Lean and scalable - Odoo ERP

Digitalization in SMEs: New opportunities through modern ERP systems

Digitalization has been on the agenda of many companies for several years. In large corporations, business processes, production, sales, purchasing and much more have been digitized for a long time. Small and medium-sized companies, on the other hand, shied away from transformation for a long time, often arguing that digitization entails too high costs with too little added value in the value chain. But there has also been a rethink here for some time.

ERP for everyone: barriers to entry are reduced thanks to modular systems

One reason for this: Digital transformation using ERP, CRM and PMS is no longer reserved for large providers whose software is completely oversized and too cost-intensive, especially for small and medium-sized companies, but also start-ups.

Lean ERP with Odoo: Flexible, modular and scalable

A lot has happened in the ERP sector in particular in recent years. More and more lean, modular and scalable systems came and are still coming onto the market. They are characterized above all by the fact that the cost barrier to entry is quite low. Thanks to the modularity, the systems can be individually adapted to the needs of customers and expanded as required. Today, we would like to introduce you to just such a flexible and lean ERP system with Odoo.

Odoo - A modular open-source ERP from Belgium

Odoo is an open-source ERP developed by the Belgian company Odoo S.A. It is a modular application that covers various areas of business, including sales, purchasing, inventory management, production, accounting, human resources, and more. The special thing about Odoo: It offers a comprehensive suite of applications that are coordinated and can be seamlessly integrated to create a complete ERP system.

From TinyERP to Odoo: 20 years of continuous development

Unlike many of its competitors, Odoo has been on the market for almost 20 years. Fabien Pinckaers, the founder and current CEO of Odoo, began developing his first software product TinyERP in 2005. Three years later, the name was changed to OpenERP. The company began to develop rapidly and in 2010 OpenERP exceeded 100 employees, but in 2014 it was renamed Odoo to reflect the wider range of its functionality, ranging from ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) to CRM (Customer Relationship Management), E-Commerce, and other business applications.

Open source & strong partners: A growing ecosystem

The source code of Odoo is freely available and can be improved and extended by the community. In addition, a worldwide partner network ensures the implementation and development of the software.
Odoo can be seamlessly integrated with other applications, such as payment and shipping service providers, E-Commerce platforms, and marketing automation tools. That makes it a versatile and powerful option for companies of all sizes and industries.

Odoo apps at a glance: modular building blocks for every company

As already mentioned, Odoo is modular and can be individually adapted to the company's business needs through a variety of applications. The most important apps include...

• Accounting
• Inventory
• MRP (production)
• Sales
• Presales (CRM)

Odoo Accounting: Digitally map financial processes

Finances are at the heart of every company. With the Accounting App, you not only have an overview of your customers' payment history, but can also manage customer and supplier invoices, make transfers, create invoices and much more.
Odoo's accounting app also provides you with assistance in monitoring and analyzing your finances with features such as interfaces to all common payment service providers, VAT management, budgeting and detailed reporting. A DATEV export is also on board, which makes communication with tax advisors and integration with accounting software easier.

Odoo Inventory: Automate warehouse logistics & manage it on the go

With the inventory app from Odoo, you can optimize your warehouse logistics. For this, Odoo provides warehouse management with duplicate entries. Whether it's multiple warehouses, dropshipping or cross-docking; the Odoo Inventory app offers automation options for all scenarios.
The application is seamlessly integrated with the other Odoo apps and therefore provides you with meaningful reports on inventory movements or inventory levels. Barcodes are widely used today and play an important role in recording and managing inventory and movement of goods in many industries. This is also the case when using Odoo. For warehouse management, Odoo provides a native barcode app for mobile devices with extensive functions.

Odoo Production (MRP): Digitally plan & control production

With the MRP app, Odoo also offers an application for production, in contrast to many other lean ERP systems. It is fully integrated with other Odoo apps and offers functionalities ranging from production planning and technology to manufacturing, quality control and maintenance.

Odoo Sales & Presales: Automate CRM & Sales Processes

Sales is the foundation of a company. Here, too, Odoo offers suitable applications to ensure a smooth process.
The Odoo CRM allows you to track leads, maintain contacts and customers, and follow up on offers. To close sales, the sales app offers the option of sending offers, concluding contracts directly online with an e-signature, or even completing online payments.

Conclusion: Why Odoo is a strong choice, especially for SMEs

Compared to other ERP systems, Odoo is already very established and, thanks to continuous development by the community, is very much adapted to customer needs.
The modular system allows very flexible adjustment to individual requirements and the variety of apps covers a wide range of areas that make daily business very efficient.

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