Walk through a modern discrete manufacturing facility and you’ll see automation everywhere.
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Production is optimized.
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Inventory is tracked in real time.
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Supply chains are integrated.
But in our recent session with SyteLine users, one theme kept surfacing: Accounts Payable is often the most manual part of the entire operation.
Not because finance teams aren’t capable. Not because SyteLine isn’t powerful.
But because AP in discrete manufacturing is uniquely complex — and most processes haven’t evolved with that complexity. In the webinar, we walked through exactly why that gap exists — and what changes when you address it directly.
1. Manufacturing Complexity Is Still Being Managed by People, Not Systems
During the session, we demonstrated how many invoices in discrete environments require manual intervention before they ever post.
Why?......Because manufacturers deal with:
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Partial receipts
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Multi-PO invoices
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Freight and landed costs
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Tariffs and surcharges
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Unit of measure mismatches
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Price variances
None of this is unusual. It’s normal manufacturing behavior. The problem is when AP teams are forced to manually identify which line is wrong, why it’s wrong, and who needs to resolve it.
In the demo, we showed how automated line matching and configurable tolerances change that dynamic. Instead of backing invoices out of SyteLine or chasing down purchasing, the system identifies the exact exception before it posts — and routes it automatically.
That’s a shift from reactive cleanup to proactive control.
2. Approval Delays Are Creating Invisible Operational Drag
Another point we covered in the session was approval workflow. In many SyteLine environments, approvals are still handled through email threads, informal reminders, or manual routing. AP ends up spending time following up instead of processing.
We walked through how rule-based routing, dollar-limit approval chains, and automated escalations remove that bottleneck. When invoices automatically go to the right person — and escalate if they sit too long — accountability improves without AP acting as the middleman.
For manufacturers, that directly impacts month-end close and accrual accuracy. It’s not just about speed. It’s about visibility and control.
3. Tribal Knowledge Is Carrying Too Much Risk
One of the more candid discussions during the webinar centered on dependency. Many AP processes rely heavily on experience:
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The person who knows which vendor always bills freight separately.
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The person who remembers which pricing variances are acceptable.
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The person who spots duplicates from memory.
That works — until it doesn’t.
In the session, we talked about embedding that logic into the workflow itself. Vendor-specific tolerances. Duplicate detection. Audit trails. Automatic pass-through for invoices within defined rules.
When that knowledge lives in the system instead of in someone’s head, the business becomes more resilient. And in manufacturing environments that are growing, adding entities, or scaling volume, that resilience matters.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
Discrete manufacturers have invested heavily in automation across operations.
But finance automation — especially in AP — often lags behind.
If your shop floor is optimized but your AP team is still manually matching invoices and chasing approvals, that gap eventually shows up in:
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Slower closes
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Higher processing costs
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Burnout
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Turnover risk
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Limited financial visibility
The webinar wasn’t about adding complexity. It was about reducing manual touchpoints inside an already complex manufacturing environment.
If you haven’t watched the session yet, it’s worth your time — especially if AP feels heavier than it should.
Continuing the Conversation at SUN in March
We’ll be at the SUN Conference in March, and this is exactly what we’re looking forward to discussing with SyteLine users in person.
If AP still feels like the most manual part of your manufacturing operation, let’s talk.
Whether it’s reducing exception rates, tightening approval workflows, or increasing straight-through processing, the opportunity is there — especially in discrete environments.
Watch the webinar, then stop by at SUN booth 306 and continue the conversation.
Because automation shouldn’t stop at the shop floor.
If you’d like to talk about how this applies to your AP process – especially if you’re dealing with complex, high-volume invoices – we’re always open to a conversation.
Get Started today - Watch the full demonstration here