Manufacturing operations generate high volumes of structured, repetitive administrative work -- purchase orders raised from MRP outputs, production reports compiled from shop floor data, quality documentation assembled per batch, supplier invoices matched against delivery notes, and compliance records maintained across systems. We build robotic process automation systems that handle these manufacturing back-office workflows automatically -- procurement automation, production reporting, quality document management, and ERP data entry -- so your operations team focuses on production, not paperwork.
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2,000+ shipments yr 1RaftLabs builds robotic process automation systems for manufacturing operations -- procurement and purchase order automation triggered by MRP and inventory signals, production reporting from shop floor to ERP, quality and compliance document management, and supplier invoice processing. Manufacturing RPA replaces the high-volume administrative work surrounding production with bots that run without manual intervention and maintain complete audit trails. Most manufacturing RPA projects deliver in 8--12 weeks at a fixed cost.
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Every hour your operations team spends raising purchase orders manually is an hour they're not on the floor. Every batch record compiled by hand is a compliance risk and a delay. Every supplier invoice matched manually has a cost per transaction that compounds across the volume.
Manufacturing RPA doesn't change what your systems produce -- it automates the work of moving that data between them, so your team focuses on production, quality, and continuous improvement rather than data entry.
Capabilities
Automated PO creation triggered by MRP demand signals, inventory reorder points, and blanket order releases -- eliminating the purchasing team's manual step of translating MRP output into ERP purchase orders. Process flow: the bot polls the MRP planning run output (SAP MD04 exception messages, Oracle Supply Chain Management recommended orders, or MES-generated demand signals) on a configurable schedule, validates each required order against supplier master data (approved vendor list, contract pricing, minimum order quantities), creates the PO in the ERP (SAP MM module via SAP GUI UI automation or BAPI function call, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain via API), and routes the PO to the relevant buyer for approval within the ERP workflow. Above-threshold POs requiring dual approval are routed sequentially with escalation if approval is not received within the configured SLA. Approved PO transmission to suppliers via EDI X12 850/EDIFACT ORDERS message for EDI-capable suppliers, or email with PDF PO attachment for non-EDI suppliers, generated from the ERP data. Goods receipt posting: when delivery confirmation arrives (ASN via EDI, email confirmation, or portal update), the bot posts the goods receipt (SAP MIGO, Dynamics GR transaction) against the open PO and triggers the three-way match process for AP. Straight-through processing rate of 80--90% on standard, clean MRP demand signals.
Automated assembly of production reports from shop floor systems, MES platforms (Ignition, Wonderware/AVEVA, Plex, Epicor Advanced MES), SCADA historian data, and machine PLCs -- eliminating the operations administrator's daily task of manually pulling data from 3--5 systems to assemble the shift report. Report types automated: daily production summary (actual vs planned output by work centre, shift, and product), OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) report (availability × performance × quality calculated from machine downtime logs and production counts), yield and first-pass quality rate by batch and production line, shift handover documentation summarising open work orders, maintenance calls, and quality holds. Data extraction methods: SQL queries against MES and historian databases (OSIsoft PI, Inductive Automation Ignition Historian), REST API calls where MES exposes them, or RPA-based extraction from thick-client applications that don't expose data programmatically. Report assembly via Python (openpyxl for Excel, WeasyPrint for PDF) or direct Power BI dataset refresh via Power BI REST API for management dashboard delivery. Production order completion confirmations posted to ERP (SAP CO11N confirmation transaction, Dynamics production order update API) from shift completion data without production supervisor manual entry. Reports scheduled and delivered to email distribution lists, SharePoint document libraries, or customer portals by 6 AM for overnight production without the administrator who used to compile them.
Automated generation of quality documents from production and laboratory data -- batch records, certificates of analysis (COA), inspection reports, deviations, and non-conformance records (NCRs) -- populated directly from your MES, LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System), and QMS without manual data transcription. Batch record automation: when a production batch is released in the ERP or MES, the bot assembles the batch record by pulling production parameters (time, temperature, equipment ID, operator ID, quantities), in-process test results from the LIMS, and raw material lot numbers from the goods receipt -- and populates the batch record template (PDF via WeasyPrint, Word via python-docx) in under 5 minutes. COA generation triggered by batch release in the QMS (ETQ Reliance, MasterControl, Qualio, or custom): the COA template populated with test results, specification limits, batch number, and product details, then emailed directly to the customer's specified contact with the batch number as reference. Non-conformance record creation: when a batch fails a specification or an inspector logs a defect in the QMS, an NCR is automatically created with the relevant lot, product, and test data pre-populated, routed to the quality manager for investigation assignment. Compliance standards addressed: ISO 9001, IATF 16949 (automotive), GMP and 21 CFR Part 11 (pharmaceutical and food) including electronic signature controls and audit trail requirements for regulated document management systems.
Automated three-way matching of supplier invoices against purchase orders and goods receipts -- eliminating the AP team's manual effort of pulling POs, checking delivery quantities, and keying invoice data into the ERP for each of hundreds of manufacturing supplier invoices per month. Invoice intake: the bot monitors an AP inbox or shared folder for incoming invoices, invokes document extraction (UiPath Document Understanding, Azure Document Intelligence, or AWS Textract) to pull supplier name, invoice number, invoice date, line items, quantities, unit prices, and totals into structured fields. Three-way match: the extracted invoice data matched against the ERP PO (supplier, material, quantity within a configurable tolerance -- typically 2--5% for freight or quantity rounding) and the posted goods receipt for the same material and quantity. Match outcome routing: exact matches posted directly to the ERP (SAP MIRO transaction, Dynamics AP invoice registration) for payment; price variance exceptions routed to the purchasing team with the PO price and invoice price highlighted for review and approval; quantity discrepancies routed to the goods receipt team with the delivery note and PO quantity for reconciliation. Payment batch preparation: approved invoices assembled into the payment run on your AP payment schedule (weekly, fortnightly), with a payment summary report sent to the finance manager for final approval before bank file generation. Straight-through processing target of 75--85% for manufacturing supplier invoices with established PO-GR-invoice matching patterns.
