Keep each supplier commitment tied to the correct SKU, unit, delivery expectation and buyer. TREX Grow helps distributor purchasing teams issue purchase orders, review received and outstanding quantities, and connect actual receipts and supplier invoices without rebuilding the order history in Excel.
A distributor buys stock for several customer accounts, often from the same suppliers and against repeat SKU requirements. The buying decision depends on what is already on order, when it is expected and who owns the remaining balance.
Operational pressure
When records live in different places, the person responsible has to reconstruct what happened before they can make a confident decision or follow up.
A short customer line or low-stock signal should prompt a review of usable stock, other requirements and existing POs. Give one buyer responsibility for deciding whether a new supplier commitment is needed.
A supplier may describe the same goods differently from your internal SKU. Check the supplier-facing code, product description, unit, price and delivery address before issue, especially when cartons and pieces appear in different documents.
Recording the first receipt should leave the buyer able to explain the balance still due. Finance also needs the source PO and receipt position when a supplier bills for a different quantity or delivery period.
Use this sequence for a normal replenishment order and for urgent buying. Your team owns the replenishment decision and supplier communication; the purchase order and linked records retain the evidence used at each handover.
Record the current facts in one shared place.
Confirm what is known and what needs attention.
Make the next decision or follow-up accountable.
Complete the next task and record the outcome.
Refresh the shared view when facts change.
A dependable workflow keeps the shared record and the next action aligned.
Review the need: identify the internal SKU, unit, required timing and destination. Compare the requirement with current stock and relevant open POs before deciding the additional purchase quantity.
Prepare the supplier order: select the active supplier and the ready products assigned to that supplier. Check supplier item codes, quantities, prices and the expected delivery date.
Authorise and issue: review terms, currency, tax, discount and address. Use the configured request-to-approve path or authorised direct finalisation, then review and share the official PO PDF through your agreed channel.
Record actual receipt: create the stock entry from the PO when goods arrive. Enter the checked quantity and retain receipt references and evidence instead of copying the full order as received.
Follow the supplier balance: review received and outstanding quantities by line. Confirm the remaining supplier delivery expectation and communicate any effect on reseller commitments to sales.
Review the invoice and closure: create the linked supplier invoice, check its quantity and terms against the purchasing evidence, resolve the open balance and review completion prerequisites. Keep payment follow-up separate.
The core purchase order workflow keeps the supplier request and its downstream records connected. Use the generic purchase order solution and purchasing tour to inspect the underlying controls alongside this distributor-specific routine.
Keep supplier-assigned products, commercial terms and delivery details on the PO. If you clone an earlier order, review the new draft's quantities, price, address and timing before committing again.
Review who can prepare, request approval, approve or finalise directly. Draft PDFs remain distinguishable from the official PO generated after approval or finalisation. Confirm the distribution channel and supplier acknowledgement as part of your team process.
Ordered quantity appears beside received and outstanding quantities. Linked stock entries preserve actual receiving context, so the buyer can follow the undelivered balance using the original supplier order.
Start a supplier invoice from the PO with supplier and item context. Review the invoice's own quantities, price, dates and terms before finalisation or payment. Linked records support that review; the reviewer still decides how a difference should be handled.
Essential is the starting point for the purchasing workflow described here. Evaluate Premium when the same distributor also needs advanced warehouse execution. Check the current pricing matrix and paid-plan trial terms before starting the pilot.
| Operating need | Plan scope | What to demonstrate |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier orders, receiving and billing | Essential and Premium | Supplier and product setup, PO finalisation or approval, draft and official PDFs, actual stock entry and linked supplier invoice. |
| Warehouse locations and dispatch picking | Premium | The required custom locations, ledgers, delivery picking, picking-list output and inventory-count workflow. |
| Initial workspace and sales preparation | Free or Starter according to the sales scope | Prepare the workspace, then evaluate Essential or Premium for purchasing. Free and Starter do not include the PO and stock-entry workflow. |
This existing TREX Grow demo screen shows finalised PO CD-PO-0001 for 250 units of Thermal Receipt Roll. Received quantity is 0 and outstanding quantity is 250; the stock-entry list is empty. It demonstrates the purchase reference and separate quantity fields before receiving.
Supplier code, product description, internal code, unit price, unit and supplier profile are visible around the same PO. The screenshot's blank expected date and buyer fields also show why the team must check its required order information before issue.
During your evaluation, record a partial quantity and inspect the updated line and linked receipt. The existing image is a starting state, not evidence that goods arrived, a shortage was resolved or a supplier was paid.
A distributor orders 240 pieces of one SKU for repeat reseller demand. The first checked receipt contains 150 pieces, leaving 90 outstanding on this example PO. The supplier sends an invoice for 240. Keep the buyer's delivery follow-up and finance's invoice review as separate actions. These figures are illustrative, separate from the demo screenshot.
Check the current supplier commitment and next expected delivery before issuing a replacement purchase. If the remaining supply changes, agree and record the authorised treatment of the original balance so another buyer does not order it again unknowingly.
Use the same SKU and unit across order and receipt. This example assumes no other receipts, returns, substitutions or quantity changes. The remaining 90 are an open supplier commitment, not stock received.
Compare the invoice scope with the agreed billing terms, PO and receipt evidence. Full-order or advance billing may be legitimate under those terms. Resolve the difference with the buyer and supplier before the authorised payment decision; do not assume automatic three-way matching.
Agree these handover rules with the users who buy, receive and pay. They are a team review checklist, not a promise of automatic detection or task assignment.
| Exception | Evidence to review | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Another request for the same SKU | Underlying reseller or replenishment need, relevant stock and open supplier commitments. | The buyer checks existing coverage and claims the new purchase decision before issue. |
| Short or late supplier delivery | PO line, checked receipts, outstanding quantity and the current delivery expectation. | Purchasing confirms the balance and timing with the supplier; sales reviews affected customer promises. |
| Supplier code, unit or price differs | The issued PO, supplier-facing product detail, goods received and invoice line. | Buyer and receiver identify the difference; finance reviews the agreed commercial treatment. |
| PO is ready for closure | Receipt readiness, a finalised linked supplier invoice, unresolved quantities and payment evidence. | The authorised owner reviews the remaining work before completion. Completion alone does not prove full receipt or settled payment. |
The best practice is to make the next action clear before the situation becomes urgent.
Use the verified direct PO workflow as the starting scope. Bring the requirements that distinguish your distribution model into the evaluation instead of assuming every procurement function follows from linked records.
Verify automatic reorder generation, demand forecasting, minimum order quantities, carton conversion, supplier price breaks, rebate claims and landed-cost allocation if your process depends on them. A stock signal or unit field alone does not establish those capabilities.
Demonstrate amount thresholds, multiple approval levels, budgets, delegation and automatic three-way matching separately. The permission-based PO approval path described here does not establish those advanced policies.
Check any required supplier portal, EDI connection, automatic supplier acknowledgement, back-to-back sales-order allocation, consignment or external purchasing integration with a representative transaction.
Create a free workspace and review Essential or Premium for the purchasing pilot. Bring one familiar SKU, an existing supply check, a partial receipt and an invoice difference. Have the buyer, receiver and finance reviewer explain the remaining quantity and next action before expanding.
Purchase orders, suppliers, stock entries and supplier invoices are available on Essential and Premium. Review Premium if the same workflow needs custom warehouse locations, ledgers, delivery picking or structured inventory counts. Free and Starter do not include the purchasing and stock-entry workflow.