A mid-sized valve manufacturer receives three project inquiries from distributors on a Tuesday, each with a bill of quantities attached, plus two dozen orders by email. proALPHA ERP is well maintained, and the item master and prices are correct. Still, inside sales retypes every line item by hand. A proALPHA interface only solves this if someone reads the inquiries and matches them to items before it. AI can take over this step, while proALPHA remains the leading system.

Key takeaways

• proALPHA is an ERP system for mid-sized companies, mainly for manufacturers and wholesale. For integrations, the vendor names the Integration Workbench (INWB), EDI scenarios and API interfaces.

• These routes work well for structured data from known partners. Inquiries with BoQs, PDF orders and free-text emails still have to be read and matched by someone.

• Typical for proALPHA users is the combination of project business (quotes on BoQs) and ongoing order business (call-offs, reorders).

• Mercura reads both, matches each line item to the catalog and writes approved quotes and orders to proALPHA. Prices and calculation stay in proALPHA.

• Which technical route is used in each case (direct API, SFTP, scheduled sync) is defined with your IT in the project.

Who uses proALPHA, and how do quotes and orders get into the system today?

According to the vendor, proALPHA ERP is aimed at mid-sized manufacturers and distributors, including machine and plant engineering, metal processing, electronics and wholesale (proalpha.com). In building services, it is typically used by manufacturers of components such as pumps, valves or pipe systems, as well as technical distributors. Quotes and orders there usually arise in three ways.

1. Manual entry: Inside sales creates the quote or order in proALPHA and retypes the line items from the inquiry.

2. EDI: Large trading partners send structured orders, which are loaded through an EDI converter or the Integration Workbench.

3. Portal or interface: Customers order through a web portal or a connected third-party system.

proALPHA describes the Integration Workbench as a central platform that connects IT systems, machines, sites and companies. The vendor also mentions support for many industry-specific EDI formats and API interfaces for connecting third-party systems (proALPHA: Business partner and system integration).

What does a proALPHA interface do, and what does it not do?

A proALPHA interface transfers data that is already structured: customer number, item number, quantity, date. It does not decide which of your items fits a BoQ line item, and it does not read a PDF order. This translation stays with the human as long as nobody automates it. In larger IT landscapes, such interfaces often do not run directly from system to system but through middleware or an enterprise service bus (ESB).

For manufacturers, the share of the bottom four rows is often high, because planners, installers and distributors use their own formats. For proALPHA users in wholesale, customer item numbers and old numbers from predecessor systems come on top.

How does Mercura connect to proALPHA?

With proALPHA, items and customers currently reach Mercura via file import (CSV). How approved documents get back to proALPHA depends on your installation: by file, through an API or through an upstream system such as Salesforce. We clarify this in the technical test with your IT. proALPHA remains the leading system: item master, customers, prices and calculation are maintained there, and Mercura only writes approved documents back.

For proALPHA users, these points are usually decisive:

• No parallel world. After approval, quotes and orders are in proALPHA, where planning, production and accounting need them.

• Prices from the ERP. Mercura does not do its own pricing. proALPHA calculates conditions, discounts and surcharges.

• Controlled access. Connections run only via routes your IT approves and controls. How the data exchange works technically is agreed with your IT.

• Security. Mercura is certified to ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR-compliant, hosted in Europe and separates each customer in its own tenant. Customer data does not train external AI models.

You can see which systems Mercura connects to today under Integrations.

What happens with email orders and call-offs?

Mercura processes email orders in order entry: orders are read from the shared mailbox and distributed to the responsible clerk, customer wording and old item numbers are matched, surcharges such as freight and packaging are added, and the approved order is booked in proALPHA. Exports are monitored so that no order gets stuck.

For manufacturers, call-offs from framework agreements are often added. The customer then only writes "call-off 3 under framework agreement 2025-118, 40 pieces as usual". For this to become a correct order, the link to the framework agreement has to be established.

When does an AI solution in front of proALPHA not fit?

An AI solution is not worth it if your customers already order almost everything via EDI or portal. In that case, the existing proALPHA interface is the more efficient route, and the remaining effort is small. With a very low volume of inquiries, the benefit is also limited.

Other limits you should know about:

• Heavily configured products. If your quotes mostly come from a variant configurator with many rules, clarify in the test which attributes Mercura can prefill from the inquiry and which rules stay in the ERP.

• Technical design. Mercura checks whether a product meets the requirements of the line item. It does not replace a hydraulic design or calculation.

• In-house development. With the Integration Workbench and the API interfaces, you can build individual imports yourself, for example for a large customer with a fixed Excel format. That is inexpensive as long as the format stays stable.

An AI solution plays to its strengths when many customers inquire and order in many formats, BoQs with long texts have to be processed and inside sales leaves inquiries unanswered because there is no time.

What results are realistic?

At REHAU, a building services manufacturer, Mercura delivers product suggestions for up to 98% of BoQ line items, with a hit rate of up to 90% and up to 60% time savings on quotes. Martin Prigge from inside sales: "With Mercura's quote AI, we save up to 60% of our time." (Case study REHAU)

Across all customers, the average matching rate is 92%, depending on customer and catalog. Mercura works with several manufacturers of pipe systems, pumps and valves. A technical test on your own data usually runs within two working days, and the first workflows are live in under four weeks. Incomplete product data is not an obstacle, because Mercura also reads data sheets and catalog texts.

Test it with a real bill of quantities

Bring a real bill of quantities (or a real order): in 30 minutes we show you how Mercura handles it in your process and prepares it as a quote for proALPHA. Book a meeting

Conclusion

With the Integration Workbench, EDI and APIs, proALPHA has everything it needs to take in structured data. What is missing is the step before: reading BoQs, PDF orders and free-text emails and matching them to the right items. Mercura takes over exactly this step, inside sales reviews and approves, and proALPHA remains the leading system with item master and prices. For manufacturers with a lot of project business, this is often the biggest lever in inside sales.

Further reading

• Integrations: connect Mercura to ERP, CRM and PIM

• ERP Integration: How Mercura Connects to Your ERP, CRM and PIM

• Dynamics 365 Integration: Automate Order Entry

• Customer story: REHAU (building technology manufacturer)

Frequently asked questions

What interfaces does proALPHA ERP offer?

proALPHA names the Integration Workbench (INWB) as its central integration platform, plus EDI scenarios with industry-specific formats and API interfaces for third-party systems. The details depend on the version and configuration of your installation.

Can Mercura create quotes directly in proALPHA?

Yes, Mercura writes approved quotes and orders to proALPHA. Inside sales reviews every document beforehand. The technical route is defined in the project with your IT.

Are prices maintained in Mercura?

No. Prices and calculation stay in proALPHA. Mercura sorts matching options by margin and takes the prices from the ERP.

What happens to line items that Mercura cannot match with confidence?

They are flagged, not guessed. Inside sales decides which item is quoted or clarifies the line item with the customer.

Is this also worthwhile for proALPHA users in wholesale?

Yes, if many orders arrive by email, PDF or Excel. Then automatic order entry in particular brings relief. More in the article Automate order entry.