Key takeaways
- Shipbuilding AP automation tools for Infor must provide native bidirectional integration, coding to hull and project structure at capture, and multi-entity routing capabilities.
- Vergo integrates with Infor and codes AP invoices, card spend, and employee reimbursements through one AI-powered model with inference from your own accounting structure.
- Government contract compliance requires a complete audit trail from invoice receipt through approval to ERP posting, with every decision timestamped and attributable.
- Approvals that work away from a desk are essential because outfitting managers and marine engineers work on vessels and in dry docks, not at desks.
- Effective tools code invoices to hull number, WBS element, and financial dimensions before approval to avoid post-posting corrections in Infor.
- Supplier documentation checks should flag missing certificates of conformance, material test reports, or insurance certificates before payment approval.
Where should you go next?
- See the Vergo + Infor integration
- Learn more about Vergo AP Invoice Automation
- Learn more about Vergo Expense Management
- Learn more about Vergo Employee Reimbursements
Why shipbuilding finance teams struggle with AP without automation
Shipbuilding AP is structurally complex because a single hull can involve hundreds of equipment and outfitting suppliers, outside processors, specialty material vendors, and government contract billing requirements running through the same Infor instance. Controllers managing this volume without automation face serious exposure to coding errors, audit gaps, and compliance liability. The core problem is that invoice data captured outside Infor must be manually keyed back in, creating lag and errors that DCAA auditors will find. Common pain points include invoices miscoded to the wrong hull or project element, multi-entity routing failures when invoices span legal entities or shipyard locations, no digital audit trail from receipt to posting, approval bottlenecks when engineers are on the floor or in dry dock, and supplier invoice volume spikes during block erection or outfitting with no scalable review process.
What to look for in an AP automation tool for Infor
Evaluating AP automation for a shipbuilding environment requires different criteria than standard commercial AP. First, native Infor integration with bidirectional sync is essential — the tool must push coded invoice data to Infor and pull updated project structures and dimension values back through API-based connections, not flat-file workarounds. Coding at the point of capture ensures invoices are assigned to hull number, WBS element, project element and the financial dimensions your ledger uses before approval, avoiding time-consuming post-posting corrections. Multi-entity and multi-location routing handles invoices across legal entities or yard locations without manual intervention. Approvals by text let outfitting managers and marine engineers approve from the vessel rather than requiring desktop access. A complete audit trail from capture to ERP posting timestamps every approval step, coding decision, and exception with named user attribution — non-negotiable for government contract environments. Supplier documentation checks flag invoices with missing certificates of conformance, material test reports, or insurance certificates before payment approval, and configurable approval thresholds by GL account or project route a $2,000 consumables invoice differently than a $400,000 hull steel invoice.
A practical example
Consider a shipyard building a naval auxiliary vessel under a government contract. During outfitting, the program receives 80 invoices in one week from electrical, HVAC and piping suppliers and outside service providers. Without automation, the AP clerk manually keys each invoice into Infor, assigns hull number and WBS element, prints for approval, waits for the outfitting manager to return from the dry dock, then re-enters any corrections. The work is slow and introduces errors when the clerk misreads a handwritten note or assigns the wrong WBS element. With proper AP automation integrated to Infor, each invoice is captured digitally at receipt, coded to the correct hull and WBS element through inference from prior coding patterns, sent to the outfitting manager for approval while he's aboard, and synced directly into Infor with a complete audit trail. The same 80 invoices clear in a fraction of the time with fewer errors and full DCAA documentation.
How Vergo handles this
Vergo integrates with Infor to handle AP invoices, card spend, and employee reimbursements through one AI-powered coding model. Invoices, card transactions, and reimbursements all run through the same coding and review process with one reconciliation, while payment stays on the rails you already use. Vergo proposes coding by inference from your own accounting structure and history — including hull number, WBS element and financial dimensions — with no rule library to build, no keyword lists to maintain, and new vendors coded on first sight. Every coding shows why it was chosen so a reviewer confirms in seconds instead of re-coding by hand. Approval workflows are optional and fit how you already control spend: route by GL account, by amount, or by project, or skip approval flows entirely and let policy flags catch only what breaks a rule. Transactions are ready to code the moment they happen with no waiting for clearing, and once they clear they sync into Infor automatically. Employees handle everything by text message with no app to download or portal login, and Vergo chases missing receipts itself instead of waiting for a report. Connecting your existing cards involves no card applications, no re-issuing, and no banking change.
Related questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AP automation work with Infor LN or Infor CloudSuite Industrial?
Most enterprise AP automation platforms integrate with Infor via API or certified connector. The key distinction is whether the integration supports bidirectional sync — pushing coded invoices to Infor and pulling updated project structures and dimension values back. Flat-file or one-way integrations create reconciliation gaps that shipyard controllers typically discover at month-end close.
What AP data fields are most critical to sync between an automation tool and Infor for shipbuilding?
For shipbuilding environments, the critical sync fields include hull or project number, WBS element, financial dimensions, legal entity, vendor ID, purchase order and receipt references, and invoice approval status. Tax jurisdiction also matters for supplier invoices. Missing or mismatched project elements are the most common source of program cost report errors in Infor.
How does Vergo handle AP automation for companies using Infor alongside other ERPs?
Vergo integrates with Infor and with other ERPs shipbuilders and manufacturers run, including IFS, Epicor, Deltek Costpoint, SAP, Acumatica and NetSuite. Shipbuilding companies that manage multiple entities or acquired yards on different ERP platforms can route AP through a single Vergo workflow while posting to each ERP separately. No custom middleware required.
What compliance requirements should AP automation address for government shipbuilding contracts?
Government shipbuilding contracts subject to DCAA or FAR requirements demand a complete, timestamped audit trail for every invoice — from receipt through approval to ERP posting. The system must record who approved, when, at what dollar amount, and against which cost element. Automated routing rules that enforce segregation of duties are also a standard DCAA expectation.
Can AP automation tools handle supplier invoice volume spikes during vessel outfitting?
Yes, but only if the tool supports configurable approval thresholds and parallel routing. Outfitting brings a sharp rise in supplier invoices. AP tools that require sequential, single-approver workflows create payment delays that strain supplier relationships. Threshold-based routing and approvals from the vessel are the two features that most directly address outfitting volume.
Does Vergo keep supplier documentation with shipbuilding invoices?
Vergo keeps each invoice, its supporting documents and every approval together on the transaction, so certificates, receiving records and coding decisions travel with the cost into Infor. When a contracting officer or DCAA auditor asks for backup on a supplier payment, the full record is already attached rather than scattered across inboxes.
