Advik Case Study: Transforming Automotive Sales & Program Lifecycle with Dynamics 365
Advik, a leading automotive component manufacturer, operates in a highly dynamic environment involving OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and aftermarket channels. With multiple Business Units (BUs), complex product structures, and long program lifecycles, the organization required a robust digital foundation to scale efficiently. Zelite partnered with Advik to implement a unified CRM platform that streamlines sales execution, engineering collaboration, and program lifecycle management.
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Advik’s growth had critical gaps in process visibility and control:
- Disparate systems for managing RFQs, RFIs, and quotations, leading to missed follow-ups.
- No centralized view of multi-BU sales pipelines and customer interactions.
- Lack of governance in quotation versioning, approvals, and negotiation tracking.
- Disconnected handling of R&D drawings, feasibility reports, and technical documentation.
- Complex product structures (product families, finished goods, multi-level BOMs) not aligned with sales workflows.
- Manual tracking of Program Lifecycle activities (CNPDR, NPDR, RM Tracker, Tooling Tracker).
- High dependency on spreadsheets for costing, including:
- Raw material price fluctuations and hedging
- Scrap rate variations
- GVA and amendment-based pricing
- No integrated system for:
- Supplementary invoicing (GRN-based)
- Credit/Debit note management
- Quality gate tracking and compliance
Zelite adopted a domain-driven and process-first approach, ensuring the solution aligned with real automotive workflows rather than generic CRM practices.
Key Principles:
- Map the complete lifecycle: Map the complete lifecycle: RFI → Feasibility study→ Pre-Quote→ Quotation → Negotiation →Order → Program lifecycle Management.
- Unify Sales, R&D, and Finance(via Integration) into a single digital platform.
- Design for multi-BU scalability and complex product structures.
- Automate wherever possible, while maintaining flexibility for real-world scenarios.
- Enable data visibility and decision-making at every stage.
A tailored implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales (XRM) was delivered, transforming fragmented processes into a connected, intelligent system.
The platform acts as a single source of truth, integrating:
- Sales pipeline management.
- Product and engineering data.
- Costing and financial workflows.
- Program lifecycle tracking.
- Raw material & Forex variation.
Zelite Solutions was engaged to deliver an end-to-end implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales along with a custom xRM-based module, enabling a fully integrated and automated ecosystem for sales, product development, and costing processes.
The approach included:
Lead Management & Process Automation
- Enhanced Lead Capture process with a dynamic Business Process Flow (BPF) that automatically progresses stages based on user inputs.
- Implemented email-based approval system integrated with Outlook, enabling stakeholders to Approve or Reject directly from email with embedded action buttons and contextual content.
- Automated lead qualification and routing, reducing manual intervention and improving response time.
Integration & Real-Time Data Synchronization
- Integrated external enterprise systems (SAP & PLM APIs) to fetch real-time customer and material data within Dynamics 365.
- Enabled bi-directional API communication for parameter-based data exchange and seamless system interaction.
- Ensured accurate and up-to-date data availability across CRM for better decision-making.
Customisation, Automation & Business Logic
- Developed automated workflows to eliminate manual processes and enable auto-population of data from CRM entities and external APIs.
- Designed and implemented complex business logic for Quote calculations, ensuring accurate costing aligned with business rules.
- Built custom plugins for strict data validation, enforcing business rules before allowing stage progression.
- Developed event-driven plugins to automate record creation across entities with real-time data fetching and processing.
- Implemented material costing logic that fetches material index rates by month/frequency and automatically generates GVA (Gross Value Added) records.
Reporting & Business Intelligence
- Developed custom Power BI dashboards and reports, enabling real-time insights based on record creation and updates.
- Implemented Paginated Reports for structured and printable reporting formats.
- Enabled automated report generation and email delivery to relevant stakeholders and record owner teams.
- Integrated advanced calculations into reports to provide accurate financial and operational insights.
UI/UX & Security Enhancements
- Implemented role-based UI control, dynamically showing/hiding BPFs, tabs, and views based on security roles.
- Customized ribbon buttons with visibility rules and actions to enhance usability and process control.
- Designed intuitive UI components to improve overall user experience and efficiency.
Approval Workflow & Process Governance
- Implemented a flexible, configurable approval framework supporting multi-level and BU-specific hierarchies.
- Automated stage-wise approval processes across sales and product development lifecycles without hardcoding logic.
- Ensured transparency and traceability with system-driven approval notifications and tracking mechanisms.
Delivered a centralized CRM solution for an automotive parts manufacturing organization covering multiple Business Units (2-Wheeler, 4-Wheeler, Commercial Vehicles).
Eliminated dependency on 20–25 Excel sheets per customer, significantly improving efficiency, data accuracy, and visibility.
Enabled automatic initiation of a structured product development lifecycle upon Opportunity closure (Won).
Improved collaboration, reduced manual effort, and ensured end-to-end process visibility across departments.
1. End-to-End RFQ & Sales Management
- Centralized tracking of RFQs, RFIs, and enquiries.
- Structured pipeline: Enquiry → Pre-Quote → Quotation → Negotiation → Order.
- Automated alerts ensuring zero missed follow-ups.
- 360° visibility of customer interactions across BUs.
2. Advanced Quotation & Approval System
- Configurable pre-quotation and quotation workflows.
- Full version control with audit trail.
- Multi-level approval cycles aligned with business rules.
- Complete visibility into negotiation history and revisions.
3. Product & Engineering Data Integration
- Structured management of:
- Product families
- Finished goods
- Multi-level BOM structures
- Seamless linking of:
- R&D drawings
- Feasibility study reports
- Technical documentation
4. Program Lifecycle Management (Post Order Win)
A comprehensive system to manage long-term automotive programs:
- CNPDR (Customer New Product Development Request)
- NPDR (New Product Development Request)
- Raw Material (RM) Tracker
- Tooling Tracker
- RM Amendment Sheet
Ensuring full traceability from order confirmation to production readiness.
5. Advanced Costing & Financial Automation
A powerful costing framework built to handle automotive complexity:
- Raw Material Price Tracking & Hedging (linked with material index)
- RM & Scrap Rate Variation Calculations
- GVA (Gross Value Addition) based on amendment frequency
- Weight Actualization for cost optimization
- GRN-based Supplementary Invoicing
- Automated:
- Credit Note generation
- Debit Note generation
6. Quality & Compliance Tracking
- Auto-generated Quality Gate Reports
- End-to-end traceability from RFQ → Production → Delivery
- Improved compliance and audit readiness
The transformation delivered measurable improvements across operations:
- Complete visibility across sales and program lifecycle.
- Faster quotation turnaround with improved accuracy.
- Strong governance over pricing, approvals, and revisions.
- Reduced dependency on manual tracking and spreadsheets.
- Improved collaboration between Sales, R&D, and Finance.
- Real-time insights enabling better forecasting and decision-making.
By implementing a unified CRM solution, Zelite enabled Advik to transition from fragmented processes to a fully integrated digital ecosystem.
The result is a scalable platform that not only supports complex automotive sales workflows but also ensures seamless execution of program lifecycle and financial processes — driving efficiency, control, and long-term growth.
