How it fits
Built on Kinetic, not beside it
lowki.ai does one thing Kinetic can't: it reads the orders and invoices your customers and suppliers send in whatever format they like. Everything after that is Kinetic, working the way you've already set it up.
The problem with most add-ons
Most automation tools rebuild what your ERP already does. They bring their own validation rules, their own approval workflow and their own portal. Then there are two systems holding two versions of your rules. They drift apart, someone has to keep them in step, and your audit trail is split across both.
Lexi by lowki.ai was built inside Thomas Dudley Plumbing Products, a manufacturer that has run Epicor since 2004, starting on Vantage 8. Thomas Dudley Plumbing Products already had the rules, the approvals and the people who knew how to maintain them. It didn't want a second copy, and we don't think you do either.
What lowki.ai uses instead of rebuilding
| Kinetic already does this | How lowki.ai fits in |
|---|---|
| Credit checks and credit holds | Orders go in through Kinetic's business logic, so credit limits and holds apply exactly as for an order keyed by hand |
| Duplicate PO numbers | If a customer is set to reject duplicate POs, Kinetic stops a resent order as it would one keyed by hand. lowki.ai flags the email in Outlook and the email category gives the reason |
| Customer and part validation | Kinetic's own checks apply, including inactive customers and parts |
| Method and Data Directives | Fire as normal, because lowki.ai creates records through Kinetic's business objects via the REST API |
| Your hold and release process | Respected, not replaced. lowki.ai works with your process and doesn't change it |
| BAQs | lowki.ai reads your data through BAQs. Filter them to tune what it sees, with no code |
| UD fields | Per-customer rules write extra order details into your own UD fields |
| AP approval | Invoices are logged in Kinetic and approved under your own authorisation settings there, including auto-approval if you use it. Posting is always done by your people |
| AP matching | Done by driving Kinetic's own Get Receipts, with the result shown as the ERP's own group balance |
| Order history | Each order stores a link in Kinetic back to the original email, so the source document is one click away |
Why we work inside Kinetic
Your business rules already live in Kinetic. You've spent years, and serious money, putting them there: credit limits, price lists, customer part references, holds and BPMs. Moving the order into another system and copying those rules across never sat right with us.
A system in front of Kinetic can pass an order that Kinetic then stops on credit or price. Someone checks it twice, in two screens, and the second check happens in Kinetic anyway. For high-volume order entry, that's the wrong way round.
When Thomas Dudley Plumbing Products looked at that approach, its sales office hated it. They've always wanted to live in Sales Order Entry. So that's where lowki.ai puts the order, with your Kinetic rules applied as it goes in.
Questions worth asking any vendor:
- Where do approvals live, and how many places does the audit trail sit?
- Does your review screen run Kinetic's credit check, price lists and BPMs, or do we find those out after release?
- What happens to it at every Kinetic upgrade?
- What happens if we stop using you?
What lowki.ai adds
Only the part Kinetic can't do: reading unstructured documents. PDFs, spreadsheets and emails in every layout your customers and suppliers use, turned into orders and invoices in Kinetic for your team to review.
For sales orders, status shows in Outlook. Each processed email is ticked. If something stops an order going in, the email is flagged and its category says what's wrong. You don't need a dashboard, though you can build one in Kinetic from the BAQs we provide.
For AP invoices, it sends a short summary email once they're processed, so anything that needs attention comes to your team. There's no portal to check and no extra login.
Why it matters
- One source of truth. Orders, invoices, approvals and the audit trail all live in Kinetic, where your finance team and auditors already look.
- Nothing extra to maintain. No second rule set to keep in step, and nothing to retest in another system every time Kinetic upgrades.
- Tools your team already knows. Your team works in Outlook and Kinetic. There's no new portal, no new login and nothing new to learn.
- Your Kinetic skills still apply. Your team, your BPMs and your Epicor partner all carry on as they are.
- Your rules stay yours. lowki.ai recommends BPMs where they help, and you or your partner build them in your own system.
- An easy exit. Stop using lowki.ai and nothing breaks. Your approvals, holds and rules were always Kinetic's.
- Fast to start. There's no workflow to design in another system, which is a big reason lowki.ai is typically live in under a day.
Frequently asked questions
Does lowki.ai bypass any Kinetic rules?
No. Orders and invoices are created through Kinetic's business objects, so your credit checks, directives and other configured rules run exactly as they would for a person using Kinetic.
Do we need to change our Kinetic setup?
Usually not. lowki.ai works with your existing configuration. If a BPM would help, for example to hold orders from a particular customer for review, we'll recommend it and you decide whether to build it.
Why no portal or workflow engine?
Because Kinetic already has one. A second one would mean another system to secure, license, train people on and keep in step with Kinetic.
When is this approach not the right fit?
If your approvers need to work outside Kinetic, or you want a separate platform for document routing, payments or fraud scoring, a dedicated workflow product will suit you better.
See it on your own documents
Send us a handful of real orders or invoices and we'll show you what lowki.ai does with them in Kinetic.
Book a demoRelated: Sales order entry · Accounts payable · lowki.ai vs Epicor ECM Sales Order Automation · Security
Epicor and Kinetic are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation. lowki.ai is not affiliated with or endorsed by Epicor.
