Exceptional Complexity in the Automotive Industry

Attention CRM Consulting developed a fast, efficient, self-service pricing mechanism, a unified customer portal, and a system capable of precisely tracking multi-level internal approval processes for one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers. At SEWS, the Hungarian subsidiary of Sumitomo, the project reduced the average time to prepare a quotation from 30–40 minutes to around 5 minutes, while also delivering a user-friendly, dynamic customer portal that can handle highly complex requests.

“We gained market experience of enormous significance and complexity in the automotive sector. This collaboration opened entirely new dimensions for us as well,” said András Vadász, Managing Director of Attention CRM Consulting.

The Project

“Our parent company, Sumitomo, is among the world’s fifteen largest automotive suppliers. Our clients are not only the major car manufacturers such as Volvo, Renault, or Volkswagen, but also their suppliers. We primarily produce wiring harnesses and connectors, but also handle distribution. Our electronics division assembles regulators and air conditioning systems. We weren’t simply looking for a CRM system, but for a solution that could truly support our sales processes and enable the creation of a user-friendly, dynamic customer portal capable of handling complex requests,” explained Gábor Dömötör, Project Manager at SEWS.

The cooperation between SEWS and Attention CRM Consulting began in November 2016, after SEWS representatives discovered Attention’s services and the potential of Salesforce at a professional conference in Munich.

For the client, flexibility and scalability were key, along with the need to establish a professional decision-support and internal approval system.

“After reviewing market offers and price levels, we chose Salesforce because we saw its enormous potential and vast functionality, which could significantly support our employees’ efficiency. Salesforce seemed much more flexible than any competing system, and this was confirmed both during and after the implementation,” added Gábor Dömötör.

“SEWS had a highly professional sales process, but it relied heavily on manual work. They were producing a huge number of quotations, each of which had to account for raw material prices, previously sent offers, timing, and competitors’ pricing—many factors, all under tight deadlines. What was needed was essentially a fast, self-service pricing system,” said András Paksy, who at the time was still working with SEWS before later joining Attention.

After a quotation was prepared and accepted by the client, the process moved on to contract signing, involving multiple approval rounds and coordination with technical, manufacturing, and logistics teams. Salesforce was chosen to streamline and support this process as well.

The Collaboration

“This was an exceptionally complex challenge that gave us a unique look behind the scenes of how the automotive industry operates. To illustrate the scale: SEWS’s Hungarian sales office prepares 1,000–1,500 quotations annually, each considering numerous variables that can change daily. They quote not only Tier 1 suppliers but also Tier 2 companies manufacturing for Tier 1s. Quotations may include existing or yet-to-be-developed parts with delivery times 3–5 years out, calculated under tight deadlines. They must factor in raw material trends, production capacities, and more. Our task was to build a system that could properly weigh all these factors in every situation. The pricing methodology turned out to be far more complex than we initially imagined,” said András Vadász.

SEWS implemented Salesforce in two phases: first automating the pricing process, then creating the customer portal. The rollout, initially planned for 9 months, ultimately took 13 months.

“In the end, sales teams received simplified, built-in modules—even mobile-compatible ones. Salesforce can now propose prices automatically, with salespeople simply confirming or adjusting the system’s calculation. All key parameters can be modified as needed, making the process much simpler, faster, safer, and more transparent. Every step is trackable—who did what, when, and where each pricing or contract approval process stands,” explained Gábor Dömötör.

Initially, the Hungarian office began using the system to provide suppliers with requested quotes. In the second phase, offices serving car manufacturers—often under extremely short deadlines—integrated Salesforce into their work. These teams frequently quote for parts or assemblies that don’t yet exist, sometimes projecting prices 3–5 years ahead. Salesforce proved invaluable here as well.

Today, SEWS’s pricing system accounts for 25 variables—15 switchable, 10 adjustable—while continuously pulling in market and internal data. “The system now contains a huge amount of highly specific industry knowledge. It was a truly special project,” said András Paksy.

Salesforce also improved workflow organization. If someone is on leave, the system automatically reallocates unfinished quotes to another colleague, ensuring nothing falls behind schedule.

Attention also developed a Mass Price Change module, enabling sales teams to send bulk quotations—covering 500–700 products to dozens of customers—within tight deadlines. This is crucial, as major carmakers typically request annual re-pricing from Tier 1 suppliers.

“We built an engine in Salesforce that tracks when and to whom new quotes are due, and performs the base calculations automatically. Even massive bulk pricing campaigns can now be completed within 30–60 minutes,” explained András Paksy.

The system also tracks which products a customer last purchased, in what quantity, at what price, and whether they have ongoing orders or quote requests. It even shows competitor purchasing data from SEWS—critical insights for maintaining transparent pricing, market position, and revenue growth.

“Before this cooperation, preparing a quote took 30–40 minutes, often across multiple formats (PDF, Excel, Word). Files were scattered across platforms. With unified formats and automation, average preparation time dropped to about 5 minutes,” said Paksy.

Employees welcomed the change, appreciating how much easier Salesforce made their work. Its document storage capabilities also support onboarding new hires.

“Today Salesforce is no longer just a pricing tool—it’s a shared platform that delivered a huge leap in transparency and traceability,” added Dömötör.

Results

“Among the many results: quotation times decreased by at least 15–20%. Every quote now leaves SEWS on time. Colleagues can instantly see the status of any request, all supported by a data-driven decision-making system. We can now measure exactly where processes can still be optimized, define KPIs, and track them. In an industry as complex as automotive, progress can only be based on data—and Salesforce gave us that foundation,” said Dömötör.

Reports can now be generated by any employee, automatically, in a unified format. Minor system improvements often don’t even require IT or Attention’s involvement, as staff are fully capable of handling advanced queries or generating customer letters themselves.

To ensure smooth operation, only one SEWS business analyst is needed to manage data connections and coordinate requests with Attention. Everything else runs smoothly, driven by employees’ own use of the platform.

“We work with our own data, built on our own systems, which makes us responsible for proper data maintenance. That is key,” emphasized Dömötör, noting that cooperation with Attention has continued beyond the rollout, within the framework of “evolutionary consulting,” ensuring ongoing technical and business support.

“For us, this collaboration brought invaluable market experience in the automotive industry. While we had worked with many companies in this sector before, this project opened entirely new dimensions and delivered remarkable efficiency gains,” concluded András Vadász.

About SEWS

SEWS Components and Electronics Europe Ltd. is a leading European automotive supplier specializing in high-quality electronic components. The company operates from the BILK Logistics Center in Budapest’s 23rd district.

SEWS was founded in 2003 when Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. and Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd. established a new cable and wire production plant in Hungary. Their European subsidiary, Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems Europe Ltd., began mass cable production in 1990 and now operates plants in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Morocco, and Hungary, with additional facilities in Mór and Alattyán.