The term “automation” was developed around 1946 to describe the increased use of automatic devices and controls in mechanized production lines. Typically attributed to D.S. Harder, an engineering manager at the Ford Motor Company the idea of automating objects or tasks has existed for thousands of years.
The wheel, the lever, and the pulley are all examples of human innovation to create something that amplifies and automates human muscle and energy. Since then we have been innovating on ways to remove ourselves from the equation. The steam engine represented a huge milestone in the development of powered machines.
So why the history lesson?
As a species we have constantly been using our innovative nature to harness the power of the machine. So, here we are in the 21st century. You or your Accounts Payable team are still processing paper checks, manually inputting data, and chasing down approvals.
You could be harnessing innovation powered by MineralTree to automate these tasks.
Change is a funny thing
Henry Ford is attributed with saying, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
Now while we believe in listening to customer feedback this maxim shows that sometimes when you innovate you need to do something different. Faster transportation didn’t mean faster horses. It meant the invention of the combustible engine.
To be more efficient in AP you don’t have to hire more bodies but you can scale and reduce the mundane workload with automation software like MineralTree.
That’s great, but all you’re trying to do is sell me on MineralTree
There are several AP automation tools you can look into and you should absolutely do your due diligence. While you’re doing that, check out our blog post on why to automate accounts payable and don’t hesitate to reach out to us here for a competitive breakdown.
