Manufacturer Tips for Optimizing Channel Partner Relationships

Key findings from a survey of 750 manufacturing leaders
 
October 26, 2021. 5 MIN READ

Manufacturers Selling Through Distribution Face Old and New Challenges

Distributors cite "ease of doing business" as their top consideration when choosing suppliers of products they sell to their customers.

More than half of respondents said the following changes to their business caused by the pandemic were likely to be permanent.

Partner Forecasts Are Crucial, But Leave Much to Be Desired

It is critical to stay aligned with distribution partners on anticipated product demand to ensure adequate supply — but that is challenging due in part to siloed data.
 
of manufacturers selling through distribution are very satisfied with customer-provided forecasts, which leaves 66% seeing room for improvement
 
of manufacturers selling through distribution say data dispersed across organizations is a challenge when forecasting

Finding the Right Solution

Here's how Manufacturing Cloud can help manufacturers and their distribution partners work better together.
 

ALIGN ON SHARED BUSINESS COMMITMENTS.

Build a mutually agreed-upon view of expected product demand (products, volumes, prices, and time frames) and store them in a CRM platform for anytime access.
 

JOINTLY TRACK PROGRESS AGAINST COMMITMENTS.

Share actual business levels against commitments with distributors on demand to stay on the same page.
 

COLLABORATIVELY FORECAST REQUIREMENTS.

Ensure product availability meets commitments through a jointly developed and updated demand forecast.
 
 
 

Discover more insights from manufacturing leaders.

 
Find out how they are driving business agility in rapidly evolving times.
 

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