Cases
Manufacturing
From sales order to invoice: production with sub-assemblies and purchased raw materials (glass, hardware), workcenter planning, inventory and accounting, all automatically connected.
- Sales
- Manufacturing (MRP)
- Purchasing
- Inventory
- Subcontracting
- Invoicing
- Accounting
Example: a window frame maker with a custom frame
Window frame workshop De Eik gets an order for a custom frame: a tilt-and-turn window with fixed glazing, 1200 x 1500 mm, solid oak. Here's how that one sales order automatically drives the entire chain in Odoo — from a bill of materials with several sub-BOMs and purchased raw materials like glass and rubber, to machine planning, inventory, the delivery slip and the invoice.
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1. Sales order
The salesperson records the order: 1x "Frame Type A, tilt-and-turn, 1200x1500mm, solid oak", delivery in 5 weeks. Because this frame is made to order (the "Replenish on Order" + "Manufacture" routes), confirming the order makes Odoo automatically create a manufacturing order — nobody has to plan that separately.
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2. Production with a bill of materials (and sub-BOMs)
The frame consists of two sub-assemblies that each have their own bill of materials and manufacturing order: the frame itself (oak rails, joining dowels and wood glue) and the sash (oak sash profile with hinges). The main bill of materials also includes components that are simply purchased, with no production of their own: HR++ insulating glass — supplied by an external glass supplier —, rubber sealing profiles and hardware (espagnolette lock and handle). Odoo automatically generates the sub-manufacturing orders for the frame and sash, while the purchased components either come straight from stock or, if stock is too low, automatically trigger a purchase order with the supplier. De Eik has the hardware powder-coated in a custom colour by an external partner: for that operation, Odoo automatically creates a subcontracting purchase order, reserves the unfinished part to ship along with it, and automatically receives the finished part back into stock on return — with no manual coordination needed between purchasing and inventory.
Component Type Source Window frame Made In-house workshop — sub-BOM Sash Made In-house workshop — sub-BOM HR++ insulating glass Purchased External glass supplier Rubber sealing profile Purchased Supplier, from stock Hardware Purchased Supplier, from stock -
3. Workcenters and planning
Every operation is tied to a workcenter: cutting and milling the profiles at the CNC saw-and-mill station, finishing in the spray booth, and fitting the glass and hardware at the glazing-and-assembly station. Odoo tracks each machine's capacity and automatically schedules the operations for the frame, sash and final assembly — if a rush order comes in, the schedule visibly shifts for every production in progress.
Workcenter Operation Status CNC saw & mill station Sawing & milling profiles On schedule Paint line Painting & finishing On schedule Glazing & assembly station Fitting glass & hardware Rush order inserted -
4. Inventory and delivery (delivery slip)
Once the frame and sash are marked done and the glass and hardware are fitted, Odoo automatically deducts the planks, glue, glass, rubber and hardware used from stock and adds the finished window frame. The link with the sales order means the delivery is ready automatically: one click produces the delivery slip for the driver, with the right reference back to the original order.
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5. Invoicing and accounting
After delivery, Odoo automatically creates the invoice from that same sales order, with the correct price and VAT. On the accounting side, revenue, the cost of the stock used and the VAT return are all posted automatically and correctly — nothing needs retyping anywhere, and from the invoice you can click straight back to the original order and production.
The result
One sales order drives the entire chain: a bill of materials with sub-BOMs, purchased raw materials such as glass and hardware, machine planning, inventory, delivery slip, invoice and accounting — all linked and fully traceable. No duplicate entry, no separate Excel planning, and always visibility into where an order stands. An extra quality check when fitting the glass, or a link to the CNC machine for automatic control, is easy to add as a customization.