Stop Losing Hours to Manual Invoice Chasing Automate Your AP Process with AI Built for Fabricators
Imagine reclaiming 15-20 hours per week from paperwork drudgery, slashing processing costs by 40%, and boosting your shop's cash flow without the hassle of mismatched vendor bills or delayed payments.
Join 150+ businesses with streamlined fabrication operations
The "Invoice Overload" Problem
Endless chasing of paper invoices from steel suppliers and welders for rebar deliveries and pipe fittings
Manual data entry errors inflating your CNC machine material costs for aluminum profiles and sheet metal
Delayed approvals halting your fabrication timelines on tight job sites for structural steel assemblies
Mismatched bills disrupting cash flow for custom metalwork projects involving galvanized beams and custom brackets
Month-end scrambles reconciling invoices with your field crew's punch lists for concrete formwork and scaffolding setups
Vendor disputes over quantities eating into your shop's profit margins on weld consumables and fastener kits
Our Custom AI Invoice Automation – Tailored for Your Fabrication Workflow
With over a decade in construction tech, we've field-tested solutions in bustling shops just like yours
Why Choose Us
You're probably thinking, 'Another tool to learn?' Here's the thing: we don't slap on generic software. At AIQ Labs, we build from the ground up, integrating directly with your ERP, QuickBooks, or Procore. Our AI scans invoices via OCR, verifies against your fabrication schedules, and routes approvals to the right foreman – all without you touching a keyboard. It's like having a tireless shop clerk who never misses a detail, saving you real time on the floor.
What Makes Us Different:
Unlock Tangible Time and Cost Wins for Your Shop
Save 15+ Hours Weekly on Manual Processing
Save 15+ Hours Weekly on Manual Processing: No more sifting through stacks of vendor invoices for steel coil deliveries after a long day in the shop. Our system automates data capture and validation using OCR for handwritten supplier notes, freeing your admin to focus on quoting new fabrication jobs like custom railings. That's <span class="gradient">hours back for your team</span>, directly boosting productivity without hiring extra hands – imagine redirecting that time to optimizing your plasma cutter setups.
Achieve 40% ROI Through Faster Cash Flow
Achieve 40% ROI Through Faster Cash Flow: Let's be honest, delayed payments tie up cash you need for raw materials like stainless steel tubing. We cut processing from weeks to days using automated matching against POs, reducing errors that lead to overpayments on aluminum extrusions. Expect a quick payback – many shops see full ROI in under six months after integrating with ERP systems, turning automation into pure profit for expanding your welding bays.
Boost Efficiency with Error-Free Approvals
Boost Efficiency with Error-Free Approvals: Picture this: an invoice for custom brackets hits your inbox, AI cross-checks it against your CAD drawings and BOMs, and flags discrepancies before approval – like mismatched thicknesses in carbon steel plates. This eliminates costly rework, such as ordering wrong gauge steel for bridge components, and keeps your fabrication line humming without downtime. Relatable? It's the edge that keeps projects on budget and crews welding productively.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ, our team was buried under paper invoices for rebar and angle iron every Friday, delaying weekend payouts to our welding subcontractors. Now, it's all automated with real-time PO matching – we saved about 12 hours a week on admin, and our error rate on material bills for structural fab dropped from 15% to under 2%. Finally, time to focus on scaling our metal shop with new laser cutting tech."
Mike Reynolds
Operations Manager, SteelForge Fabrications Inc., a mid-sized structural steel fabricator in Texas
"I was skeptical at first, but after integrating this with our Sage system and linking it to our nesting software, invoice approvals for custom weldments went from a full day to 20 minutes. Last quarter, we caught a $5K overcharge on titanium tubing stock for aerospace parts – that's real money back in our pocket for upgrading our fiber laser CNC machines."
Sarah Patel
Finance Lead, Precision Metal Works LLC, specializing in high-precision aerospace components in California
"In our fabrication shop, mismatched vendor invoices for galvanized ductwork and HVAC fittings were killing our project margins on commercial builds. AIQ built a system that verifies everything against our job tickets and field punch lists automatically. We've reclaimed 18 hours weekly for shop floor oversight, and our cash flow improved enough to bid on two big hospital construction gigs we almost passed on last year."
