ApproveThis manages your Manu Online Integration approvals.

When ERP Meets Approval Automation

Modern manufacturing runs on precision - both in production floors and boardrooms. While Manu Online provides the operational backbone for SMB manufacturers through its ERP capabilities, ApproveThis adds surgical control over financial and operational decisions. Together through Zapier, these platforms create closed-loop systems where every critical action automatically triggers structured oversight.

This integration isn't about replacing human judgment - it's about ensuring decisions happen faster while maintaining audit trails. Finance teams gain real-time visibility into invoice approvals. Production managers automatically escalate material purchases above budget thresholds. Sales leads convert approved quotes to orders without manual data entry.

Why This Integration Matters for Manufacturers

Manu Online excels at managing complex manufacturing workflows from raw material procurement to final shipment. However, financial controls often create bottlenecks:

• Purchase orders stuck in email approval chains
• Sales invoices delayed by absent approvers
• Manual order entry errors from paper-based systems

ApproveThis injects three manufacturing-specific advantages:

1. Context-aware routing: Send $5k material requests to plant managers while routing $50k+ capital expenditures directly to CFOs
2. External participation: Suppliers or clients can approve documents without Manu Online licenses
3. Decision audit trails: Maintain immutable records for compliance with ISO standards or financial audits

Real-World Workflow Accelerators

1. Invoice Approval Automation

When a sales invoice activates in Manu Online, ApproveThis automatically:

• Routes to regional sales manager based on customer location
• Escalates to CFO if discount exceeds 15%
• Updates Manu Online status upon approval

Impact: A mid-sized automotive parts manufacturer reduced invoice approval cycles from 72 hours to 8 hours by integrating these platforms. Accounts receivable days dropped by 14% in one quarter.

2. Purchase Order Governance

Every activated purchase order in Manu Online now triggers:

• Automatic vendor qualification checks
• Three-way matching against original RFQs
• Approval delegation during plant manager vacations

Example: A food packaging company prevented $240k in duplicate orders last year using approval thresholds and real-time budget checks.

3. Sales Order Conversion

Approved quotes in ApproveThis automatically become Manu Online sales orders with:

• Correct pricing tiers applied
• Production team notifications
• CRM system updates

Result: One industrial equipment maker eliminated 37 manual process steps between quote approval and production scheduling.

Technical Synergies That Matter

The Zapier integration between ApproveThis and Manu Online works because both platforms expose critical triggers and actions:

Key Connection Points

From Manu Online:

• Sales invoice activations
• Purchase order releases
• Inventory threshold breaches

From ApproveThis:

• Approval completions (approved/denied)
• New request creations
• Escalation events

These connection points enable bi-directional workflows that keep both systems synchronized without manual intervention.

Implementation Essentials

Setting up the integration requires:

Step 1: Core Configuration

1. Create Zapier account (if none exists)
2. Connect Manu Online using OAuth credentials
3. Connect ApproveThis via API key

Step 2: Workflow Design

Map approval processes to Manu Online events:

• Invoice approvals → Sales Invoice Activated trigger
• PO approvals → Purchase Order Activated trigger
• Order confirmations → Request Approved trigger

Step 3: Exception Handling

Configure fallback actions for:

• Approver unavailability (vacation delegation)
• System downtime (Zapier retry logic)
• Data mismatches (conditional error alerts)

Department-Specific Benefits

Finance Teams

Automate three-way matching for invoices while maintaining strict approval chains. Real-time budget checks against Manu Online's GL codes prevent overspending.

Production Managers

Get automatic purchase order approvals when raw material inventories dip below safety stock levels tracked in Manu Online.

Sales Operations

Convert approved quotes to production orders in 1 click, with automatic CRM updates and commission tracking.

The Compliance Advantage

Manufacturers using both platforms report:

• 92% faster audit preparation
• 67% reduction in control exceptions
• 100% digital audit trails

ApproveThis' immutable decision logs combined with Manu Online's transaction history create an unbroken chain of custody for every financial decision.

Getting Started

Ready to eliminate approval bottlenecks?

1. Create your ApproveThis account
2. Connect to Manu Online via Zapier
3. Implement first workflow in under 2 hours

For complex environments, request a custom demo showing how to map your existing approval processes into the integrated system.

Final Considerations

While the integration handles most scenarios out of the box, manufacturers should:

• Maintain parallel manual processes during initial 30-day rollout
• Train approvers on email-based approval methods
• Review escalation paths quarterly

With proper implementation, manufacturers typically see full ROI within 90 days through reduced operational delays and improved decision accountability.