Lower labor cost
$100 fell to $25 per 500-unit PO.
Receiving automation case study · ERP receiving software
From one-by-one barcode entry to single-touch bulk receiving.
Removing one repeated motion from the receiving process cut a 500-line PO from 4 hours to 1, and labor cost 75%.
Prior operating experience led by Built-N-AI founder Casey Jackson. Company identity is omitted.
Results at a glance
75%Labor cost reduction$100 → $25 per 500-unit PO
4×Faster processing4 hours → 1 hour per 500-line PO
1 touchPer unitAuto-printed labels remove re-handling
2 pathsSame savingsMagic-wand sequencing or full spreadsheet import
500Lines per POThe baseline used for the comparison
AutoSequence overrideRestart the barcode sequence anywhere
The challenge
One repeated motion, hundreds of times per PO.
Receiving a large purchase order meant scanning a barcode and applying it to a physical unit, one at a time, all the way through a PO that could run hundreds of lines. A 500-line PO took one person about 4 hours — even when every part number was already known and the manifest was accurate.
That labor cost added up fast, and it gave every receiver the same repetitive task: scan, apply, repeat, hundreds of times per PO.
The solution
Two paths, one touch per unit.
We eliminated one-by-one barcode entry with two paths to the same result, so a receiver never touches a unit twice.
A “magic wand” on the receiving screen: enter the first barcode, hit the wand, and it auto-populates the rest in sequence across the full PO. A receiver can override and restart the sequence anywhere it doesn’t match — labels auto-print at the same time, so each unit is touched once.
For POs that arrive as a file, a spreadsheet import option auto-receives the entire PO by upload — no barcode entry at all, with the same time savings.
Two automation workflows doing the same job different ways — pick whichever fits how your POs arrive.
Two paths, one touch
- Enter the first barcode, hit the wand
- Sequence auto-populates the rest of the PO
- Override and restart the sequence anywhere
- Label auto-prints as each unit sequences
- Or: upload a spreadsheet, auto-receive the full PO
- Either way — one touch per unit
500-line PO: 4 hours down to 1 hour.
Labor cost per PO fell from about $100 to $25 — a 75% reduction — with labels already printed and no re-handling required.
Before & after
The receiving motion changed.
Before
Barcode scanned and applied to each unit individually
After
First barcode entered once; the rest auto-sequence
Before
500-line PO took about 4 hours
After
Same PO takes about 1 hour
Before
~$100 labor cost per 500-unit PO
After
~$25 labor cost — a 75% reduction
Before
Labels printed and applied as a separate step
After
Labels auto-print as each unit sequences
Before
File-based POs still required manual entry
After
Spreadsheet import auto-receives the full PO
Business impact
Less labor, same accuracy.
Faster receiving
4 hours fell to 1 hour per 500-line PO.
Per unit
Auto-printed labels eliminate re-handling.
Same result
Magic-wand sequencing or full spreadsheet import.
Founding Client Program — 3 spots
Prove it on your data before you commit.
This workflow was built and proven inside real operations, not sold before it was tested. The first three external clients get founding-client pricing in exchange for a case study and testimonial.
Step 1 — Pilot
$2,500
A 2-week pilot on one large PO, proving the single-touch receiving workflow against your actual purchase-order volume. Credited toward the full build if you move forward.
Step 2 — Full build (founding-client rate)
$9,500
The full bulk-receiving workflow — magic-wand sequencing and spreadsheet import — integrated into your ERP. Founding-client pricing for the first 3 external clients only.
Key takeaway
The fix wasn’t AI — it was removing a repeated motion.
Same underlying insight as our intake work: find the one repeated, per-unit action driving the labor cost, and remove it — instead of just doing the same steps faster.
Two paths, one touch, 75% less labor per PO.