Stop Losing Hours to Manual Invoicing Chaos Reclaim Your Shop Floor Time with Custom AI Automation
Imagine slashing 15-20 hours per week on invoice processing, cutting errors by 70%, and boosting your cash flow without the hassle of mismatched job tickets or delayed supplier payments.
Join 150+ businesses with streamlined invoicing and faster payments
The "Shop Floor Billing" Problem
Chasing paper invoices from steel suppliers while CNC machines sit idle, delaying retooling for next batch
Manual data entry errors inflating costs on steel coil orders, leading to overages in material yield calculations
Delayed approvals for tooling and fixture purchases slowing production runs on welding lines
Mismatched job tickets causing disputes with clients over custom part pricing for machined components
Month-end reconciliation nightmares from scattered fabrication logs and weld inspection reports
Overlooked vendor discounts on bulk metal purchases like aluminum billets due to slow processing in the supply chain
Our Custom AI Invoice Automation Built for Your Metal Shop
We've engineered solutions for fabrication firms just like yours, integrating with CAD systems and ERP tools to handle the grit of real-world invoicing.
Why Choose Us
Here's the thing: in metal fabrication, every minute counts—from plasma cutting to final assembly. We build a tailored AI system that ingests invoices directly from supplier emails or scanned PO receipts, matches them to your job schedules, and routes approvals through your foremen's mobile devices. No more binders full of receipts or Excel sheets that crash under the weight of overtime data. You're probably thinking, 'Will this fit our quirky workflow with custom bends and welds?' Absolutely. We map your exact processes, like verifying alloy specs against incoming bills, to create a seamless, owned system that scales with your next big contract.
What Makes Us Different:
Unlock Time and Cost Savings Tailored to Fabrication
Save 15-20 Hours Weekly on Manual Processing
Save 15-20 Hours Weekly on Manual Processing: Let's be honest, your team shouldn't spend shifts keying in supplier invoices for aluminum extrusions. Our AI handles capture and validation, freeing welders and operators to focus on production runs. That's real ROI—hours back on the floor mean faster turnaround on custom orders, potentially adding thousands to your monthly output without hiring extra hands, like completing an extra 50 weld assemblies per week.
Cut Errors and Disputes by 70%, Boosting Cash Flow
Cut Errors and Disputes by 70%, Boosting Cash Flow: Picture this: an overlooked decimal on a stainless steel sheet invoice leads to overpayments. Our system cross-checks against your CAD drawings and PO history, flagging mismatches before they hit your books. Clients in fabrication see quicker payments from accurate billing, turning 45-day receivables into 30, all while dodging costly rework claims on precision-machined parts that could run $5,000 per incident.
Accelerate Approvals and Capture Vendor Discounts
Accelerate Approvals and Capture Vendor Discounts: You're probably thinking about those early-payment perks on raw materials that slip away. We automate routing for punch press tooling bills straight to the right manager's phone, slashing approval time from days to hours. Field-tested in shops like yours, this delivers a 5-10% savings on supplier costs—think $8,000 annually on bulk steel orders—straight to your bottom line within the first quarter.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ, our office was buried under stacks of invoices from steel suppliers—took us two full days every month just to sort and match against job tickets for plasma-cut parts. Now, the AI pulls data from emails and verifies against our ERP in under an hour. We've saved about 18 hours a week, and caught a $2,500 overcharge on titanium tubing last quarter, letting us ramp up output on structural beams without overtime costs. Game-changer for keeping the fab shop humming."
Mike Harlan
Operations Manager, Precision Metals Inc., a mid-sized steel fabrication shop in Ohio
"We run tight deadlines on custom automotive parts, but manual invoicing was bottlenecking approvals for vendor parts like forged axles. AIQ built this into our workflow, integrating with our nesting software for die-cut operations. Approvals now happen on the floor via app, and we've reduced payment delays by 12 days on average. No more lost discounts—saved us over $4,000 in the first three months on aluminum alloy runs, smoothing out our just-in-time inventory."
Sarah Kline
CFO, Apex Fabrication Co., specializing in automotive metal stamping
"Honestly, I was skeptical about AI handling our messy invoices with handwritten notes on weld certifications for pressure vessel components. But they customized it to read our scans and match to production logs from the MIG welding stations. Cut our error rate from 15% to under 2%, and month-end close went from a week to two days. Our cash flow's steadier, letting us bid on bigger construction projects without the invoicing headache eating into our margins."