Automated inventory monitoring, reorder triggering, and stock record maintenance -- replacing the manual stock review processes that consume warehouse and planning team time without adding analytical value. Stock level monitoring bot: queries the ERP's warehouse management module (SAP WM/EWM, Dynamics Warehouse Management, or WMS API) on a configurable schedule, compares current on-hand quantity plus on-order quantity against the reorder point (minimum stock level plus safety stock buffer), and triggers a replenishment request or purchase requisition for materials below threshold without a planner having to check each item individually. Cycle count reconciliation: when physical count results are uploaded (barcode scanner export, WMS count completion), the bot compares counted quantities against ERP book stock, posts variances above a configurable tolerance for investigation, and posts acceptable variances directly to the ERP to update stock records -- completing a cycle count reconciliation in minutes rather than hours. Slow-moving and excess stock report generated weekly: items with zero movement for 90+ days, items with stock quantity exceeding 6 months of average demand, and items approaching shelf-life expiry -- delivered to the materials planning team every Monday morning. Supplier delivery performance tracking: every goods receipt compared against the original PO delivery date and quantity, populating a supplier scorecard with on-time delivery rate, delivery quantity accuracy, and quality acceptance rate by supplier and material group -- data that is otherwise only available through manual PO-by-PO analysis.
Automated assembly of regulatory submissions, traceability records, and audit-ready documentation from your ERP, QMS, LIMS, and production systems -- replacing the days of manual data gathering that precede each regulatory submission or customer audit. Product traceability report generation: given a product lot number, the bot queries all upstream traceability records (raw material lots, supplier certificates, production batch records, in-process tests, final release approvals) and assembles a complete forward and backward traceability pack in the format required for a product recall response -- available in under 10 minutes rather than 2--3 days of manual database searching. Environmental and sustainability reporting: production energy consumption, waste generation, water usage, and emission data extracted from ERP cost centre reports and metering system exports, assembled into the reporting format required for ISO 14001 environmental management system reviews or Scope 3 supply chain emissions submissions. Customer-specific compliance packs: automotive customers requiring PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) documentation, food and pharmaceutical customers requiring Certificate of Conformance documentation -- assembled from your quality records and delivered with each shipment without manual document gathering per shipment. Audit preparation automation: ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 internal audit packs assembled from the quality management system, including non-conformance history, corrective action closure rates, and calibration certificate status -- prepared automatically before each scheduled audit rather than assembled under time pressure.
Business Process Automation -- End-to-end workflow automation across your operation
Document Automation -- Automated document generation, routing, and approval workflows
Invoice Processing Automation -- AI-powered invoice intake, matching, and ERP posting
Reporting Automation -- Automated data pipelines replacing manually assembled reports
Process, current systems, and volume. We'll design the automation and give you a fixed cost.
Frequently asked questions
The best manufacturing automation targets are high volume, rule-based, and involve moving data between systems -- typically between shop floor systems, ERP, and back-office tools. Top processes: purchase order creation from MRP demand signals (bot reads the MRP output and raises POs in the ERP), goods receipt processing (bot matches delivery notes to POs and posts goods receipts), production order updates (bot reads shift reports and updates production order completions), quality record creation (bot generates batch records and certificates from production data), supplier invoice matching (bot extracts invoice data and matches against POs and goods receipts), and production management reporting (bot assembles daily/weekly reports from multiple systems).
We integrate with ERP systems via API where available or UI automation where not. Common manufacturing ERP integrations: SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC (PP, MM, QM modules), Oracle Manufacturing Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Infor, Epicor, and SYSPRO. For MES and shop floor systems, we integrate via database, API, or file-based interfaces depending on what the system exposes. The integration approach is determined during scoping based on your specific ERP version, module configuration, and available interfaces.
RPA handles the rule-based, structured portion of manufacturing workflows. The automation handles the straight-through cases -- the POs that match the MRP signal exactly, the invoices that have a matching PO and goods receipt, the production orders that complete on time with expected yield. Exceptions are flagged and routed to the relevant team member with the context needed to resolve them. A well-designed manufacturing RPA system aims for 70--85% straight-through processing with exceptions handled by the appropriate function -- purchasing, operations, or finance -- not by whoever notices the issue first.
Quality management in manufacturing requires complete, traceable documentation -- batch records, certificates of analysis, non-conformance records, and CAPA documentation. RPA automates the creation and population of these documents from production data, ensuring every batch has complete documentation without relying on manual compilation. The audit trail from the automation process is itself a compliance asset -- every document creation event is logged with timestamp and source data. For ISO 9001, IATF 16949, GMP, and similar standards, automated documentation reduces the risk of missing or incomplete records.
A focused manufacturing automation system -- one process automated (e.g., purchase order creation from MRP output), including bot development, testing in your environment, and deployment -- typically runs $20,000--$50,000. Multi-process programmes covering procurement, production reporting, and AP processing run $50,000--$130,000. Cost depends on the number of processes, ERP and MES integration complexity, and quality compliance requirements. We scope every project before pricing it.
Work with us
We scope RPA in Manufacturing in 30 minutes. You walk away with a clear cost, timeline, and approach. No commitment required.