FK Solution Design GmbH · Cologne
Salesforce architecture for manufacturers – on the client side.
After-SalesServiceField ServiceB2B Sales
The central architectural authority between your business, your IT and your implementation partners.
- 8years Salesforce
- 20+enterprise projects
- 8 · 32teams · developers in one program
- 25Salesforce certifications, 8 architect
- 0ties to vendors or partners
The role
Somebody has to own the big picture.
Several implementation partners, one Salesforce org, and nobody owns the whole.
The situation
Many manufacturers run Salesforce with several implementation partners, a growing number of clouds and close links to ERP, telephony and service systems. Every partner delivers their piece.
What I do about it
I work as the central architectural authority on your side. I own solution design and the overall architecture, set governance and DevOps standards, review what partners deliver – and challenge it before it gets expensive.
“Not everything that can be built in Salesforce should be built in Salesforce.”
Services
What I take care of
- 01
Architecture & solution design
Target architecture and solution design for complex Salesforce landscapes with several clouds, portals and integrations.
Learn more → - 02
Partner steering & governance
One common governance and release framework across several implementation partners – and someone who actually reviews the deliveries.
Learn more → - 03
DevOps & release management
Release processes, branching, code quality standards and automated checks, e.g. with sfdx-hardis.
Learn more → - 04
Integration
Salesforce connected to ERP, middleware and telephony: SAP, MuleSoft, Genesys, Microsoft Teams.
Learn more → - 05
Project management & nearshore
Planning and steering of programs, including coordination of nearshore development teams.
Learn more → - 06
Make-or-buy & license forecasts
Should this be built in Salesforce at all? Best-of-breed alternatives and license costs, assessed before the decision is made.
Learn more →
Focus areas
References
Selected work
Global food ingredients manufacturer
First worldwide Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud rollout
Global rollout including CPQ, a product configurator and a customer portal.
Major German shipbuilder
After-sales optimisation and subcontractor portal
Portal for subcontractors in after-sales, including a make-or-buy evaluation of the solution.
HVAC and sanitary systems manufacturer
Global CTI rollout
Architecture support for a worldwide telephony integration in customer service.
Global manufacturing group
Embedded chat proof of concept
Proof of concept for an embedded chat solution, plus a rollout plan for 12 locales.
Enterprise program
Governance across several implementation partners
Steering of up to 8 project teams and 32 developers, with one common governance and release framework for all partners.
Client names withheld for confidentiality. Details on request.
How I work
From assessment to global rollout
- 01
Assess
Current architecture, partner landscape, licenses: what is there and what hurts.
- 02
Design
Target architecture, make-or-buy decisions and a roadmap that the business can follow.
- 03
Govern
Standards for governance, DevOps and releases, and reviews of what partners deliver.
- 04
Deliver
Hands-on support through implementation, up to the global rollout.
About
Fabian Kramer
Salesforce Enterprise Architect · Cologne/Bonn
I help manufacturing companies turn Salesforce into a reliable backbone for sales, service and after-sales – as the architect on the client side.
Most of my recent work is with German manufacturers operating globally: from the first worldwide Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud rollout to a global CTI rollout with Service Cloud Voice and Genesys, a subcontractor portal for after-sales in shipbuilding, and an embedded chat solution with a rollout plan for 12 locales.
I’m not tied to a vendor or an implementation partner. That’s why I regularly ask whether something should be built in Salesforce at all. When others ask that, it is often because they don’t know what the platform can do. I ask it because I know where its limits are and where it is the right tool. Make-or-buy evaluations, license forecasts and best-of-breed alternatives are part of the job, not an afterthought.
First call
Why start with 30 minutes?
Most Salesforce programmes don’t have one problem, they have ten. Fighting on every front at once fixes none of them for good.
In the first call we find out which problem costs the most and where the first step pays off. And we work out what it takes for the result to last. A health check with a clean-up achieves little if the same problems are back two weeks later.
What we clarify in the call
- Is the project just starting, or are you already live?
- What can your team handle itself, and where is expertise missing?
- Do you need a sparring partner who brings ideas, or a fixed role in the project?
Questions I ask in every project →
Book a 30-minute call (opens Microsoft Bookings in a new tab)
Contact
Planning or rescuing a Salesforce program?
Tell me where you stand. A first call takes 30 minutes – worst case, you walk away with a second opinion.
Book a 30-minute call (opens Microsoft Bookings in a new tab)Pick a slot in my calendar via Microsoft Bookings. Prefer to write? Use the form and I’ll get back to you.