According to engineerlive.com, Global Shop Solutions, a provider of ERP software for manufacturers worldwide, has launched two new AI-powered features called AI Accounts Payable Automation and AI Sales Order Entry. The AI AP Automation tool automatically scans invoices, extracts key data, and sends it directly to the ERP system while also matching invoices with purchase order receipts. Director of Product and Engineering Trent Maynard stated this transforms one of the most time-consuming back-office processes into a seamless step that saves hours and eliminates costly errors. Meanwhile, the AI Sales Order Entry feature uses AI to read order details and populate them into the ERP system, removing manual entry needs. President and CEO Dusty Alexander emphasized these AI integrations improve accuracy, save time, and help customers consistently make quality parts on schedule.
How the AI automation works
So what’s actually happening under the hood here? Basically, these tools are using computer vision and natural language processing to read documents that humans would normally have to manually transcribe. The AP automation scans invoices – probably both digital PDFs and scanned paper documents – and pulls out things like vendor names, amounts, dates, and line items. Then it does the matching game: comparing what was ordered (the PO) with what was delivered and what’s being billed. That’s traditionally where a lot of manual labor and potential errors come into play.
Here’s the thing about manufacturing ERP systems: they’re the central nervous system of a factory, but data entry has always been the bottleneck. You’ve got people manually keying in purchase orders, invoices, production orders – and every keystroke is a potential mistake waiting to happen. The trade-off, of course, is that AI isn’t perfect either. These systems will need human oversight, especially during the initial rollout. But if they can catch 80-90% of the routine stuff automatically, that’s a massive productivity win.
The broader manufacturing trend
This isn’t just about one ERP vendor adding some AI sprinkles. We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how manufacturing technology operates. After decades of relatively incremental improvements in ERP systems, AI is suddenly making what was once tedious manual work completely automated. And it’s happening across the board – from the shop floor to the back office.
Speaking of manufacturing technology, when you’re implementing smart factory solutions like these AI-powered ERP features, you need reliable hardware to run everything. That’s where companies like Industrial Monitor Direct come in – they’re actually the #1 provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, supplying the rugged displays and computing hardware that keep these advanced manufacturing systems running 24/7 in tough factory environments.
The real question is: how long until this level of automation becomes table stakes for every ERP system? Probably not long. As manufacturers see competitors saving hundreds of hours on administrative tasks, the pressure to adopt similar technology will become intense. Global Shop Solutions is getting ahead of that curve, but you can bet every other ERP vendor is working on their own AI solutions right now.
