2-3 hours
Spent processing and confirming an order received by email or PDF when the process is manual and requires entering data into different systems.
Manufacturing
Industry
Demanding B2B customers, disconnected systems and teams overwhelmed by administration.
We automate and optimise the processes that slow down your operations.
The challenge is not only to produce, but to coordinate everything that happens around the product.
In manufacturing, inefficiency often arises in the workflows surrounding production: an emailed order that needs manual ERP entry, technical documentation that must be located for every customer request, or a complaint handled through email chains without an owner or a defined deadline.
As a result, the sales team loses hours chasing updates, the quality department handles document requests that should not require manual work, and the purchasing team spends more time coordinating with suppliers than optimising the supply chain.
Akaen automates processes across manufacturing departments: from order capture to dispatch, including quality, purchasing and after-sales service.
68%
Of complaints originate in a specification or documentation error when the order is placed.
4–6d
Of average response time to a complaint when there is no automated quality workflow or assigned owner.
35%
Of the purchasing team’s time is spent manually tracking supplier orders instead of optimising the supply chain.
Six common operational patterns in manufacturing.
Order entry without ERP integration
Manufacturers often receive orders by email, PDF or portal without a direct connection to their management system. Manually transcribing each order takes time, increases the risk of errors and adds administrative work that brings no value to the process.
Product documentation scattered and hard to find
When a customer requests product specifications, technical data sheets or declarations of conformity, the team has to search across servers, emails or departments. Without a structured repository, finding the right version takes time, responses are delayed and the customer experience suffers.
Complaints without a structured workflow or traceability
A complaint arrives by email, is forwarded internally and may get lost in someone’s inbox. The issue’s cost and recurrence are not always recorded, making continuous improvement difficult.
Tracking purchases through informal channels
To check a purchase order’s status, someone has to call the supplier or send an email. Discrepancies between the purchase order, delivery note and invoice are resolved manually, risking accounting errors and wasting time on reconciliation.
Service history is not centralised
Without a centralised after-sales system, technicians rely on their own knowledge or what the account salesperson remembers before each visit. Customers see a lack of coordination and the team cannot learn from earlier incidents.
Lack of visibility over the complete order cycle
Quotations, production orders and dispatch are usually managed in different systems or spreadsheets. Without a connected workflow, it is difficult to detect margin discrepancies, duplication or delays in real time before they affect the customer.
Automated order management and Quote-to-Order
When orders arrive by email, PDF or portal without direct ERP integration, the sales team takes on a significant administrative burden. Each manual transcription creates a risk of errors and slows down confirmation to the customer.
We design workflows to normalise, validate and record incoming orders in the ERP with far less manual intervention. The team can then focus on genuine exceptions instead of transcribing data between systems.
- Capture orders from email, PDF, portal or EDI with automatic specification validation
- Check prices and terms against the ERP before confirming the order to the customer
- Automatically generate a PDF quotation and convert it into a production order
- Integration with SAP, Navision, Sage and other ERP systems commonly used in the sector
Quality, certificates and complaints without friction
When product and quality documentation is scattered across folders, emails, and different systems, responding to a customer request involves searching for information, coordinating departments, and reviewing document versions.
We centralise product and quality documentation by reference and automate complaint management so every issue has an owner, deadline and traceable history from the start.
- Quality certificates, technical data sheets and documentation linked to each product reference
- Automatic delivery of documentation to the customer at the time of dispatch
- Non-conformity management workflow with an owner, deadline and corrective actions
- Complaint tracking dashboard with status, resolution time and trends by customer
Service desk and after-sales management
Without a centralised after-sales system, technicians rely on what they remember or the information they can gather by phone before each visit.
We implement a service desk that centralises the history of each client: installed equipment, previous interventions, current contracts and replaced parts. The technical team accesses that context before each visit or call, without depending on anyone else.
- Customer portal to open, view and track support tickets
- Automatic sorting and assignment to the correct technician or department
- Complete history of equipment, contracts and interventions by client
- Configurable SLAs with automatic escalation and deadline alerts
Automated procurement and purchasing
When purchase orders are managed by email and tracking depends on calls to suppliers, the purchasing team spends time on coordination instead of optimising the supply chain.
We automate purchase order generation and tracking to make the process traceable, reconcile delivery notes and invoices automatically, and detect deviations before they affect operations.
- Automatic purchase order generation based on MRP, minimum stock levels or demand planning
- Automatic sending to suppliers with full traceability of receipt confirmation
- Automatic matching of purchase orders, delivery notes and supplier invoices
- Alerts for deviations in delivery times, prices and delivery quality by supplier
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Process audit
Decide what to automate, in what order and with what return. Start free with a first look in 72 hours.
Example: ACME Industrial
What an industrial company could automate, department by department. A sample first look.
Order automation
Orders received by email, PDF or portal and entered automatically into the ERP. Your team reviews exceptions.
From the first meeting to launch in weeks, not months.
01
Diagnosis and prioritisation
We review how your operations work today, where the manual workload is concentrated, which systems are involved and what makes most sense to automate first.
02
Design and validation
We define the workflows, integrations, rules and scope, then validate them with you before building. This gives the project a clear direction, realistic timelines and fewer surprises.
03
Implementation and launch
We develop, test with real data and launch the solution while protecting day-to-day operations. We train the team so everyday use feels natural from day one.
04
Continuous monitoring and improvement
We keep making sure everything works: monitoring, providing support, resolving issues and suggesting improvements based on actual use so the process continues to evolve.
No obligation. A short conversation to understand your situation and see where we can help.
We work with manufacturers where coordinating operations is almost as complex as production itself.
We are a particularly good fit for companies with configurable products, make-to-order manufacturing, technical purchasing, subcontracting, installation or after-sales services. We add the most value when sales, engineering, production, purchasing and service rely on too many emails, spreadsheets and manual handoffs.
Machinery and equipment manufacturers
They often have complex technical quotations, sensitive handoffs between sales, engineering and production, and installation or commissioning projects that are difficult to track from start to finish.
Metal processing and machining
When each order depends on drawings, tolerances, changing priorities and subcontracted work, delays, rework and limited visibility into the actual status of each order can easily arise.
Make-to-order manufacturing or custom engineering
In these environments, every project has its own documentation, internal approvals and frequent changes along the way. There is often significant scope to organise workflows and automate coordination tasks.
Companies providing installation, technical support or after-sales service
When service visits, incidents, warranties and spare parts are managed through emails, calls and spreadsheets, responding quickly and keeping a clear history of each customer or piece of equipment becomes difficult.
Manufacturers with technical purchasing needs and supplier networks
If order tracking, confirmations, delivery notes and supply issues sit outside the ERP, purchasing and operations face too much friction and too little ability to anticipate problems.
Industrial groups with multiple plants or branches
Consolidating data, standardising processes and knowing what is happening in real time becomes much more difficult when each centre works with its own criteria and tools.
Solutions we apply in this sector
Autonomous AI Agents
Agents that manage work orders, non-conformities, procurement and predictive maintenance without manual intervention.
Systems Integration
We connect ERP, MES, SCADA, WMS and quality systems to break down information silos and share data in real time.
Intelligent document processing (IDP)
Delivery notes, purchase orders, quality certificates and work reports captured and recorded automatically.
We work with you to identify which processes are worth improving.
We assess your operations, identify where improvements make sense and propose a realistic starting point, with no obligation and a focus on operational impact.