Maven Technologies

Case study

Case study · Aerospace manufacturer · Purchasing

Purchase orders that confirm themselves

A single queue where buyers review, approve and send purchase orders, and where suppliers confirm quantities and dates through a secure link, all written back to the ERP.

Process automationERP integrationSupplier portalApproval workflowDirectory sign-in

IndustryAerospace manufacturing

TeamPurchasing and supply chain

Delivered asInternal web app + secure supplier portal

Connected toERP, company email, directory sign-in

The problem

What was getting in the way

Purchase orders were released one at a time: build the PDF, write the email, attach the paperwork, send.
Nothing proved a supplier had seen the order or agreed to the quantities and dates, so buyers chased confirmations by phone and email.
Orders above a spending limit needed a sign-off that was collected informally, so it was hard to see what was waiting on whom.
When a supplier proposed a different date, someone had to retype it into the ERP.

How we solved it

What we built

One queue shows every order that is ready, waiting on approval, sent, or waiting on the supplier, filtered to the signed-in buyer.
Approval rules by order value route each request to the right person. Approvers respond in one click and get a reminder digest until they do. An order cannot go out until it is cleared.
The PO PDF is built from the live order and emailed with the buyer copied and a copy archived.
Each email carries a secure link. Suppliers accept each line or counter with a new quantity or date, and their response is confirmed by email and written back to the ERP.
Unanswered orders trigger automatic reminders, and the queue shows which orders are still waiting on an acknowledgement.
Sign-in uses the company directory, with three permission levels (managers, full users, send-only) and a full audit trail of who did what.

How it works

From ready-to-send to confirmed

Review

Buyer previews the exact email and PDF that will go out.

Approve

Orders over the limit go to the right approver and wait for a decision.

Send

PDF and email go to the supplier, with copies to the buyer and the archive.

Acknowledge

Supplier confirms each line or counters through a secure link.

Follow up

Reminders go out automatically. Agreed dates flow back to the ERP.

Screens

The buyer and supplier experience

Buyers work from one queue. Suppliers only see a simple form.

purchasing.internal / po-queue

PO Review Queue

Everything waiting to go out, or waiting on a supplier

Buyer: Jordan L.Status: AllSearch PO or supplier

PO	Supplier	Total	Status
PO-10482	Northwind Fasteners	$4,180	Ready to send
PO-10483	Harbor Metals	$18,940	Awaiting approval
PO-10471	Summit Coatings	$2,260	Sent, awaiting ACK
PO-10466	Delta Precision	$7,505	Acknowledged
PO-10452	Ridgeline Supply	$1,090	Counter-proposal

Preview email & PDF Send to supplier

Buyer queue. Color-coded status for every order, with a preview before anything is sent.

suppliers.example.com / ack / 7f3a…

Purchase Order AcknowledgementPO-10482

Please confirm each line or propose a change. Your response goes straight to the buyer.

Line	Qty	Requested	Your date
1	500	Oct 14	Oct 14	Accept
2	250	Oct 14	Oct 21	Counter
3	40	Oct 28	Oct 28	Accept

Submit acknowledgement

Supplier acknowledgement. Accept a line or counter with a new date. No account or login needed.

purchasing.internal / approvals

Approval rules

Who signs off, by order value

Order value	Approver	Result
Up to $5,000	Buyer	Sends directly
$5,000 to $25,000	Purchasing manager	Approval request
Over $25,000	Manager + finance	Two approvals

Pending: PO-10483 · requested Tue · reminder sent

Approve Reject

Approval routing. Rules by order value decide who must sign off before an order is released.

Illustrative screens rebuilt with sample data. No customer, supplier or employee information is shown.

What changed

The difference on the floor and in the office

Every order has a visible status

Buyers can see at a glance what is ready, what is waiting on an approver and what is waiting on a supplier.

Supplier commitments are on record

Acknowledgements, counter-proposals and the dates agreed are captured and flow back to the ERP instead of living in inboxes.

Approvals are traceable

Who approved what, and when, is recorded. Approvers are reminded automatically instead of being chased.

Buyers work exceptions

Time goes to late or disputed orders rather than assembling emails and chasing routine confirmations.

Controlled access

Roles limit who can approve, send or change rules, and every action is logged.

Same tool, more than one site

The design carries over to a second site with only its own configuration changed.

Got a similar problem?

Tell us what is slowing your team down. We will tell you honestly whether and how we can help.