You’ve deliberated on the project quote and decided that it’s acceptable. What are the next steps?
If you’re happy with your quote, you might want to place a purchase order. If so, including the correct information in your PO will allow us to get you an expected shipment date more quickly.
This is your guide detailing what you’ll need to know to effectively get through the order process and avoid a mountainous email chain of back-and-forth questions.
4 Things to Include in Your Purchase Order
By this point, you’ve already received your die cut quote.
Yet, with all the information included, it’s far too easy to accidentally let crucial pieces fall through the cracks. This checklist will help you realize what information your converter needs to complete your product order.
1. BILLING & SHIPPING ADDRESS
First and foremost, this one is self-explanatory.
You definitely want to ensure that the products you order end up in the right place. Including the shipping and the billing address upfront will help things go smoothly.
2. SHIP METHOD & CARRIER INFORMATION
At Strouse, we typically use FOB (Free on board) Westminster shipping, meaning we’re not responsible for damage in transit, transit costs, or international import and export fees.
There are two options for shipping: you can either let us know your preferred carrier and account number so we can send a collect shipment (FOB shipping), or we can pay for shipping and include the costs in our invoice. The latter option is sometimes applicable if you’re coming from a startup or a smaller company.
If your business hasn’t received a lot of high-volume shipping, you might not have an account with a carrier (such as FedEx/UPS) to get the best rates (as we do). Although we will still not be accepting liability, you will likely get a better rate of shipping, the cost of which will be included in your invoice. Just include PPA (PrePay and Add) as the shipping method, and we’ll note it.
3. PURCHASE ORDER DETAILS
This step includes a few different pieces of information, including:
- PO number
- Part number
- Description
- Unit of measure
- Quantity
- Price, and
- the Strouse quote number (this will help speed up the order entry on our end)
Many of these can be found in the quote you received, but don’t fret if you don’t have all of them. While details such as quantity and price are necessary for the purchase order, additional information will simply accelerate the process.
4. REQUESTED DATE OF DELIVERY
You may have already discussed this with us at some point, but now is the time to confirm the requested delivery date.
Remember that although you may have a requested date for us to try to accommodate, it isn’t always feasible. We will try our best to meet your needs, but in the event that it isn’t possible, rest assured that we’ll let you know.
Special Requests
Often, we receive orders with details and requests, such as tolerances, delivery schedules, labeling requirements, and more.
However, making special requests in your purchase order, such as:
- Adding design tolerances
- Specifying particular packaging or labeling instructions that have not come up prior
- Requesting PPAPs (additional quality testing and documentation)
- Ordering a large quantity of parts but asking them to be released over a specific time period
could complicate the ordering process, as these factors might change your part’s production (and therefore its quote).
While these changes might be possible, please be aware that special instructions not discussed and approved by the Strouse Sales team before order placement may incur additional charges, causing the product to need re-quoting.
Next Steps
Now that you have a checklist of what to include, your purchase order should be a smooth and timely process. If you’ve gotten a quote from Strouse and feel ready, you can send your order here along with the requested information.
So, what’s left?
If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact us. This checklist is meant to help your busy schedule by demonstrating information you can include upfront to streamline your order process.
Lastly, if you’re still hoping to learn more about Strouse before you order, consider taking a moment to dive into our Learning Center, where we provide educational content about the materials we work with and the services we provide to keep our customers up to date and informed.
