IFS Supply Chain and IFS Manufacturing provides comprehensive, advanced management of texts and documents. You can use both general phrases and object-linked document texts.
Installation of IFS Supply Chain includes a number of predefined documents. These correspond to printouts available in the system. You can view the types of documents available under Document Text Administration.
You can combine predefined documents to create different printout types using Document Text Administration/Output Types. An example of a printout type is "External Order Document," which consists of the documents "Order confirmation," "Delivery Note," and "Invoice".
When printing an external document in IFS Supply Chain, most information is printed in the user's language. However certain information will have to be printed in the language used by the document receiver. For instance in order related reports the delivery country description may have to be printed in the customer’s language while the description for the country to which the customer's documents is delivered will be in user's language (for work related to the local postal service).
The following table shows the language in which each of the fields will be printed for the purchasing related external reports.
| Report | Country of Delivery Description | Country of Document Delivery Description | Payment Term Description | Ship Via Description | Delivery Term Description |
| Purchase Order (PO) | PO Header Language | User's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language |
| Purchase Order Reminder | PO Header Language | User's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language |
| Purchase Order Delivery Reminder | PO Header Language | User's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language |
| Request for Order Quotation | Supplier's Language | User's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language |
| Request for Supplier Agreement Quotation | Supplier's Language | User's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language | Supplier's Language |
| Rejection Letter (Order) | Supplier's Language | User's Language | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Rejection Letter (Supplier Agreement) | Supplier's Language | User's Language | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
The following table shows the language in which each of the fields will be printed for the sales related external reports. |
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| Report | Country of Delivery Description | Country of Document Delivery Description | Payment Term Description | Ship Via Description | Delivery Term Description |
| Customer Order (CO) Confirmation | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
| Advance Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Collective Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Customer Order Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
| Delivery Note | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
| Order Quotation | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
| Prepayment Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Proforma Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
| RMA-Correction Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
| RMA-Credit Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
| Self-Billing Invoice | CO Header Language | User's Language | Customer's Language | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| Shipment Delivery Note | CO Header Language | User's Language | Not Applicable | Customer's Language | Customer's Language |
Note: In the Delivery Note and the Shipment Delivery Note, if the customer on the CO header differs from the goods delivered-to-customer on the CO line, the goods delivered to customer's language code will be used as the language to display the country of delivery description, pay term description, ship via description and delivery term description.
Register the phrases you want to print on a document via Document Text Administration/Phrases. These can be phrases to be printed during certain periods, for certain objects or other types of phrases. The phrases are used as templates when you enter a text for the document. Register the phrases in the languages applicable in printing.
Next, link the phrases to documents via Document Text Administration/Document Phrases. In this function, you also specify the periods when the phrases are to be printed on the documents and you can connect a phrase to one or several documents.
Document texts are object-linked, which means that you link a text to different printout types. An object-linked document text means that you connect it to a specific object, such as a part or an order. When the part or order is later printed in the given printout type, for example, External Order Documents, the document text will also be printed. When you register document texts, you can also include general texts and standard phrases.
You can register document texts in a number of locations in the Customer Order module. To link a document text to an object, use the Operations menu, Document Texts... and you will receive the window Document Text For. Choose New and select Output types and Note. The output type must have been created in Document Text Administration/Output Types, and Note can be picked up from Document Text Administration/Phrases. Both Output Type and Note can be selected in their respective Lists of Values.
If an object is linked to a document text, the field Document text is marked. In the windows Customer Order and Purchase Order, you can link the document text to the customer order head or to each order line separately.
Notes are also object-linked texts, but they are never printed; they function as your own notes and comments for internal reference only. A comment can be used as a means of forwarding information to someone whom will process the object later. A note registered in a requisition, for example, can be directed to a buyer who will later create a purchase order from the requisition.
You connect notes to an object by using Operations menu, Note.... You then receive a window where you can write notes of up to 2000 characters.
If an object is linked to notes, the field Note is marked. In the windows Customer Order and Purchase Order you can link the notes to the customer order or to each order line separately.