The role of Accounts Payable (AP) has evolved significantly in recent years. Once seen as a purely administrative, back-office function, AP is now critical to maintaining financial stability, delivering real-time insights, and supporting strategic decision-making.
To fully step into this strategic role, AP teams must move beyond manual, paper-based processes. Without AP automation in JD Edwards, they risk falling behind, losing time, visibility, and opportunities to optimize cash flow.
In this article, we’ll explore how the role of AP is changing and why automating AP in JD Edwards is no longer optional. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about AP automation: why you need it, how to build a business case, and how to choose the right solution.
The changing role of AP in 2025
Traditionally, Accounts Payable (AP) was seen as a purely administrative back-office function with little impact on a company’s long-term success. But now that perception has changed.
AP is no longer just about entering invoice data into JD Edwards. It has evolved into a strategic function, one that plays a key role in financial health, cash flow optimization, and data-driven decision-making.
The role of AP during times of economic instability
During economic uncertainty, companies must optimize cash flow to stay financially stable, meet obligations, and remain agile enough to seize new opportunities.
Organizations that fail to do this risk falling behind during a downturn and may struggle to recover.
That’s why automating accounts payable in JD Edwards is no longer optional. A well-organized and automated AP process strengthens your ability to manage cash, reduce costs, and gain real-time financial visibility, all of which are critical during volatile times.
Strategically Extend Payment Terms
An efficient AP team can manage outgoing payments more strategically, negotiating better terms and early payment discounts with suppliers to improve cash positioning.
Optimize Invoice Processing
When you automate invoice processing in JD Edwards, you achieve cost savings, eliminate delays, and reduce manual data entry. This improves operational efficiency and opens the door to early payment savings.
Strengthen Vendor Relationships
Timely and accurate payments build trust with vendors. A reliable AP process supports stronger relationships, which often lead to better terms, preferential treatment, and continued supplier loyalty.
Gain Visibility and Control
With automation, AP data is centralized, giving your team real-time visibility into payables, outstanding invoices, and liquidity. This helps leadership make faster, more informed decisions and allocate resources with confidence.
Manual AP means higher costs and more delays
The role of Accounts Payable is more important than ever. Yet many organizations still rely on outdated, manual processes and fail to leverage automation to reduce manual AP tasks. As a result, they face recurring inefficiencies, higher costs, and strained supplier relationships.
The challenges of manual AP
Manual AP processes create roadblocks that slow down operations. Long approval cycles, payment delays, and limited visibility into invoice status are all too common.
Without AP automation, teams often rely on paper invoices that are physically passed from desk to desk, cluttering offices, increasing the chance of errors, and making it difficult to track progress or meet deadlines.
The hidden costs of not automating AP
The cost of sticking with manual processes goes far beyond just time lost. It often leads to:
- Missed early payment discounts
- Late fees and penalties
- Higher compliance risks
- Poor vendor relationships
In short, the lack of AP automation quietly drains resources and limits operational agility.
Why an embedded AP automation is the best fit for JD Edwards users
Choosing the right AP automation solution can be overwhelming, especially with so many options available on the market. One key factor that sets solutions apart is their level of integration with JD Edwards.
You typically have two choices: embedded or standalone.
An embedded AP automation solution is built directly within JD Edwards, eliminating the need for third-party software. This allows you to automate AP processes natively in JD Edwards, keeping your data accurate, reducing complexity, and extending the lifespan of your E1 investment. It also strengthens your financial operations by ensuring all accounts payable activity stays within a single, unified system.
AP automation is a priority for finance leaders: here’s why
The benefits are clear: AP teams that can successfully embrace AP automation will succeed in the long term and survive during times of economic uncertainty.
If this wasn’t enough, for 53% of AP leaders, it’s important to improve reporting and insights to streamline decision making, 73% of executives from mid-sized businesses believe that automation enhances cash flows and contributes to savings and growth.
The ROI of AP Automation
The return on investment of an AP automation software is clear. It reduces costs, streamlines operations, and helps future-proof your processes in JD Edwards. (add link to blog post)
By automating AP:
- You save time across invoice processing and approvals
- You reduce overhead from extra AP staff or manual tasks
- You avoid late fees and missed discounts
- You strengthen vendor relationships through faster, more accurate payments
Be prepared: automate AP in JD Edwards
AP automation is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have.
Companies that continue to rely on manual AP processes risk falling behind, especially in times of economic uncertainty and increased competition.
If you’re ready to see the impact of AP automation, explore our customers’ success stories or fill out the form to speak with our team. We’ll show you how to transform your JD Edwards AP operations from manual to fully automated.
