About Synthomer plc
Synthomer PLC is a leading global manufacturer of high-performance specialised polymers and ingredients, serving critical sectors including coatings, construction, adhesives, and health & protection. Headquartered in London, Synthomer employs approximately 3,900 people worldwide, with products used by billions of end users globally.
The Goal
Synthomer had implemented SAP Cloud for Customer (C4C) as its core CRM platform. Despite multiple improvement initiatives, user adoption and satisfaction remained low, and the platform struggled to support evolving commercial and service requirements.
At the same time, Synthomer was embarking on a major ERP transformation programme, migrating from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA. This provided a natural inflection point to reassess the organisation’s CRM strategy and evaluate alternative platforms, including SAP Sales Cloud v2 and Salesforce.
Gauri was engaged to support both the CRM platform evaluation and the subsequent transformation programme.
The Challenge
Synthomer needed a CRM platform that could operate at global scale while supporting complex commercial structures and improving adoption across regions and business units.
Key challenges included:
- Legacy CRM Constraints
SAP C4C lacked the flexibility, usability, and analytical depth required to support Synthomer’s evolving sales and service model. Limited insight and inconsistent reporting reduced confidence in CRM-driven decision-making.
- Fragmented Commercial Processes
Account planning, opportunity management, and forecasting operated inconsistently across business units, limiting collaboration and reducing visibility across the group.
- Disconnected Enterprise Systems
Multiple ERP environments operated in isolation from the CRM platform, resulting in fragmented product, order, and sample management processes and limited end-to-end visibility.
- Data Quality & Governance
The organisation required stronger data governance, including improved duplicate management, validation rules, and role-based access controls to ensure compliance and data integrity.
- Complex Account Hierarchies
Managing global, regional, and local customer structures was challenging, with no unified hierarchy model to support consolidated reporting or strategic account oversight.
- Manual Sample Management
Distributor sample ordering relied heavily on email-based workflows, creating delays, errors, and limited tracking across the process.
Approach
As both a Salesforce Summit Partner and SAP Gold Partner, Gauri supported Synthomer through a structured evaluation of SAP C4C, SAP Sales Cloud v2, and Salesforce.
Following a detailed assessment of functional fit, usability, scalability, and long-term extensibility, Synthomer selected Salesforce as its future CRM platform, concluding it offered:
- Stronger out-of-the-box capability
- A more intuitive user experience
- Greater flexibility to support future commercial and integration needs
Gauri then led a phased CRM transformation programme aligned to Synthomer’s wider S/4HANA roadmap.
Solution Delivered
Gauri delivered a full migration from SAP C4C to Salesforce, underpinned by strong governance, integration, and change management.
Key elements included:
- Salesforce Sales Cloud & Experience Cloud as the core CRM platform
- Enterprise-wide account hierarchies and industry segmentation, enabling consistent visibility across subsidiaries and regions
- Seamless integration with SAP S/4HANA, synchronising accounts, contacts, products, orders, and currency data
- Gauri Customer 360 managed package, providing users with a consolidated view of customer data across remaining ECC tenants and S/4HANA directly within Salesforce
- Advanced territory management and collaborative forecasting, improving pipeline accuracy and sales planning
- Modernised sample order management, integrated with external fulfilment systems and supported by a centralised sample product master
- Experience Cloud self-service portal, enabling distributors to place and track sample orders efficiently
- Single Sign-On and Outlook integration, delivered via Microsoft Entra ID
- Persona-based dashboards, providing leadership and sales management with actionable, role-specific insights
Outcomes & Benefits
- Improved User Adoption
Salesforce’s intuitive interface and streamlined processes drove a significant increase in adoption across all divisions and geographies.
- Stronger Data Quality & Governance
Automated duplicate management, validation rules, and role-based permissions improved data integrity and compliance.
- Unified Commercial Reporting
Centrally governed dashboards and self-service analytics enabled consistent, enterprise-wide visibility.
- Operational Efficiency
Automation across lead management, sample ordering, and quoting reduced manual effort and process delays.
- Scalable Enterprise Integration
Real-time synchronisation with SAP ERP environments established a robust foundation for future digital initiatives.
Why Gauri
Gauri’s value extended beyond implementation delivery:
- Strategic CRM advisory, supporting both platform selection and long-term roadmap alignment
- Best-practice-led delivery, maximising Salesforce out-of-the-box capabilities with targeted customisation
- Change management and enablement, including Super User and Admin training across regions
- Deep SAP–Salesforce integration expertise, ensuring data consistency across complex ERP landscapes
- Ongoing managed support, providing continuous improvement and application support post go-live
Gauri played a pivotal role in delivering the Synthomer Salesforce integration project in just over five months, successfully migrating 500 users worldwide from the legacy CRM. They struck the right balance between challenging users to adopt a more configurable way of working while ensuring that key requirements were achieved. Their approach closely aligned with Synthomer’s project objectives, and they demonstrated exceptional agility and focus in driving the delivery to completion.
Seamus Dunne – Group Commercial Excellence Director