banner
Success-Story

Company Background

Dover Tubular Alloys has earned its place as one of the most trusted names in the U.S. metals distribution industry. As a leading Master Distributor of stainless steel and aluminum tubular products, the company operates with a simple yet powerful model: it sells exclusively to metal service centers, wholesalers, and distributors. This business-to-business focus ensures Dover functions as a critical supply chain partner for those who rely on fast, reliable access to specialty tubular products.

With strategically located facilities in New Jersey and Texas, Dover supports customers across the nation with one of the most diverse and expansive inventories in the sector. The company’s stock covers instrumentation, heat exchanger, condenser, and mechanical tubing—categories that are fundamental for industries ranging from petrochemical to aerospace. What truly sets Dover apart, however, is its commitment to carrying “in-between sizes” and unique grades that competitors often overlook. By addressing these niche demands, Dover not only fills a critical market gap but also helps its customers avoid costly delays caused by material shortages.

The scale of its operations is equally impressive: Dover manages more than 2,000 tubing sizes and fulfills its promise that 98% of orders ship within 24 hours. This combination of breadth, speed, and service has made Dover Tubular Alloys synonymous with reliability, responsiveness, and technical expertise in metals distribution.

Manual MTR Handling Meant Higher Risks

Behind Dover’s reputation for efficiency, however, was a growing operational challenge. Each shipment of tubing requires Material Test Reports (MTRs)—certificates that verify the grade, heat number, chemical composition, and mechanical properties of the material. These documents are essential for compliance, traceability, and customer confidence.

Before embracing automation, Dover’s MTR management process was entirely manual. Thousands of certificates flowed in from mills and suppliers every month, and employees were tasked with:

  • Scanning and filing each document.

  • Manually linking MTRs to customer purchase orders and sales orders.

  • Retrieving certificates on demand, whether for audits or customer requests.

This approach quickly became unsustainable as Dover’s business scaled. The manual system created bottlenecks and risks:

  • Time-consuming data entry consumed valuable staff hours.

  • Lost or mismatched certificates created compliance and reputational risks.

  • Audits turned into headaches, with hours wasted searching for the right MTR.

  • Customers faced delays, especially when certificates weren’t immediately accessible.

  • Complex validation requirements, due to product variety, made accuracy harder to maintain.

In short, the paper-heavy system was undermining Dover’s ability to grow while maintaining its hallmark promise of speed and service.

From Manual Work to AI-Powered Automation

Recognizing the need for change, Dover partnered with Star Document Automation to modernize its MTR management. The decision was driven by a clear objective: to replace labor-intensive manual tasks with a digital-first, AI-powered process.

The Star platform delivered end-to-end automation capabilities tailored to Dover’s needs:

  • Auto-fetch from email: Incoming MTRs are captured directly from supplier emails, eliminating the need for manual uploads.

  • AI-powered extraction: Key data fields such as heat number, grade, specifications, and test results are extracted with high accuracy.

  • Smart validation: Automated checks flag missing or mismatched data, enabling immediate correction.

  • ERP integration: Clean, validated data flows directly into INVEX ERP from Invera, powering pre-receiving entries and ensuring accuracy.

  • Searchable repository: Documents are securely stored in AWS S3, with instant retrieval during audits or customer queries.

  • Custom workflows: Certificates are automatically routed for validation, approvals, and distribution to customers.

The implementation process was smooth and rapid. Training and validation were completed within 2–3 months, and Dover achieved full deployment in under six months.

Results: Data Turns Into Compliance & Efficiency

Since going live, the impact of automation has been both measurable and transformative:

  • 95% of MTRs are now processed automatically, freeing employees from repetitive data entry.

  • Search time dropped from hours to seconds, dramatically improving audit readiness.

  • Compliance risks have been minimized, ensuring that every order ships with the correct documentation.

  • Customer response times improved, boosting satisfaction and strengthening loyalty.

In addition, Dover’s internal teams—sales, quality, and operations—are now better aligned. Employees spend more time on strategic initiatives and quality improvement instead of administrative paperwork.

Scaling Automation Further

With Star Document Automation in place, Dover Tubular Alloys has laid the groundwork for sustainable growth. The company is now equipped to handle rising document volumes without adding back-office staff, ensuring scalability and cost efficiency.

Looking ahead, Dover plans to extend automation deeper into its ERP workflows and leverage data-driven insights to further enhance compliance, efficiency, and customer service. By modernizing one of its most critical but time-consuming functions, Dover has reaffirmed its leadership in the metals distribution industry—proving that even in a sector defined by physical products, digital transformation is key to long-term success.