Odoo ERP · Manufacturing
Odoo Manufacturing: MRP, BoMs, and Work Orders
· Updated · 2 min read
Odoo Manufacturing pays off when the bill of materials matches the shop floor, not the brochure. The first release should make one product family correctly, then widen.
One product family first
Pick the family with a stable bill of materials and a volume you can count. Write the components, the unit of the finished good, and the scrap the supervisors already expect. A BoM copied from a spreadsheet with duplicate product names will not survive the first work order.
The broader industry view is on Odoo for manufacturing. This article is the sequence we use when that page becomes a project.
Work orders and work centres
Use work orders when the floor has real steps: cut, weld, paint, pack. A single-step manufacturing order is enough when the team only needs to consume components and receive the finished good. Extra work centres that nobody clocks create empty screens.
Capacity on a work centre should be a number the planner recognises, even if it is approximate. An empty capacity field makes the planning view look precise and then disappoint.
Subcontracting and job work
If material leaves your warehouse and comes back as a different product, model it as subcontracting rather than as a manual stock adjustment. Adjustments hide the vendor and the cost. A subcontracting route keeps both.
Agree who owns the components while they are at the vendor. That decision belongs in discovery, next to the other exceptions in the implementation guide.
Quality and the second release
A simple pass or fail on receipt is enough for many plants at go-live. Full quality points, control plans, and alerts can follow once the BoM and the work order are trusted.
Complex plants with several companies or heavy shop-floor customisation fall into the longer timeline: 4–12 months. A single-family MRP setup is closer to a mid-size plan of 2–4 months. We confirm which one applies after discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need work orders for every product?+
No. Use them when the floor has distinct steps people must record. A simple assembly can be one manufacturing order.
Can Odoo handle job work?+
Yes, with subcontracting routes so components leave and the finished item returns against a vendor, instead of a stock adjustment.
Should quality checks be in the first release?+
A basic check on receipt is reasonable. Detailed quality plans are a second release once manufacturing orders are in daily use.