At the end of 2023, the open-source ERP solution Odoo got an update with version 17. This intuitive and cost-effective ERP solution is now well established in the marketplace, with a large and active community of users.
Version 17 brings with it a host of new features, many of which have been added specifically to address the needs of manufacturing businesses.
The new features in Odoo 17 designed to help manufacturers
Odoo 17 includes several important updates and additions that will help manufacturers. These include improved work centre planning support; components demand; orders overview improvements; streamlined bill of materials; and a revamp of the work orders list view.
Let’s look at each of these Odoo 17 manufacturing updates in turn.
Bill of materials
In Odoo MRP, the bill of materials (BOM) is a key element of your production management capabilities. You can create a bill of materials for each product you manufacture, with BOMs for each variant of that product. Multi-level BOMs enable you to specify all the components, routing information and manufacturing steps required to produce that product.
Now, in Odoo 17 the bill of materials has been updated so you can create BOMs directly from manufacturing orders. This streamlines the administration required and makes it easier for you to respond to changing customer needs.
What’s more, the user interface has also seen a few improvements to the way the bills of materials are displayed. Manufacturing lead times are included in the BOM information, so you have a clearer picture at your fingertips.
Manufacturing orders
One of the most fundamental features of the Odoo MRP module has been given an update in Odoo 17. Now, you have a unified report in the manufacturing module that provides an overview of each of your manufacturing orders.
In Odoo 17, the new unified report acts as a centralised hub for that order – enabling you to view, understand and drill into the various aspects of each order.
Work orders
In Odoo MRP, you can easily manage all your work orders. You can assign and track which employees are assigned to those work orders and update and monitor task completion.
Now, in Odoo 17 the list view of all your work orders has received a revamp. The new-look work order list view is much more intuitive, helping to streamline the management of your manufacturing tasks. You can use the “my work orders” filter for an easy view.
Components demand propagation
One of the most important advantages of an Odoo ERP solution is the way it integrates processes and information across your business operations. The new functionality introduced in Odoo 17 around components demand really highlights and leverages the benefits of this integration.
Now, the changes in your manufacturing orders and, therefore, the components required, can be automatically propagated to your Odoo Inventory warehouse management. This feature is new to Odoo 17.
By automatically propagating changes in the demand for specific components or materials required in your production operations to the pre-production picking phase (as managed by your Odoo ERP), you can streamline your processes, prevent shortages or disruptions, and synchronise information.
Work centre planning
Odoo MRP has long supported work centre planning. This enables you to monitor activity and performance per work centre. Plus, you can set productivity goals for each of your work centres (based on capacity, cost per hour, lead-times, time before/ after production, OEE, etc).
Now, in Odoo 17 the work centre planning view has been updated to show combined work centre load. This new feature enables you to aggregate workload data from multiple work centres and display it in a unified view.
We think this will be especially useful in complex manufacturing environments. It will particularly assist with resource allocation andproduction planning as well as offering an enhanced view of manufacturing performance.
Choosing Odoo 17 as an ERP in manufacturing environments
These new features hint at the depth of functionality that Odoo offers as an ERP solution for manufacturers.
It covers a host of core manufacturing functions and processes, including:
- Define and plan raw materials and resources
- Optimise stock holding, flow and replenishment
- Manage changes in engineering processes and product change approvals
- Ensure trackability throughout your operations
- Optimise quality checks and control
- Track and plan maintenance activities
- Forecast availability and demand
- Gain better visibility of scrap and wastage, including causes and costs
- Improve warehouse management
- Enable your customers to track their orders and invoices through an easy-to-use online portal
In addition, Odoo ERP offers support for more general business processes, including bookkeeping, finance, payroll, HR, sales, customer service, CRM and facilities management.
With consistent updates and new features being added year on year, Odoo is a great choice as an ERP for manufacturing businesses.
The new manufacturing features of Odoo 17