Tom Reyes
Shop Foreman, IronForge Manufacturing, a heavy fabrication outfit in Texas
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery and Workflow Mapping
We dive into your metal shop's processes— from receiving raw stock to billing completed assemblies. You'll share details on your current tools like ERP or CAD, and we'll identify pain points like mismatched cut lists. This ensures our build aligns perfectly with your daily grind.
Custom AI Design and Integration
Next, we architect the AI to fit your needs, pulling data from supplier portals and your shop management system. Testing happens in phases, simulating real scenarios like urgent tooling orders, so it handles the unexpected without disrupting production.
Deployment and Ongoing Optimization
We roll it out seamlessly, training your team on the dashboard for tracking invoice status. Post-launch, we monitor and tweak based on your feedback—like fine-tuning for seasonal spikes in fabrication volume—ensuring it evolves with your business.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does this automation handle our custom fabrication invoices with variable pricing?
In metal fabrication, pricing can shift based on material thickness or bend radii, right? Our AI is trained on your specific quoting process, pulling from your job tickets and supplier catalogs to validate line items automatically. For instance, if an invoice for custom laser-cut parts doesn't match the agreed gauge, it flags it for review before approval. We've built this for shops using tools like SolidWorks, ensuring accuracy without you re-entering data. Setup involves mapping your pricing rules once, then it runs autonomously, saving your estimators from double-checking every bill. Clients typically see setup in 2-4 weeks, with immediate error reductions.
Will this integrate with our existing shop management software?
Absolutely—unlike generic tools that force you into their ecosystem, we create deep, custom integrations with whatever you're using, be it JobBOSS, E2 Shop System, or even older legacy setups. For a recent metal shop, we linked invoice data directly to their production scheduler, auto-populating costs for welded assemblies. This eliminates data silos; an incoming bill for raw stock updates inventory levels in real-time. We handle the two-way sync securely, so changes in your ERP reflect instantly in the AI. No more manual uploads that lead to stockouts during rush jobs. Expect full integration testing to ensure it withstands your daily throughput.
What kind of time savings can we realistically expect in our fab shop?
Let's be real: in a busy metal fabrication operation, manual invoicing can eat up 15-25 hours weekly, especially with multiple suppliers for sheets, tubes, and fittings. Our custom AI streamlines this by automating capture, matching, and approvals, often cutting that to 2-5 hours. One client, a mid-sized shop doing aerospace parts, reported reclaiming 18 hours per week—time their admins now use for quoting new contracts. ROI kicks in fast: with average invoice values around $5K in your industry, error avoidance alone pays for the system in months. We baseline your current process first to project exact savings, tailored to your volume of custom runs.
Is the system secure for handling sensitive supplier and client data?
Security is non-negotiable in fabrication, where invoices often include proprietary specs for defense or automotive clients. We build with enterprise-grade encryption, role-based access (e.g., only foremen see tooling bills), and compliance to standards like SOC 2. Data stays in your owned system—no cloud dependencies that could expose alloy formulas or job details. For a shop we worked with, we added audit logs that trace every approval back to the welder's sign-off, perfect for ISO 9001 audits. If you're dealing with ITAR-regulated parts, we incorporate those protocols from day one. It's all custom, so we align with your existing cybersecurity setup without adding vulnerabilities.
How much does a custom invoice automation setup cost for our size shop?
Costs vary by complexity, but for a typical metal fab shop with 50-200 employees and 500+ monthly invoices, expect $25K-$50K for full build and integration—far less than ongoing subscriptions that add up to $10K yearly. This includes discovery, custom coding, and three months of support. The ROI? Payback in 6-9 months through time savings (15+ hours/week at $30/hour labor) and caught errors (e.g., 5% of invoice value). We don't lock you in; you own the system outright. Unlike assemblers piecing together no-code tools, our approach delivers a scalable asset that grows with your expansion into larger sheet metal contracts. Let's chat specifics for your shop.
Can this scale if we take on bigger production volumes?
Yes, we design for growth—think expanding from prototype runs to high-volume stamping lines. The AI uses scalable frameworks that handle 10x invoice surges without performance dips, integrating with your evolving tools like new CNC controls. A client doubled their output after setup, and we optimized the system in weeks to process the extra supplier bills seamlessly. No need to rebuild; it's modular, so adding features like predictive discounting for bulk orders is straightforward. You're building an asset that supports bidding on those massive OEM contracts, keeping your cash flow steady as volumes ramp up. We monitor usage post-launch to proactively scale.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.