➡️ Purchase Order (PO) VS. Consignment Automatic Replenishment order
Whether you’re handling automatic replenishment or placing one-off orders from Ferguson, Ply supports both Purchase Orders (POs) and Consignment Automatic Replenishment Order; here’s how to know which one to use.
🛒 Create a Purchase Order (PO) | 🔄 Consignment Replenishment Order |
You initiate it manually | Ply creates it automatically |
USE THIS WHEN… | THIS HAPPENS AUTOMATICALLY WHEN… |
👤 You're manually buying materials from Ferguson | 📊 You have Consigned Inventory (VMI) enabled on your Ferguson account |
🚫 You're not using Consigned Inventory (VMI) | 📦 Your team uses materials from a Consigned inventory location in Ply |
⚙️ You need full control over quantities, costs, and delivery timing | 🔄 Each day, Ply auto-generates and sends the replenishment to Ferguson |
⚡ You need to order something immediately, not wait for the daily cycle | ✅ You don't need to do anything — it's fully aut |
➡️ Replenishment happens once per day; not instantly
All material usage from consigned inventory locations is summarized and sent to Ferguson in a single daily batch. If you use consigned items in the morning, Ferguson won't receive the replenishment order until that evening's run.
➡️Quick Decision Guide
➡️ Create Purchase Order (PO) when...
You’re manually buying items from your Ferguson Catalog in Ply.
You’re not using a Consigned Inventory model
You need full control over quantities, costs, and delivery timing
➡️ Consignment Automatic Replenishment Order is created for you when…
You’re using Consigned Inventory or VMI Consignment inventory
Consignment inventory replenishment will be automatically generated and sent to Ferguson without manual creation.
📌 Consignment requires VMI setup on your Ferguson account
The automatic replenishment cycle only runs if your Ferguson account has VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory / Consignment) enabled. If you don't see a Consigned Inventory location in Ply, consignment isn't part of your Ferguson setup.
➡️ Consignment Automatic Replenishment Orders
Ferguson restocks your Consigned Inventory (Vendor Managed Inventory) automatically, based on what materials are removed from your Consigned Inventory location(s).
➡️ How It Works
Ply tracks material usage from your Consigned Inventory location(s)
Once per day, Ply generates a Consignment Purchase Order for the used items
That Consignment Purchase Order is automatically sent to Ferguson’s Trilogy system
Ferguson processes the order and replenishes your inventory. Once the Consignment Purchase Order is sent to Ferguson, you’ll also be able to see it in the PO Tracker. The tracker will show indicators to help distinguish POs vs. consignment orders.
➡️ Consignment Automatic Replenishment Order Details
Triggered by material usage from a Consigned Inventory location
Created by: Ply (automated)
Purpose: Replenish used Consigned Inventory stock
Frequency: Once per day (daily summary of all usage)
Vendor: Always Ferguson
Editable?: No — generated automatically and sent as-is
➡️ Purchase Orders (Manual Ordering)
If you're not using consigned inventory or need to place an order for something outside your managed inventory, use a Purchase Order (PO).
You can create a PO from the following:
Your Catalog
A Field Request
A Critical Items List
Or even manually from the Purchasing > POs tab
➡️ PO Details
Triggered by: Manual creation
Created by: You or your team
Purpose: Purchase non-Consigned Inventory items (or add stock)
Vendor: Ferguson - Integrated
Editable?: Yes; before sending, you can adjust quantities, dates, pricing, and more. After it’s sent to Ferguson, it becomes fixed and can no longer be edited.
⚠️ Remember: when creating a manual PO, always select "Ferguson Integrated" as the supplier, not plain "Ferguson." See How to manually create a Ferguson-integrated Purchase Order for the full walkthrough.
➡️ Summary
| 📋 Purchase Order (PO) | 🔄 Consignment Replenishment |
Use Case | Non-consigned purchasing | Consigned Inventory (VMI) usage |
Created By | You manually | Ply automatically |
Trigger | You initiate it | Material consumed from Consigned location |
Sent To | Ferguson Integrated (Trilogie) or any vendor | Always Ferguson Trilogie |
Frequency | Any time, as needed | Once per day (daily batch) |
Editable? | ✅ Yes — before sending | ❌ No — auto-generated |
Visible in PO Tracker? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes — with different indicator |
➡️ If Something Doesn’t Look Right
If you're seeing issues with orders not going through, unexpected pricing, or consigned inventory replenishments not triggering, here’s what to do:
Take a screenshot of the issue
Note the material name(s) and the approximate time it happened
Contact Ply Support in your account or email [email protected] and share those details
This helps us quickly investigate with Ferguson and make sure everything’s running smoothly.
➡️Best practices
✅ Don't manually create a PO to "replenish" consigned stock, it's not needed and isn't how the flow works.
If you're using VMI, usage-based replenishment happens automatically; a manual PO is for anything outside that.
✅ If you need something faster than the daily consignment cycle allows, use a manual PO instead of waiting.
The automatic replenishment is not editable and not instant, for anything urgent, a manual PO gives you full control over timing.
✅ Know that "Ghost Warehouse" (Consigned Inventory) is specifically for Ferguson VMI, not a general staging tool.
If what you actually need is a way to separate job-specific materials from a truck's regular stock (unrelated to Ferguson consignment), that's a different use case. See Activate Consigned Locations for more on this distinction and the current workaround.
➡️ If Something Doesn't Look Right
If you're seeing issues with orders not going through, unexpected pricing, or consigned inventory replenishments not triggering, here's what to do:
Take a screenshot of the issue.
Note the material name(s) and the approximate time it happened.
Contact Ply Support in your account or email [email protected] and share those details.
This helps us quickly investigate with Ferguson and make sure everything's running smoothly.
➡️Common issues & fixes
"I'm not sure if I should wait for automatic replenishment or just place a manual PO."
If you use Consigned Inventory (VMI), routine restocking is automatic. You don't need to create anything manually. If you need materials outside your consigned inventory or need something faster than the daily replenishment cycle, use a manual PO instead.
"A Consignment Replenishment Order didn't go out, or seems delayed."
First confirm there was actually consigned usage that day; no usage means no order is expected. If usage happened and nothing was generated, this can be related to the same Ferguson API error family that affects manual POs (see Ferguson Integration: What it is + What you can do), flag it to support with the approximate time.
"I placed a manual PO for a Ferguson item and got 'Data Not Found in Ferguson' or a similar error."
This is a separate, confirmed error family from the general connectivity one, see How to manually create a Ferguson-integrated Purchase Order for what to report to support.
➡️ Need Help Deciding?
Not sure which workflow fits your business? Your Customer Success Manager or our support team is happy to help you set up the right purchasing and consignment flow.