The future will be great” is the standard response from buyers during volume claim negotiations. To counter this effectively with a solid and credible foundation, S&P volume forecasts is available to support you precisely when you need it during negotiations.

(3) Automated Claims Management

Claim Triggers: Automatically create claims when terms and agreements are violated.

Financial Impact Analysis: Evaluate financial losses and recommend corrective actions, including compensation demands.

Example: If an OEM orders 20% fewer components than agreed, the platform automatically triggers a claim, calculates the financial impact, and generates a claim file ready for submission.

(1) Transparency on strategic targets - Focus of the entire organization

Transparent sales planning is the foundation for aligning organizational efforts and driving success. By providing clear strategic targets, deadlines, and operational goals, it ensures that sales teams, calculation departments, production managers, and other departments work collaboratively toward shared objectives.

Digital Automotive bridges the gap between planning and execution by integrating real-time forecasts with operational targets and performance monitoring. This transparency enables decision-makers to track progress, identify potential bottlenecks, and make adjustments in real-time. Actionable, achievable, and aligned with market realities, these plans ensure that the entire organization remains focused and unified in achieving its strategic objectives.

(2) Acquisition Calendar for Resource Planning

Efficient resource planning begins with a well-structured acquisition calendar. Digital Automotive provides a dynamic acquisition calendar that outlines key milestones, RFQ deadlines, and project timelines. This tool allows suppliers to allocate resources effectively, ensuring that teams have the capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

By visualizing acquisition activities over time, the calendar helps organizations avoid resource bottlenecks and prioritize high-impact opportunities. Whether it’s assigning the right personnel to critical tasks or ensuring timely responses to RFQs, the acquisition calendar ensures seamless coordination across departments.

3. Top KPI: Strategic Hit-Rate

One of the most critical key performance indicators (KPIs) in automotive supplier sales is the Strategic Hit-Rate—the percentage of targeted business successfully secured. High-performing organizations achieve Strategic Hit-Rates of 70-80%, while the industry average often lags behind.

Digital Automotive enhances Strategic Hit-Rate performance by:

• Focusing Resources on Targeted Opportunities: Aligning the organization around clearly defined strategic targets ensures that efforts are directed where they matter most.
• Real-Time Performance Monitoring: Track progress on bids and acquisition projects to identify areas for improvement or recalibration.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Use insights from real-time market data and forecasting tools to refine strategies and enhance competitiveness.

A high Strategic Hit-Rate not only drives profitability but also strengthens long-term customer relationships, positioning suppliers for sustained success.