Tom Herrera
Shop Owner, Apex Custom Fab Co., a custom metal fabrication outfit serving Midwest construction sites
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery and Mapping
We dive into your current workflow – from receiving invoices for raw stock to final payments – and map out custom automations that fit your shop's rhythm, like syncing with your inventory for laser-cut parts.
AI Build and Integration
Our engineers craft the AI system, training it on your invoice types and integrating deeply with tools like Autodesk or your accounting software, ensuring seamless data flow without disrupting daily ops.
Testing and Launch
We run field-tested pilots on real fabrication projects, tweak for accuracy, then launch with training for your team – getting you up and running in weeks, not months, with ongoing support to refine as you grow.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does this automation handle the varied invoice formats from different metal suppliers?
In custom fabrication, you're dealing with everything from digital PDFs to crumpled paper scans. Our AI uses advanced OCR trained specifically on construction docs, extracting key data like quantities, alloys, and pricing even from low-quality images. We customize the model to your common vendors – say, recognizing Nucor's steel invoice layout versus Ryerson's. During setup, we ingest samples from your history, achieving 98% accuracy right out of the gate. This means no more manual re-entry for those quirky formats, saving your team hours weekly while minimizing errors that could inflate your material costs. Plus, it's built to evolve, learning from any edge cases as they arise in your shop.
Will this integrate with our existing ERP or project management software?
Absolutely, we specialize in deep, two-way integrations tailored to tools like Viewpoint, Procore, or even Sage for manufacturing. For a fabrication shop, we might pull PO data from your ERP to auto-match against incoming invoices for custom parts, then push approved payments back without a hitch. No superficial Zapier-style connections that break – our engineers write custom APIs for reliability. We've done this for shops with legacy systems, ensuring your fabrication schedules and inventory levels sync seamlessly. The result? A single source of truth that cuts down on double-entry and keeps your cash flow aligned with job progress, all while maintaining data security for sensitive construction bids.
What's the typical timeline and cost for implementing this in our shop?
Timeline-wise, we move fast: discovery takes 1-2 weeks, build and testing another 4-6, with full launch in under two months – quicker than most because we focus on your core pain points, like automating approvals for steel deliveries. Costs start around $15K for a basic setup, scaling based on complexity, but expect ROI in 3-6 months through 15+ hours saved weekly and 30-40% faster processing. Unlike subscription models that nickel-and-dime you, this is a one-time build with optional maintenance. We've helped similar fab shops justify it by projecting savings on just a few caught overcharges or expedited payments, turning it into a no-brainer for keeping projects on track.
How secure is this system for handling sensitive fabrication cost data?
Security is non-negotiable in construction, where invoice data ties to proprietary designs and bids. We build with enterprise-grade encryption, role-based access (e.g., foremen see only approvals, not full financials), and compliance with standards like SOC 2 and construction payment regs. Data stays on your servers or secure cloud you control – no third-party rentals. For fabrication shops, this means protecting details on custom alloy mixes or client-specific pricing from leaks. We've audited systems for shops handling government contracts, ensuring audit logs track every access. It's like fortifying your shop floor against theft, but for digital assets, giving you peace of mind while automating the grunt work.
Can we scale this as our fabrication business grows to multiple sites?
Yes, our architecture is designed for growth – from a single shop to multi-site operations with centralized AP for chain of fab facilities. We start with your current setup, say automating invoices for one location's CNC runs, then expand to include site-specific rules, like regional vendor approvals or consolidated reporting across projects. As you add sites, the AI adapts without rebuilds, integrating new tools or handling higher volumes effortlessly. Shops we've worked with scaled from 50 to 200 invoices daily, seeing efficiency gains compound. It's built to be your owned asset, evolving with business expansions like taking on larger modular construction contracts, without the lock-in of rigid off-the-shelf software.
What if our invoices include complex details like variable pricing for custom cuts?
Fabrication invoices often have nuances, like tiered pricing for sheet metal based on volume or custom laser cuts. Our AI is trained to parse these intelligently, cross-referencing against your contracts or historical data to validate rates automatically. For instance, if a vendor bills for 10-gauge steel at a fluctuating market rate, it flags deviations from your agreed terms. We customize the logic during build to match your specifics, reducing disputes and overpayments. This has helped shops catch pricing errors on volatile commodities, saving thousands quarterly. Short version: it's not one-size-fits-all; we tailor it to the real complexities of your supply chain, ensuring accurate, hands-off processing that keeps your margins intact.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.