This series uses Dingli, a Patisco demo account. Every system screen and all the data shown here came from real operations in the system, including the exchanges between buyers and suppliers; they are not mock-ups. The people and dialogue are dramatized, and the illustrations are for illustration only. Screens are shown in the system's Chinese interface; Patisco is also available in English and other languages.
In the story: Monday of the following week, 8:30 a.m.
All hashed out
The price increase, the spec change, the delivery date: all hashed out. The PI-0411 header says [Confirmed by both].
A-Zhe handed it over to A-Mei. "You can place the order now. Chains go to Hongtai, and remember, it's the new plating."
A-Mei nodded and turned on her computer. There was a new cushion on her chair.
How it used to go
Ordering from a supplier used to mean typing the customer's order "one more time."
A-Mei would open A-Zhe's PI and copy it line by line onto Dingli's purchase order template: item number, product name, quantity, spec. The customer's order is in English, Hongtai's needs to be in Chinese. The customer's order uses Dingli's item numbers, Hongtai has its own part numbers. Copy it, check it again, fax it... well, these days, email it to Ms. Chang.
Copying like this goes wrong most easily at whatever just changed. The plating changed last week, yet the purchase order still says the old "nickel plating," because the template is from last month.
Document 101｜Purchase order (PO): The formal order a buyer issues to a seller, spelling out what to buy, how many, at what price, and when it's due. In this story, Dingli is the seller to Velostrada and issues a PI; it's the buyer to Hongtai and issues a PO. In the same deal, Dingli holds both kinds of document.
How it goes in Patisco
Bring the items over from the PI
Under [Order (PO)], A-Mei clicks [New order (PO)] and selects Hongtai Chain as the seller. Then, under [Add items], she sets the source to [Order / PI] and picks PI-0411.
The chain line comes in, with the spec showing last week's new plating, because what comes across is the PI as it stands now. A-Mei changes only two things: the quantity, adjusted to Hongtai's packing unit, and the unit price, changed to the purchase price agreed with Hongtai.
There's an even faster route: [AI assistant] has a shortcut flow, [Customer order → PO to supplier]. Pick the customer's order, and AI organizes the PO for the supplier. Before anything is written, it lists a proposal, and the PO is only created once A-Mei confirms.
Sending to a supplier with no account
Hongtai has no Patisco account. On the PO, A-Mei clicks [Reply by email], ticks [Attach this PO as PDF], and sends it to Ms. Chang. The PO header records who it was sent to. If the order changes later, it warns that this version hasn't been sent.
Suppliers with an account: order from their catalog
If the supplier is on Patisco, there's another route. Take Shengda Chain, whom they met in #5. A-Mei can open the catalog Shengda shares, add the items she wants to the cart, and click [Create order (PO)]. The system opens a PO draft, and she sends it after confirming. If Shengda later changes the delivery date or quantity, [Compare changes] lights up on her side.
Whether you can place an order directly depends on the trading conditions the supplier gives Dingli. Some suppliers only take inquiries, in which case you start with [Create inquiry].
Before vs With Patisco
| Before | With Patisco | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer order to purchase order | Copied line by line | [Add items] brings them over from the PI |
| A spec that just changed | The template is old, so it's the easiest thing to get wrong | What comes across is the PI as it stands now |
| Sending to the supplier | Save as PDF, attach to an email | Send straight from the PO, which remembers which version went out |
| Supplier is on the system | Email them just the same | Order directly from their catalog, with comparison on any changes |
A word for the boss: One deal, one round of typing. Wherever the data gets typed a second time is where the mistakes happen.