A container is on the water and the paperwork arrives in pieces. The commercial invoice comes from the supplier on Monday. The packing list lands on Wednesday. The bill of lading arrives from the forwarder on Friday, in a different thread. Someone in the office has to collect all three, open the import record in Priority, and type it in line by line.

The import file processing Priority ERP teams actually want is simple. The three documents should be treated as one case, checked against the purchase order and the open import record, and entered only when they match. That is what DOConvert does. It reads the PDFs from the mailbox, groups them as one import file, cross-checks them against Priority, stops anything that does not add up, and enters the data through the APP095 connector.

This article explains how that works in practice, where the manual version goes wrong, and what the flow looks like step by step.

Why an import file is harder than a single invoice

Three documents, three senders, one shipment

The commercial invoice comes from the supplier. The packing list usually comes from the supplier too, but often in a separate email. The bill of lading comes from the forwarder or the shipping line. Nobody sends them together.

• Different senders, different days, different email threads
• Different layouts for every supplier and every forwarder
• One missing document and the whole case waits

Each document answers a different question

The invoice says what you are paying for. The packing list says what is physically in the boxes. The bill of lading says who shipped it, where it is going, and under which reference. The import record in Priority needs all three to agree.

Keying it in is where the mistakes happen

A clerk retypes forty invoice lines, then the carton counts, then the container and BL numbers. One wrong quantity and the goods receipt is wrong. One wrong currency and the landed cost is wrong. These errors are found weeks later, usually by the accountant or by customs.

What the manual version looks like in the office

Hunting for documents

Someone searches the inbox for the invoice, the packing list and the BL. They open each one, check the supplier name, check the PO number, and save them in a folder with the shipment number.

Finding the right record in Priority

They open the open import records, find the one for this PO, and start filling fields. Supplier, invoice number, date, currency, Incoterms, then every line.

Checking totals by eye

They compare the invoice total with the PO total. They compare quantities on the packing list with the PO lines. If something is off, they email the buyer and the case waits in a drawer.

How it works with DOConvert

The flow, in plain steps

DOConvert is the AI layer for the ERP. It does not need a template per supplier or per forwarder, so a new supplier works on day one.

• The PDFs arrive by email, across several messages and several days
• DOConvert reads each document, works out what it is, and groups the invoice, packing list and bill of lading as one import case, using the PO number, container number and references
• It identifies the supplier and the forwarder
• It finds the open import record and the purchase order in Priority
• It checks the invoice lines, prices, currency and totals against the PO
• It checks the packing list quantities and cartons against the goods expected on the PO
• Anything that does not match is stopped with a plain reason, for example a quantity on the packing list that is lower than the invoiced quantity, or a unit price that differs from the PO
• Only after the case matches, DOConvert enters it into Priority through the APP095 connector, which is bi-directional, so it reads the PO and writes the result in the same connection

What the person at the desk sees

The clerk no longer types. They see a short list of exceptions, each with the reason written in plain words, and a link to the documents. They fix or approve, and the rest went in on its own.

No middleware, nothing leaves your environment

The connection to Priority is direct. No Make, no n8n, no Zapier in between. DOConvert runs in the cloud or on your own servers. A typical implementation takes about 10 business days.

If you want more detail on how documents from different emails are grouped into one case, read about DOConvert’s document merging and validation.

For the wider picture of what runs on Priority, see our guide to Priority ERP document automation. DOConvert is also listed on the Priority Market.

Who it fits

• Importers on Priority that bring in containers every week and have one or two people keying in import files
• Finance teams where the controller checks landed cost and keeps finding typing errors
• Operations managers who want the goods receipt ready before the container reaches the warehouse
• IT or IS managers who want a direct connection to Priority with no middleware to maintain

Questions and answers

What if the packing list arrives three days after the invoice

DOConvert keeps the case open and waits for the missing document. When the packing list arrives, it is matched to the same case by PO number, container number or shipment reference, and the checks run on the complete file.

Do I need to set up a template for each supplier and forwarder

No. DOConvert understands the document without a template. A new supplier or a new forwarder works without setup.

What happens when the invoice does not match the PO

The case is stopped and the reason is written in plain words. Nothing is entered into Priority until someone fixes the document or approves the difference.

Does it also handle customs documents

Yes. Customs declarations and other customs documents can be part of the same import case, with the same cross-check against the record in Priority.

How long does it take to go live

A typical implementation is about 10 business days, including the connection to Priority through the APP095 connector.

Want to see it on your own documents? Book a Demo or Get Started