Back to Use Cases
🚚
Supply Chain

Supply Chain & Logistics

Extract shipping details, inventory information, and supplier data from logistics documents and purchase orders.

When One Missing Document Stops a Shipment

Supply chains run on paperwork. Bills of lading, packing slips, customs declarations, purchase orders—each shipment generates a trail of documents that must match up perfectly. One discrepancy can mean containers sitting at ports, production lines waiting for parts, or customers waiting for deliveries.

I once watched a logistics manager spend an entire morning tracking down why a shipment was held at customs. The issue? A packing slip showed 1,000 units. The commercial invoice showed 1,100. A data entry error from weeks earlier had finally caught up.

Ten minutes to make the mistake. Four hours to find it. An entire shipment delayed.

The Paper Trail Problem

A single international shipment might include:

  • Purchase order
  • Commercial invoice
  • Packing list
  • Bill of lading
  • Certificate of origin
  • Customs declaration
  • Delivery receipt
  • Each document contains overlapping information that must be consistent. Each is often in a different format, from a different party, sometimes in a different language.

    Manually checking consistency across all these documents for every shipment? That doesn't scale.

    Intelligent Document Processing for Logistics

    PDF Parser brings structure to supply chain documentation.

    For inbound logistics:

  • Extract purchase order details and match to invoices
  • Process packing slips and verify quantities
  • Parse bills of lading for shipment tracking
  • Capture customs information for compliance
  • For warehouse operations:

  • Process receiving documents
  • Extract inventory counts and locations
  • Handle transfer documents
  • Manage shipping confirmations
  • For outbound logistics:

  • Generate shipping data from orders
  • Process carrier documents
  • Track proof of delivery
  • Handle returns documentation
  • Visibility Across the Supply Chain

    When documents are processed automatically, you gain real-time visibility.

    Instead of waiting for someone to key in the data from a shipping document, the information is available immediately. Inventory systems update when goods are received. Order status changes when shipments are confirmed. Exceptions surface before they become problems.

    This isn't just efficiency—it's competitive advantage. Companies that move faster win.

    Error Detection Built In

    Consistent document processing catches the errors that humans miss when they're tired or rushed.

    Does the quantity on the packing slip match the purchase order? Does the ship-to address match the customer's records? Are all required customs fields present?

    These checks happen automatically, every time, for every document. Exceptions get flagged for human review. Clean documents flow through without delay.

    What Gets Extracted

    From typical supply chain documents:

    Purchase Orders:

  • PO number and date
  • Vendor information
  • Line items with SKUs
  • Quantities and prices
  • Delivery requirements
  • Payment terms
  • Shipping Documents:

  • Bill of lading number
  • Carrier information
  • Origin and destination
  • Container details
  • Weight and dimensions
  • Delivery date
  • Customs Documents:

  • HS codes
  • Country of origin
  • Declared values
  • Duty calculations
  • Required certifications
  • Key Benefits

    • Track shipment details
    • Process purchase orders
    • Supplier information management
    • Inventory level monitoring
    • Delivery confirmation automation

    Real Examples

    See it in action

    Explore practical examples of how PDF Parser handles supply chain documents.

    Purchase Order Processing

    Extract line items, quantities, and terms from supplier purchase orders.

    Input

    Purchase orders
    Blanket orders
    Order amendments

    Output Fields

    po_numbervendor_idorder_dateline_items[]quantities[]unit_prices[]+2 more

    Bill of Lading Extraction

    Process shipping documents to track cargo movements and delivery details.

    Input

    Bills of lading
    Shipping manifests
    Carrier documents

    Output Fields

    bol_numbercarrier_nameorigin_portdestination_portcontainer_numbers[]cargo_description+2 more

    Customs Documentation

    Extract customs and import/export information for compliance processing.

    Input

    Commercial invoices
    Customs declarations
    Certificates of origin

    Output Fields

    hs_codes[]country_of_origindeclared_valuecurrencyimporter_infoexporter_info+1 more

    How It Works

    From document to data in 3 steps

    1

    Upload

    Upload your supply chain documents in PDF format

    2

    Extract

    Our AI analyzes and extracts the data you need

    3

    Export

    Download structured JSON or CSV for your systems

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    PDF Parser accepts PDF files and common image formats including JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, and GIF. Files can be up to 20 MB each.

    Accuracy depends on document quality, but PDF Parser handles both digital and scanned documents with high reliability. You can verify results and re-run extractions as needed.

    No. Unlike traditional parsers, PDF Parser uses AI to understand document layouts automatically. Just define the fields you want and the AI figures out where they are.

    PDF Parser outputs structured JSON and CSV. JSON is ideal for API integrations and databases, while CSV works for spreadsheets and data analysis tools.

    Yes. Documents are processed in memory and not permanently stored. We use OpenAI for extraction — see our privacy policy for full details.

    Yes. PDF Parser supports batch uploads — drag and drop multiple files and they are processed in parallel for faster results.

    Ready to automate your supply chain workflow?

    Start extracting structured data from your supply chain documents in minutes.