Kiwi Steel SupplyPO 3317 · 2 November
Tax invoice KS-20417Mild steel flat bar, 2.4t3,264.00
Freight186.00
GST517.50
Total3,967.50
Manufacturing
See what's happening on the floor without the spreadsheets.
Small and mid-sized manufacturers juggle scheduling, stock and reporting. Buildloop builds AI tools that keep production visible and the admin moving.
From our work
An order taken, and the paperwork behind it, handled.
Here's what that could look like for a manufacturer, drawing on software we've built for New Zealand businesses.
Enquiry to confirmed order
Hayes FitoutsTrade customer · account HAY02
Email · Monday 6:12 am
Visitor: Can you do 400 of bracket B-220, powder-coated black, by the 14th?
Assistant: Yes. 400 × B-220 in black is $2,740.00 + GST. Lead time is 8 working days, so the 14th works. Shall I go ahead?
Visitor: Go ahead, PO to follow.
Assistant: Thanks, order 3317 is confirmed for dispatch on the 13th.
The supplier invoice, matched to the PO
Read and codedRaw materialsOrder 3317 · prices match the PO
Scheduled for payment on the 20th · supplier termsFreight of 186.00 wasn't on the PO. Flagged for Sam to approve.Names, prices and messages are examples. See the full story of our work
What we'd build
The loops worth closing first
Each of these is a custom tool with AI woven through it, built around how you actually work.
Stock + supplier reorder triggers
Auto-flag low stock and draft purchase orders before a line ever runs short.
Quote + order automation
Turn enquiries into quotes and orders with far less double-entry and far fewer slips.
Production + job reporting
Live, plain-English dashboards instead of end-of-month spreadsheet wrangling.
Smart inbox for enquiries
Customer and supplier emails sorted and drafted, so nothing sits unanswered.
Invoice chasing + cash view
Overdue invoices chased, with a clear read on what's owed and when.
Compliance + maintenance reminders
Certifications, safety records and servicing tracked so nothing lapses or grinds to a halt.
Your AI team
The assistants we'd start with
Four of our 21 assistants that suit manufacturing best. A short chat tells us which ones fit yours.
Quoting Assistant
Prices each job from your own pricing, sends a quote your customer accepts online, and writes the orders.
- Prices from your own steps, price lists and margins, written as plain sentences
- Checks your pricing against your past quotes before it's used
- Quote on site from a phone or tablet, with up to three options
- Prices travel from the real drive, with the traffic when you usually leave
- A branded quote and PDF your customer accepts online
- Writes the orders to your suppliers once a quote is accepted
- A price range on your website, if you want one
AvailableLaunching now with our first customers. We set it up with you.
NZ$99 a month · 50 quotes included
+ NZ$49 a month AI control centre, once for all your assistants
Plus a one-off set-up and configuration fee, agreed after a short call.
Purchasing Assistant
Keeps stock and suppliers in check.
- Tracks stock as it's used and orders before you run out
- Drafts purchase orders with your usual suppliers
- Matches invoices to orders and agreed prices
- Flags price rises, short deliveries and better deals
- Learns your busy seasons and orders ahead
Cashflow Assistant
Tells you every Monday whether cash is fine for the next 13 weeks, and the week it gets tight and why.
- A Monday email: one sentence on whether cash is fine, and when the tight week is
- A 13-week cash forecast from Xero and your bank feed, asked for by Xero users
- Every NZ tax payment ahead: GST, PAYE, provisional and end-of-year, on the right dates
- Budget against actual each month, in your own profit and loss order, asked for by Xero users
- Spots double payments, new direct debits and costs that jumped
- Answers questions like "can I afford a new ute?" from the same numbers
AvailableLaunching now with our first customers. We set it up with you.
NZ$49 a month · 300 questions included
+ NZ$49 a month AI control centre, once for all your assistants
Plus a one-off set-up and configuration fee, agreed after a short call.
Training Assistant
Trains your people on their phone and keeps every licence and certificate current.
- Turns what you know into short lessons people can listen to on their phone
- Checks the key points got through, without making anyone feel judged
- Site inductions from a QR code at the gate, with Site Safe cards recorded
- One register for licences, certificates, insurance and WOFs, with reminders before anything lapses
- Answers your team's how-do-I questions from your own material
- A record ready for a head contractor or WorkSafe
AvailableLaunching now with our first customers. We set it up with you.
NZ$59 a month · 20 people included
+ NZ$49 a month AI control centre, once for all your assistants
Plus a one-off set-up and configuration fee, agreed after a short call.
Why custom
Software that fits your business, not the other way round
- Built around your real workflow, not a generic template
- Fixed price, agreed up front in the proposal
- Shipped in weeks, improved on an ongoing loop
- Your team trained to actually use it
Our process is unusual. Can you handle that?
That's the whole point of custom. We build around how you actually run the floor, not a one-size template.
Can it pull from our existing systems?
Where there's a sensible integration we connect to it; where there isn't, we make the data entry far lighter rather than forcing a rip-and-replace.
Will it disrupt production to set up?
No. We build and test alongside your current process, then switch loops on one at a time once you're happy.
Can different staff have different access?
Yes. Role-based access means the floor, the office and the owner each see what they should and nothing they shouldn't.
What happens to our data if we stop?
It's yours: we'll send you a copy in full if you ask. No lock-in, and nothing is shared with other manufacturers.
Ready to automate your manufacturing admin?
Start the discovery chat and we'll map your first tool together.