Partial shipments are common in manufacturing, but they create a simple accounting and customer-communication problem. If your customer ordered 20 units and you are shipping 10 today, the proforma invoice needs to reflect what is leaving the building now, not the full order quantity.

In Cetec ERP, the cleanest approach is to generate the proforma based on ship quantity, then adjust the PDF display so the customer sees quantities that match the shipment.

Use Ship Quantity for Proforma Generation

Start by confirming the configuration setting for proformas is set to use ship quantity. This ensures the proforma invoice calculates amounts using the quantity you are shipping on this shipment, rather than the original order quantity.

Adjust the PDF Quantity Display to Avoid Confusion

On the proforma invoice screen, the PDF customization area can include a QTY column that reflects the original order quantity. If you are invoicing a partial shipment, that can confuse the customer because it does not match what you are shipping now.

To keep the proforma aligned with the partial shipment, uncheck the QTY option in the customize PDF section. The proforma can still show a separate ship quantity column so the document reflects the quantity you intend to ship on this proforma.

How to Decide Which Quantities to Show

If the proforma is intended to represent what is shipping now, prefer ship quantity-based calculations and display. Leave the original order quantity visible only when the customer explicitly needs the full order context on the same document.

Key Takeaways

• Use the proforma setting that calculates using ship quantity for partial shipments.
• Hide the original order QTY column on the PDF if it does not match the shipment being invoiced.
• Keep the proforma document aligned with what is shipping to reduce customer confusion and rework.
• Use the ship quantity column as the customer-facing quantity when the proforma is shipment-specific.

Conclusion

When you are shipping in stages, proforma invoices need to match the shipment in both calculations and presentation. In Cetec ERP, turning on ship quantity-based proformas and trimming the PDF to show the relevant quantities keeps the document consistent with what you are shipping today.

For more Cetec ERP user guidance, review the resources on the Cetec ERP support site and the Cetec ERP blog.