New Case Study

AI-Powered Order Processing

From Manual Data Entry to Intelligent Automation

Client: Freefoam Building Products

Executive Summary

Freefoam, a leading building plastics supplier operating in the UK and Ireland, faced a critical operational challenge: manually processing over 2,000 purchase orders each month received via email as PDF attachments. With orders arriving from 360+ different customers—each using their own unique format—the manual data entry process was consuming hours of staff time daily while introducing costly errors.

Syntec Solutions delivered an end-to-end AI-powered automation system that transforms email-received PDF purchase orders into validated orders within Freefoam's HansaWorld ERP system—completely automatically.

20s Order Processing Time
2,000+ Orders Processed Monthly
89+ Hours Saved Monthly
360+ Customer Formats Supported

Client Background

Freefoam is a respected supplier of building plastics and construction materials, serving a diverse customer base across the UK and Ireland. The company operates in a traditional B2B environment where builders merchants, distributors, and construction firms submit purchase orders via email—predominantly as PDF attachments.

This email-based ordering model reflects industry norms, where customers use their own internal systems to generate purchase orders in formats that suit their operations. For Freefoam, this means receiving hundreds of differently formatted PO documents daily—ranging from simple Excel-printed PDFs to complex multi-page orders from sophisticated procurement systems.

The Challenge

Manual Processing at Scale

Before implementing automation, Freefoam's order processing workflow relied entirely on manual data entry:

  1. Email Monitoring: Staff regularly checked the orders email inbox for new purchase orders
  2. PDF Download: Order attachments were manually downloaded and opened
  3. Customer Identification: Staff identified which customer sent the order
  4. Data Entry: Order details were manually typed into HansaWorld
  5. Item Code Translation: Customer-specific product codes had to be manually cross-referenced to Freefoam's internal SKU codes
  6. Validation: Each entry required visual verification to catch errors

This process consumed several minutes per order—a significant burden when multiplied across 2,000+ monthly orders.

Multiple Pain Points Creating Business Risk
  • Labor Intensity: Processing 2,000 orders monthly represented 100+ hours of repetitive data entry work
  • Error Vulnerability: Manual transcription of alphanumeric product codes and quantities introduced frequent errors
  • Format Complexity: 360+ customers meant 360+ different PO layouts, fonts, column positions, and structures
  • Customer Code Mapping: Many customers use their own internal product codes, requiring constant cross-referencing
  • Scalability Constraints: Growth in order volume would require proportional increase in processing staff
  • Error Consequences: Wrong product codes or quantities resulted in incorrect shipments, returns, and customer complaints

The Solution

Syntec Solutions designed and implemented a comprehensive AI-powered order processing system that automates the entire workflow from email receipt through ERP order creation. The solution operates continuously in the background, requiring no human intervention for standard orders.

Automated Order Processing Workflow
Email Harvesting Microsoft Graph API continuously monitors inbox
AI Extraction GPT-4 understands 360+ document formats
Validation & Mapping Customer profiles & item code translation
ERP Integration Automatic order creation in HansaWorld
Ready for Fulfillment Total processing time: 20 seconds

The Four-Stage Automated Process

1. Automated Email Harvesting

The system continuously monitors Freefoam's Office 365 order inbox using Microsoft Graph API integration. When new emails arrive with PDF attachments, the system automatically downloads the documents and logs them to prevent duplicate processing.

2. AI-Powered Document Understanding

Using OpenAI's GPT-4 language model, the system performs intelligent extraction of order data from PDFs:

  • Customer Identification: Analyzes header information using sophisticated pattern matching to identify which of 360+ customer profiles the order belongs to
  • Structured Data Extraction: Extracts customer details, PO numbers, order dates, and line items in a structured format
  • Format Adaptation: Understands different layouts, terminologies, and document structures without requiring rigid templates
  • Intelligent Reading: Handles handwritten notes, varied fonts, multi-page orders, and imperfect PDF quality
3. Validation & Item Code Mapping

Before creating orders, the system performs sophisticated validation:

  • Customer Profile Matching: Automatically matches orders to the correct customer account using fuzzy matching and postcode validation
  • Product Code Validation: Verifies extracted item codes against Freefoam's master inventory database
  • Customer-Specific Code Translation: Automatically maps customer's internal product codes to Freefoam's SKU codes using learned mappings
  • Quality Assurance: Flags uncertain extractions for human review
4. Seamless ERP Integration

Once validated, the system creates sales orders directly in Freefoam's HansaWorld ERP system via API. Orders appear in HansaWorld ready for fulfillment, with all customer, product, and quantity data accurately populated.

Key Features & Benefits

Operational Features
  • Fully Automated Workflow: Zero-touch processing from email to ERP
  • Multi-Format Intelligence: Handles 360+ unique customer formats
  • Smart Customer Recognition: Pattern matching and validation
  • Intelligent Code Mapping: Translates customer codes to internal SKUs
  • Duplicate Prevention: Built-in tracking prevents reprocessing
  • Exception Handling: Flags uncertain orders for review
  • Complete Audit Trail: Full logging for compliance
Business Benefits
  • Dramatic Time Savings: Minutes to 20 seconds per order
  • Unlimited Scalability: Handle growth without adding staff
  • Error Reduction: Eliminates manual transcription errors
  • Staff Reallocation: Focus on value-added activities
  • Improved Customer Satisfaction: Faster, accurate processing
  • Risk Mitigation: Fewer wrong shipments and returns
  • Competitive Advantage: Operational excellence

Results & Benefits

Transformative Results

Time Savings
  • Before: 3-5 minutes per order
  • After: 20 seconds per order
  • Monthly Savings: 89+ hours of manual work eliminated
  • Annual Savings: 1,068+ hours (equivalent to more than half a full-time position)
Quality Improvements
  • Manual transcription errors virtually eliminated
  • Automated validation catches issues before orders reach ERP
  • Consistent application of customer code mappings
  • Reduced returns and re-shipments from order errors
  • Improved customer satisfaction from accurate fulfillment

Key Technologies

OpenAI GPT-4
Advanced AI for document understanding
Microsoft 365
Seamless email integration
HansaWorld ERP
Direct API integration

Client Testimonial

Testimonial coming soon. We're working with Freefoam to capture their experience with this transformative solution.

Key Success Factors

  1. Problem-First Approach: The solution was designed specifically to address Freefoam's unique operational challenges
  2. Intelligent Automation: AI-powered document understanding handles format complexity that traditional OCR cannot
  3. Seamless Integration: Deep integration with existing systems ensured adoption without workflow disruption
  4. Continuous Learning: The profile-based system adapts to new customers and format changes over time
  5. Partnership Approach: Close collaboration ensured the solution met operational needs

Facing Similar Challenges?

If your organization processes high volumes of documents, relies on manual data entry, or struggles with format variation and system integration, we'd welcome the opportunity to discuss how intelligent automation can transform your operations.

Contact Us Today
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