How we would move a make-to-order machine shop from Excel and an accounting-only system to Odoo, in phases and without stopping production.
SOLUTION SCENARIO
This is a solution scenario: it describes how we would approach the case, not a delivered project. The company is a typical example. Timelines and phases are indicative, to be confirmed after the feasibility analysis.
AT A GLANCE
A 30-person manufacturing SME that runs on Excel and an accounting-only system can move to Odoo in phases, without stopping production. We would start with sales, purchasing, inventory and manufacturing, connected to electronic invoicing. Before writing any custom code we would check how much the standard modules cover and whether the project qualifies for the iperammortamento, Italy’s hyper-depreciation tax incentive.
THE TYPICAL COMPANY
Picture a workshop that makes mechanical parts to order. It receives orders by email, copies them into an Excel sheet, plans the work on a whiteboard and asks the warehouse in person whether the material is in stock. Accounting runs on a separate system, updated at the end of the month.
It works while there are only a few jobs. As they grow, nobody knows for sure where an order stands, what a part really cost or how much material is needed the following week.
Four typical symptoms of production run on separate spreadsheets.
The same information is entered in three different places, with a risk of errors at every step.
The real cost of a job is only known once it is finished, when it is too late to correct the price.
Warehouse stock levels cannot be trusted, so material is ordered “just in case”.
Invoices are issued from the accounting system, separately from orders and deliveries.
Four phases. Durations are indicative, to be confirmed after the feasibility analysis.
Two or three meetings with sales, planning, warehouse and administration to map the flow from quote to invoice and decide what stays out of the first phase.
Standard Odoo configured with a sample of items, bills of materials and routings. The company tries out real orders and we see where customisation is needed.
Import of customer and supplier records, items, bills of materials and stock levels after a data clean-up. E-invoicing through SdI, the Italian tax authority's exchange system, using the Italian localisation.
Acceptance testing on a test database with written test cases, role-based training and go-live on a date well away from accounting period closes.
STACK
| Component | Choice |
|---|---|
| ERP | Odoo, the latest supported version at the time of the project |
| Modules | Sales, Purchase, Inventory, Manufacturing, Accounting, Italian localisation |
| Invoicing | E-invoicing through the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI), the Italian tax authority’s mandatory exchange system |
| Hosting | Odoo.sh or a managed server in Italy or the EU, with daily backups |
| Custom development | Only after the prototype, in separate, documented modules |
We do not quote savings percentages: they depend on the starting processes and on how consistently the system is used. The typical effects are data entered only once, order status visible to everyone and job costs calculated while the work is in progress.
To measure them we would set three indicators at the start: time from order to invoice, stock discrepancies found at stocktaking and hours spent on administrative tasks.
An ERP bought as an asset may qualify for Italy’s 2026 hyper-depreciation scheme (iperammortamento) if it meets the legal requirements, while cloud software subscriptions are a different case. This should be checked with the company’s accountant before signing. For a wider view, see our guide to the 2026 super-depreciation for software (in Italian).
This scenario is part of our ERP systems and Odoo implementation and integration services. For the industry view, see also our page on ERP for manufacturing.
What manufacturing SMEs ask us most often.
Tell us how you work today. We will tell you how we would approach your case and what the first phase would include.