AUTOMATING ACCOUNTING

EXCEPT FOR MAKING PRODucts that keep customers happy, there are few processes in manufacturing that are more important than accounts receivable and accounts payable.

Making sure customers pay on time and, in turn, making sure vendors and suppliers get paid, are among the most critical functions

Payables can be especially time-consuming. There are as many different formats for invoices out there as there are models and colors of automobiles. What's more, some vendors submit invoices electronically, while some do so via facsimile machine, and others use the Postal Service.

Document capture and imaging systems can help. For instance, many companies use PC-based scanning systems from Kofax Image Products. The Irvine, Calif., company offers systems that can accept a variety of invoice formats via facsimile and transform them into digital images for integration into accounting systems.