Common Purchase Order Transmission Errors

Applies to: RFMS E-Commerce (EC)
These errors apply to POs sent electronically through EC to connected suppliers.
They do not apply to non-EC purchase orders created and handled entirely inside RFMS Core.

When you send a Purchase Order through the B2B connection, RFMS should transmit it to the supplier immediately. If a PO does not send or appears stuck in a transmission-related status, the issue is almost always related to connection conditions or environment setup. This article explains the most common transmission problems and what you should review first.

PO Shows a Status of “Sent EC”

Sent EC is a status displayed in Inventory > Purchase Orders. It means the PO left RFMS but RFMS has not yet received confirmation that the supplier picked it up.

If a PO remains in Sent EC (or another EC transmission-related status) and does not progress after you’ve confirmed your environment/connection is active, review these common blockers:

What to check	Why it matters	What to do
A product import/process is running	During a product import, other E-Commerce processes can be placed on hold, which can delay POs waiting to transmit.	Let the import/process finish, then refresh and re-check the PO status.
Supplier account is enabled for electronic POs	If the supplier (mill) is not set up to receive POs electronically, the PO may not complete the normal send/acknowledgement cycle.	Confirm the supplier participates in electronic POs and your account is enabled for PO transactions.
Required EC background process/service is running	If the EC process that handles sending/receiving B2B documents isn’t running, statuses can stall (older docs may call this a “download station”).	Confirm the required EC process/service is running in your environment. If you’re hosted, confirm the server session is active.

If the PO remains in Sent EC, contact RFMS Support to confirm whether the order reached the supplier.

Do not reset and resend the PO unless RFMS confirms the supplier did not receive it. Otherwise, duplicate orders may be created.

Transmission Errors

Some errors prevent the PO from sending at all.

You can review these under: E-Commerce > Utilities > Maintenance > View Transmission Errors

This screen can help you determine whether:

• A PO failed before leaving RFMS
• Multiple document types are failing (POs, invoices, ASNs, catalogs)
• The issue relates to connection stability rather than a supplier response

If multiple documents show failures, it typically means the E-Commerce connection is not active in your environment.

E-Commerce Not Running in the Environment

If E-Commerce is closed—or if your hosted session disconnected—RFMS cannot send or receive B2B documents.

This affects:

• Purchase Orders
• Supplier acknowledgments
• Electronic invoices
• Advance Ship Notices
• Catalog updates

Ensure that your hosted server (Azure, Isogent, local server, etc.) has an active session with E-Commerce open. Many companies keep this running on the server specifically for this reason.

Connection Interruptions

If your internet or hosted environment (Azure, Isogent, etc.) disconnects, PO transmissions may pause and acknowledgments may be delayed. These usually resume once the connection is restored, but if you’re unsure whether a PO went through during the interruption, RFMS Support can verify delivery.

When to Contact RFMS Support

If a PO stays in Sent EC after you’ve confirmed your connection is active, or if the transmission error log shows repeated failures, contact RFMS Support. They can confirm whether the supplier received the order and help prevent accidental duplicate transmissions.