How to add document OCR to Made2Manage
Short answer
Scan or ingest the paper and PDFs that surround Made2Manage, run OCR and field extraction locally, match to POs and receipts, and show a reviewer anything under a confidence threshold. Approved results go to M2M through a supported import or a prefilled entry.
Paper is still the glue in many M2M plants. Vendor invoices arrive as PDFs and paper, packing slips ride in with the truck, material certs and certs of conformance sit in a folder, and customer drawings come attached to orders. Receiving clerks and AP staff do a lot of reading and keying between those documents and the ERP.
OCR does not remove the check, it removes the typing. The reason this works on an older ERP is that the documents are the input and the PO, receipt and part tables are the reference data you can match against.
This page focuses on documents specifically: layout, confidence, matching and what to do when the extractor is unsure. For email-borne documents, see the email automation page.
What teams use it for
Vendor invoice capture
Extract invoice number, date, vendor, totals and lines, then match to the PO and receipt for a three-way match and prepare an AP voucher draft.
Packing slip receiving
Read the supplier's packing slip, find the matching PO release, and prefill the receipt quantities so the dock clerk confirms rather than types.
Certs of conformance and material certs
Extract heat or lot numbers, spec and quantity, attach the cert to the receipt or lot, and flag missing or mismatched certs before parts reach the floor.
Customer drawing intake
Read the title block for part number, revision and material, compare to the item master, and flag a new revision for engineering review.
Inspection and traveler sheets
Digitize handwritten inspection results from paper travelers into structured records, with low-confidence handwriting routed to review.
Historical archive search
OCR old scanned job packets so quality and sales can search by job, part or lot without a filing cabinet.
Made2Manage integration surface
- Reference data: PO and receipt tables (for example Pomast, Poitem and receiving records), vendor and item masters, and lot or heat tracking where used. Verify names and keys for your version.
- Receiving and AP screens: where approved data lands. In the absence of a documented API, use a supported import, a prefilled entry sheet, or a stored procedure reviewed by your vendor or DBA.
- Document storage: some versions link documents to records; otherwise store the original in a share or document store keyed by PO, receipt, lot or job number and keep the key in your own table.
- Scanner and input paths: network scanner to folder, mailbox ingestion, or a drop folder watched by a service.
- Cross-references: vendor part number to your part number tables, important for matching packing slip lines.
How it works
- 1
Standardize ingestion
Route scans and PDFs to a watched folder or queue, deskew and clean images, and record a hash to avoid duplicates.
- 2
Classify the document
Distinguish invoice, packing slip, cert, drawing and other, because each needs different fields and matching logic.
- 3
Run OCR and extraction
Use a local OCR engine and a layout-aware model for tables. Output fields with per-field confidence and coordinates for the review overlay.
- 4
Match against M2M
Resolve vendor, PO number and lines, compare quantity and price within tolerances, and flag overbilling or unreceived items.
- 5
Apply thresholds
Set a confidence floor per field. Anything below it, or with a failed match, shows highlighted on the original image for a reviewer.
- 6
Post through a controlled path
On approval, generate the import file or entry sheet, store the original beside the transaction key, and write an audit record.
Example flows
Invoice three-way match
Trigger: A vendor invoice PDF lands in the AP drop folder.
- Classifier marks it as an invoice and extraction reads the lines.
- System finds the PO and receipts and compares quantities and prices.
- One line is over price by a few percent and is flagged.
- AP clerk reviews the overlay, accepts or disputes.
- Approved voucher draft is prepared for entry.
Result: Clerks spend time on the exceptions only.
Cert attached at receiving
Trigger: A pallet arrives with a material certificate.
- Dock clerk scans the packing slip and the cert.
- Heat number and spec are extracted.
- Spec is compared to the PO requirement.
- A mismatch blocks release to stock and alerts quality.
Result: Nonconforming material is caught at the dock, not on the machine.
Keeping data on-prem
Documents like invoices, drawings and certs often contain pricing and export-controlled technical data, so run OCR and extraction locally. Open OCR engines and open-weight vision-language models can run on one GPU server inside your network, with the M2M database queried over the LAN. Nothing about the pipeline requires a cloud call. If you need to scale up for a backlog, burst processing can run in a private cloud or sovereign region under your contract and controls rather than on a public document API.
Security checklist
- Store originals read-only with hashes and tie them to transaction numbers.
- Restrict reviewer access by role; AP and quality should not see each other's documents unnecessarily.
- Treat drawings as controlled data and keep processing on-prem when export rules apply.
- Require dual approval for changes to vendor bank details found in documents.
- Log every extraction version and reviewer correction for audit and model tuning.
Ways to get it done
Scanner software with zone OCR
Effort: Days, brittle with new vendors.
Works for a handful of fixed templates.
Build with open OCR and a local model
Effort: Several weeks per document type.
Mixed layouts, in-house developer, on-prem requirement.
Partner build such as Netray
Effort: Pilot on one document type, then expand.
Three-way match, cert checking and review UI connected to M2M.
Pitfalls
- !Fax-quality scans and handwriting need lower thresholds and honest review rates.
- !Tables that span pages are a common failure for extractors.
- !Duplicate invoices slip in when hash or number checks are skipped.
- !Posting without matching to receipts can approve invoices for goods never received.
Frequently asked questions
Does Made2Manage include OCR?
I do not believe the classic product includes general document OCR. Third-party scanning tools may link to it. Check with your vendor or reseller about current options for your version.
How accurate is OCR on invoices?
Clean digital PDFs extract very well, scans are decent, and handwriting is weaker. Expect to review a meaningful share at first, then fewer as vendor templates are learned. Measure your own reject rate rather than trusting a promise.
Can OCR run without sending documents to the cloud?
Yes. Open OCR engines and local vision-language models run on your own server. This matters for drawings and priced documents.
How does the result get into M2M?
Through a vendor-supported import, a reviewed stored procedure, or a prefilled entry sheet a clerk confirms. Avoid direct table writes.
Can it check certs against PO requirements?
Yes if the PO or item carries a spec requirement you can read. The extractor pulls spec and heat or lot values and compares them, flagging gaps for quality review.
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