How Acier Sélect Transformed a Manual Process Into an Automated & Scalable Financial Workflow Using AI

Acier Sélect is a company specializing in the design, fabrication, and installation of steel structures for commercial, industrial, and institutional clients. Since its founding in 1997, the company has built a solid reputation based on the quality of its work and the rigor of its operations.

Based in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the company now has over 120 employees and operates out of facilities spanning more than 30,000 square feet. Its sustained growth is driven by its ability to efficiently deliver complex projects while maintaining a high level of precision and control.

At Acier Sélect, accounts payable management relied on an efficient manual process… until growth began to push it to its limits.

As the volume of invoices increased, each document required manual review, interpretation, and approval. The process quickly became more cumbersome, slower, and more prone to errors, duplicates, and delays.

To continue growing without slowing down its financial operations, the company needed to eliminate this reliance on manual tasks and establish a process capable of scaling up without compromising its internal controls.

To address its growth challenges, the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu-based company implemented a custom solution powered by artificial intelligence, designed to automate the processing of supplier invoices as soon as they are received.

The goal was not to replace the existing process, but to make it smoother, more reliable, and less dependent on manual intervention, while maintaining existing financial controls.

What the solution actually enables:

• Automatic centralization of documents
  Consolidation of supplier invoices, credit memos, and purchase orders into a single environment
• Intelligent reading and interpretation of invoices
  Automatic extraction of key data using AI upon receipt of documents
• Reconciliation with existing accounting data
  Simplified validation based on information already in the system
• Reduction of repetitive manual tasks
  Significant reduction in manual data entry and low-value-added tasks
• Maintenance of control by the accounting team
  Management of validations and exceptions without loss of operational control
• Seamless integration with the existing environment
  No disruption to existing accounting tools

Automating accounts payable has enabled Acier Sélect to transform a highly manual process into a structured, faster, and more reliable workflow that is directly integrated into its financial operations.

Key Results:

• Significant reduction in manual processing
  Most tasks related to invoice entry and validation are now automated
• Shorter processing times
  Faster supplier invoice processing cycle
• Reduction in errors and duplicates
  Fewer manual interventions = lower operational risks
• Improved traceability
  Clear and structured tracking of each invoice throughout the process
• Increased visibility into accounts payable
  Better understanding of the status of financial commitments
• Reduced administrative burden
  The team can focus on higher-value-added tasks