Canals Expands Operating AI to Close the Execution Gap in Wholesale Distribution

‍The original version of this article was published by ERP News in April 2026. Follow them to stay up-to-date on the latest news in the world of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Canals has expanded its Operating AI platform, introducing new capabilities designed to automate core workflows across accounts receivable, purchase order tracking, and customer inquiry handling. The move reflects a broader shift in wholesale distribution, where operational speed—not just system accuracy—is becoming a defining competitive factor.

Despite years of ERP investment, many distributors still operate in environments where critical processes remain manual, fragmented, and dependent on human intervention. The result is a persistent execution gap: systems hold the right data, but teams struggle to act on it quickly and consistently.

Canals’ latest release directly targets this gap, positioning AI not as a layer of insight, but as a mechanism for real-time operational execution.

From System of Record to System of Execution

Traditional ERP systems have long served as systems of record—reliable, structured, and essential. However, they are not inherently designed to manage the high-frequency, cross-functional interactions that define modern distribution environments.

Canals’ expanded platform introduces an AI-driven execution layer across several critical workflows:

• AI PO-to-Receipt Tracking automates the ingestion and interpretation of supplier documents, ensuring ERP systems reflect the latest shipment data without manual updates.
• AI Accounts Receivable accelerates cash application by automatically matching payments to invoices and identifying discrepancies with contextual reasoning.
• AI Inquiry Handling generates responses to customer questions by extracting and synthesizing data directly from ERP and related systems.
• Voice-enabled order entry converts spoken interactions into structured transactions in real time, reducing friction in order capture across channels.

Early results indicate up to 80% time savings in PO tracking and up to 99% accuracy in receivables matching, highlighting the potential impact of embedding AI directly into operational workflows.

Operational Execution as a Competitive Differentiator

According to Michael Delgado, co-founder and CEO of Canals, the focus is shifting from isolated efficiency gains to end-to-end execution:

“Operational execution has always defined success in wholesale distribution—how quickly and accurately teams can respond across thousands of daily interactions. What’s changing now is the ability to automate the repetitive parts of that execution end-to-end.”

This perspective underscores a growing reality in the sector: distributors are no longer competing solely on product availability or pricing, but on their ability to respond—faster, more accurately, and at scale.

Why This Matters for ERP and Distribution Leaders

The expansion of operating AI platforms points to a structural evolution in enterprise technology.

Rather than extending ERP systems themselves, vendors are increasingly building intelligent execution layers around them—addressing a long-standing disconnect between data availability and operational responsiveness.

For distribution organizations, this shift has tangible implications:

• Reduced reliance on manual reconciliation across finance and supply chain workflows
• Faster, more consistent responses to customer and supplier inquiries
• Greater alignment between front-line teams and back-office systems

More importantly, it signals a move toward continuous, AI-assisted execution, where workflows are no longer paused for human intervention at every step.

A Broader Shift Toward Workflow-Centric AI

Canals’ announcement reflects a wider trend across the ERP ecosystem: the transition from insight-driven AI to workflow-embedded AI.

In high-volume, transaction-heavy industries like wholesale distribution, the value of AI is increasingly measured not by dashboards or predictions, but by its ability to eliminate friction in day-to-day operations.

As organizations look to reduce latency between data and action, platforms that can orchestrate processes across sales, service, purchasing, and finance are likely to play a more central role.

In that context, Operating AI is emerging not as an enhancement to ERP—but as a complementary layer that enables it to function at the speed modern distribution demands.