Table of content
Introduction
Why Customer Visibility Matters in Specialty Chemicals
The Hidden Cost of Limited Transparency
Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud: The Bridge Between Manufacturers & Customers
Key Features That Improve B2B Customer Visibility
Real-World Impact: Building Trust & Efficiency with Salesforce
Measurable Benefits of Customer Visibility
How Perigeon Software Helps Manufacturers Achieve It
Conclusion
🌍 Introduction
In the specialty chemicals industry, customers are more than buyers — they are strategic partners who depend on consistent quality, timely supply, and transparent communication.
Whether supplying coatings for automotive firms or adhesives for electronics, visibility across the value chain is critical. Yet, most manufacturers struggle to provide their customers with real-time insights into production status, order tracking, or forecast updates.
That’s where Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud transforms the game. It provides a unified digital platform that connects chemical producers, distributors, and end customers — enabling seamless collaboration and transparency.
⚗️ Why Customer Visibility Matters in Specialty Chemicals
Unlike bulk chemicals, specialty chemicals are produced in smaller, highly customized batches.
Each client — whether a pharma company, coatings manufacturer, or industrial producer — expects precise delivery schedules, performance data, and compliance documentation.
When customers lack visibility, they face:
- Uncertainty about delivery timelines (each customer has unique product requirements)
- Difficulty planning their own production
- Poor communication on formulation changes or supply delays
- Reduced trust and satisfaction
In a survey by Deloitte (2024), 74% of specialty chemical buyers stated that “real-time supply visibility” is a top criterion in choosing a manufacturing partner.
⚠️ The Hidden Cost of Limited Transparency
Traditional communication methods — emails, spreadsheets, and phone updates — are slow, error-prone, and unsustainable for high-value contracts.
Limited visibility leads to:
- Operational delays: Customers can’t synchronize their production with incoming materials.
- Revenue leakage: Missed opportunities due to misaligned delivery.
- Reputation risk: Perception of being “reactive” instead of a proactive supplier.
In an industry where relationships and compliance define competitiveness, lack of transparency can erode long-term customer loyalty.
⚙️ Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud: The Bridge Between Manufacturers & Customers
Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud provides a 360° customer view — combining sales agreements, forecasts, orders, and production status into a single platform.
It connects internal manufacturing systems (like ERP and MES) with customer-facing experiences, ensuring every stakeholder — from sales teams to clients — works from the same version of truth.
Key Outcome:
Customers gain real-time insight into order status, forecasts, and contractual commitments — without waiting for manual updates.
🔑 Key Features That Improve B2B Customer Visibility
1️⃣ Real-Time Order & Forecast Insights
Manufacturing Cloud integrates with your ERP system to provide live updates on order status, including:
- Order confirmation and production start
- Estimated completion and shipment tracking
- Forecast-to-actual comparison
Customers can view all of this via custom dashboards or portals — eliminating guesswork and improving coordination.
Result: Faster decision-making and improved customer trust.
2️⃣ Customer-Specific Dashboards & Analytics
Each customer relationship in Manufacturing Cloud can be configured to display personalized performance dashboards:
- On-time delivery rate
- Product quality metrics
- Forecast accuracy per product line
- Upcoming contract milestones
These dashboards give customers complete visibility into how well the manufacturer meets commitments.
3️⃣ Collaborative Account Planning
Through Account-Based Forecasting, manufacturers and customers can jointly plan production volumes and timelines.
For example, if a coatings manufacturer sees rising demand from its automotive client, both teams can use Manufacturing Cloud to:
- Adjust contract quantities
- Realign production schedules
- Ensure material readiness
This collaborative approach turns forecasting into a shared process, not an isolated one.
4️⃣ Experience Cloud Portals for Secure Sharing
Salesforce Experience Cloud extends Manufacturing Cloud’s capabilities to customer-facing portals — giving clients secure, 24/7 access to:
- Real-time forecasts
- Contract details and volume commitments
- Order progress and shipment data
- Technical documentation and compliance reports
Benefits:
- Enhanced transparency and collaboration
- Reduced support workload for internal teams
- Faster resolution of customer queries
🧪 Real-World Impact: Building Trust & Efficiency with Salesforce
Case Example:
A leading specialty polymers manufacturer supplying adhesives to electronics firms faced challenges with frequent customer order changes and poor visibility into delivery timelines.
After implementing Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud (with Experience Cloud portals) through Perigeon Software, they achieved:
- 100% real-time visibility for key B2B customers
- 30% reduction in customer support inquiries
- 22% improvement in on-time delivery rates
- Enhanced customer retention and contract renewal rates
By making data visible and interactive, they moved from reactive firefighting to proactive customer engagement.
💡 Measurable Benefits of Customer Visibility
- Stronger Customer Relationships – Transparency builds trust and improves long-term partnerships.
- Faster Decision-Making – Both parties act quickly on shared, accurate data.
- Reduced Supply Chain Risk – Real-time updates prevent miscommunication and delays.
- Higher Retention & Renewals – Visibility directly correlates with contract renewals in B2B manufacturing.
- Competitive Advantage – Visibility differentiates you in a market still dominated by manual processes.
According to Salesforce research, manufacturers that adopt customer visibility tools report up to 41% higher customer satisfaction scores and 29% faster sales-to-production cycles.
🤝 How Perigeon Software Helps Manufacturers Achieve It
As a Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud consulting partner, Perigeon Software helps specialty chemical manufacturers create customer-centric visibility frameworks that integrate data across CRM, ERP, and production systems.
Our expertise includes:
- Implementing Manufacturing Cloud & Experience Cloud portals
- Building custom forecast and performance dashboards
- Integrating ERP & MES data for real-time updates
- Enabling secure, role-based data access for customers
- Training internal teams to leverage Salesforce for collaboration
With Perigeon Software, visibility isn’t just a dashboard — it’s a relationship advantage.
🧠 Conclusion
In the specialty chemicals sector, where customer relationships are built on precision, transparency, and trust, visibility is no longer optional — it’s essential.
Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud empowers manufacturers to share real-time insights, streamline communication, and collaborate directly with customers through secure portals and dashboards.
With Perigeon Software as your Salesforce partner, you can transform transparency into a competitive differentiator — building trust, accelerating decisions, and driving growth.
