You can now create POs directly for kits in Ply! This update makes it easier to reorder or restock grouped materials without having to manage each item individually.
Kits are often used for assemblies, truck setups, or job-specific bundles; and now, you can handle purchasing for them just like you do for regular materials.
➡️ How It Works
When you create a PO for a kit, Ply automatically includes all the materials that belong to that kit. Each item keeps its correct quantity, pricing, and supplier details, so your purchase order reflects the full breakdown of what’s inside the kit.
New to kits?
Before creating a PO for a kit, the kit must already exist in your catalog. See Creating and Managing Material Kits →
You can:
Generate a PO from a kit in your Catalog or Stock section.
Review and edit material quantities before sending the order.
Keep all kit-related materials linked under one PO for easier tracking.
Instead of adding 10 individual materials to a PO one by one, you create a kit that bundles them together. When you create a PO for the kit, Ply expands it into all the component materials automatically.
➡️ How to Create a PO for a Kit
Go to your Catalog or Stock page.
Find the kit you want to reorder.
Click Create Purchase Order.
Ply will automatically populate all materials from that kit into the PO.
Review the list, adjust quantities if needed, and click Create.
➡️ Watch the demo:
See exactly how it works in this short video:
Notes
Creating a PO for a kit automatically expands its materials, but each item remains editable.
You can still create standard POs for individual materials as before.
➡️ Best practices
✅ Review the expanded material list before sending.
Since quantities and pricing pull from each component material's own catalog settings, double-check them against what you actually need, especially if a component's supplier or price changed since the kit was last used.
✅ Keep kit component materials up to date individually.
A kit's PO reflects whatever each material's current supplier and price are set to in the catalog, updating those at the material level keeps every kit that uses them accurate too.
✅ Be cautious with bulk actions on kits.
Kit deletions aren't easily reversible without engineering assistance. If you're cleaning up your kit list, consider archiving or reviewing individually rather than a broad bulk delete.
➡️ Common issues & fixes
"My kit includes tools, and I can't set a quantity for the tool the way I can for materials."
This is expected. Tools are tracked as individual, serialized units rather than by an aggregate count, so there's no numeric quantity field for them inside a kit. If you need multiple units of the same tool in a kit (say, 4 ladders):
Go to your kit's settings (or Edit Kit if it already exists).
Click into the Tools tab.
Search for the tool you need, you'll see each individual unit listed separately.
Click Add next to each unit you want included (e.g., click Add on 4 separate ladder units for 4 ladders).
"All the kits in my account disappeared."
This isn't a typical bug, in a case we investigated, this turned out to be the result of a bulk action taken on the account (kits were deleted intentionally by an account admin, not lost due to a system error). If this happens to you, reach out to support with approximately when you noticed them missing, and we can investigate what happened on your account.
"I need to bulk-load a list of kits and tools I already have documented elsewhere (e.g., in my FSM)."
Our support and data team can help with this; send over your list (tool/kit names, serial numbers if applicable, and which locations they belong to) and we'll coordinate getting it loaded. Note that for tools specifically, double-check serial numbers and locations came through correctly after any bulk upload, since these fields sometimes need manual correction afterward.
➡️ FAQs
Can I edit a kit's PO before sending it, or does it lock in exactly what's in the kit? You can edit it, quantities and items on the expanded PO remain fully editable, the kit just gives you a fast starting point instead of building the PO item-by-item.
Does creating a PO for a kit affect the kit definition itself (what materials belong to it)?
No, creating a PO expands the kit's current components into line items on that PO. It doesn't change the kit's own definition in your catalog.
Can a kit contain both materials and tools?
Yes, a kit can include both, though tools are added individually (see Common issues & fixes above) rather than with a quantity field like materials.
Still need help? Contact Support!
Questions about kits or purchase orders? We're happy to help.