Quick answer: A manufacturing ERP should answer: what to produce, what materials are needed, where capacity is constrained, and what each unit actually costs. Accounting alone cannot provide this.
Start with material and demand flow through BOMs, MRP, work orders, inventory, quality and costing, then decide whether packaged ERP is sufficient or needs customization.
BOM and MRP
Bills of material and requirements planning are the foundation of production planning.
- BOM versions
- Material planning
- Lead times
- Reorder rules
Work orders
Connect demand to work centers, routing, time and actual output.
- Work orders
- Work centers
- Routing
- Downtime
Unit cost
Capture material, labor, overhead, scrap and variance.
- Material cost
- Labor
- Overhead
- Scrap
- Variance
Quality and traceability
Lot/serial tracking and quality checks matter in many manufacturing environments.
- Lots
- Serials
- Quality checks
- NCR
- Recall readiness
Maintenance
Downtime affects both schedule and cost, so maintenance belongs in the operating model.
- Preventive maintenance
- Breakdowns
- Spare parts
- OEE data
Frequently asked questions
Is accounting ERP enough?
Not if it lacks BOM, MRP, work orders and industrial costing.
Is Odoo suitable?
It can be, but a fit-gap assessment against the factory's real workflows is essential.
What should we do first?
Map one product from demand through production and delivery.
Next step
Pilot one product family before a full rollout.
