Industry & Context
A dynamic signage fabrication business specializing in producing a wide variety of visual display products—from simple shop boards and road signs to full-scale expo stalls. Their operations rely on a diverse mix of small and specialized materials like aluminum profiles, vinyl sheets, acrylic panels, fasteners, lighting components, adhesives, and finishing supplies. Despite handling a high product variety, they struggled with routine inventory tracking and material costing.
Initial Challenges
- Fragmented Inventory Systems
- The business managed an extensive array of raw materials and semi-finished items, but there was poor traceability across inventory batches, causing stock discrepancies and frequent unexpected shortages.
- Manual Purchasing & Materials Requisition
- Requests for restocking came through ad hoc methods—email threads, Excel sheets, or verbal orders—leading to inconsistent procurement, incorrect quantities, and unmonitored spending.
- Disconnected Sales-to-Production Flow
- The shop-floor manufacturing operations for signage and booth assembly were not linked with the sales orders in a unified system, resulting in misaligned deadlines, high lead times, and reactive work scheduling.
- Accounting Silos
- Finance worked separately from operations. Costs for materials and labor were not seamlessly mapped into accounting, making accurate product costing and margin analysis difficult.
Odoo Implementation
Modules Deployed
- Accounting
- Inventory
- Manufacturing (MRP)
- Sales
- Purchase
Key Configuration & Workflow Enhancements
- Centralized Inventory Tracking
- Established detailed Bill of Materials (BoMs) for different signage types and booth setups, with sub-components tracked by batch/serial number where needed (e.g., lighting modules, digital screens).
- Utilized Odoo’s multi-location and route features. Inventory was allocated precisely to each job, and component usage automatically updated per production order.
- Automated Purchase Requisition & Procurement
- Implemented minimum stock rules per material type. When stock levels dropped below thresholds, draft RFQs (Request for Quotation) were generated automatically, streamlining procurement.
- Integrated purchase orders generated directly from pending manufacturing orders, minimizing procurement delays.
- Integrated Sales-to-Manufacturing Pipeline
- Sales orders automatically triggered manufacturing orders using configured BoMs. This eliminated manual handoffs and ensured a smooth, traceable process.
- Customized Kanban boards in manufacturing for tracking progress—stages like design prep, fabrication, assembly, quality check, finishing, and dispatch.
- Comprehensive Costing & Financial Integration
- Costs for materials, labor, and overhead were captured in real time as they flowed through inventory and manufacturing.
- Accounting entries were automatically created for stock moves, work center labor tracking, and finished goods valuation, giving precise product-level cost insights.
Results & Business Impact
| Outcome Area | Improvement Achieved |
|---|---|
| Inventory Accuracy | Stock discrepancies dropped by an estimated 60–70%. Real-time visibility enabled proactive restocking and reduced stockouts. |
| Procurement Efficiency | Automated RFQ generation reduced order delays; lead times shortened by 25–35%. |
| Production Scheduling | Streamlined workflow from Sales → Manufacturing → Dispatch cut cycle time and elevated customer delivery reliability. |
| Cost Transparency | Accurate cost tracking for materials, labor, and operations enhanced pricing decisions and improved margins. |
| Financial Visibility | Unified operations, inventory, and accounting increased financial clarity, enabling better forecasting and tighter fiscal oversight. |
Summary
This signage fabrication company achieved impressive operational gains by adopting an integrated Odoo system that spans Sales, Manufacturing, Inventory, Purchasing, and Accounting. The result: precise inventory control across a complex materials mix, smarter procurement via automation, smoother production flow, and transparent costs from design to delivery.
