In today’s rapidly evolving world, modern supply chains face the dual challenge of ensuring both traceability and flexibility in their product distribution. Adapting to changes quickly is critical to staying competitive, and having the right tools to enable this flexibility can seem daunting. Fortunately, this is where Odoo 18 comes into play!
With Odoo 18 you gain the power to create flexible routes that adapt to your unique business workflows effortlessly. Whether it’s responding to shifting customer demands or optimizing internal processes, Odoo makes it easier than ever to customize your operations in real time.
Let’s dive into some of the exciting new features and explore how you can configure them to meet your needs.
MTSO - Make to Stock and Order
With the new Make to Stock and Order (MTSO) functionality, you can now replenish only the missing quantities, helping you avoid unnecessary stock accumulation.
How it Works
- Check the configuration of the MTO - Make to Order route.
- Ensure that the supply method for the rule WH: Stock → Customers (MTO) is set to Take from stock. If this info is unavailable, simply trigger another rule that helps you process your methods.
- Assign the MTO route to your product.
- When you create a sales order for a quantity greater than the available stock, the system will now automatically perform the following two steps:
- First, allocate the existing stock.
- Then, automatically generate a Purchase Order (PO) for the missing quantity only.
Example:
If you sell 30 units of a product but have 10 units in stock, Odoo’s system will calculate this and report it in an easy-to-understand way; giving you a bird’s eye view of what needs to be ordered or manufactured.
The system creates a purchase order for only the remaining 20 units instead of purchasing the original 30 units.
This improvement significantly enhances efficiency when using the MTO route, as it prevents the creation of excess stock and ensures that replenishment is limited to what’s actually needed.
Domain on Push Rules
The new domain feature on Push Rules introduces greater flexibility by allowing you to skip certain steps in your routes based on specific criteria. For example, you can configure the system to bypass a step if the item belongs to a specific vendor or is a particular product.
Let’s explore a use case to demonstrate how this works:
Your company processes receipts in three steps: Input → Quality Control → Stock. However, for a specific product you will want to skip the Quality Control step and move it directly from Input to Stock. Here’s how you can set this up:
Navigate to Routes and select the route named Your Company: Receive in 3 steps (Input → Quality → Stock).
Open the rule WH: Input → Quality Control.
Configure the domain to exclude the specific product.
Create a new rule to push the selected product directly from Input to Stock.
For example, if you create a Purchase Order for the product Conference Chair in Steel, here’s what happens:
A receipt is conveniently created at the Input location.
The system automatically transfers the product directly to Stock, bypassing Quality Control.
This configuration ensures that all receipts for the specified product skip the Quality Control step, providing your business with greater route flexibility and efficiency.
Let's explore more of the exciting new features!
Return for exchange
Save time and streamline your workflow with the new Return for Exchange button, available on both the Sales and Purchase sides.
When you need to perform a return, whether for a customer or a vendor, this new feature simplifies the process in just one click:
- For customer returns: The button creates the return transfer (to receive the product back) and simultaneously generates a new delivery order to send the replacement product to your customer.
- For vendor returns: It handles the return delivery for you by sending the product back to your vendor while also creating a new purchase order to request a replacement product.
All of this is done automatically, reducing manual work and ensuring a smooth exchange process.
Isn’t it incredible?
Next Transfer Button
Odoo introduced a new smart button within transfers to help you navigate seamlessly to the next transfer in your workflow.
For example, if you’re handling incoming shipments that require multiple steps, you can now easily access the subsequent transfers directly using the Next Transfer button.
This feature streamlines your process, saving time and making it effortless to manage complex transfer chains.
Conclusion
Odoo 18's flexible routes bring a new level of adaptability to modern supply chain management. Combining features such as Make to Stock and Order (MTSO), domain-specific push rules, and streamlined processes such as Return for Exchange and the Next Transfer button, companies can now optimize their workflows with unprecedented ease and efficiency.
These enhancements enable you to:
- Reduce unnecessary inventory.
- Improve resource allocation.
- Customize routes to skip steps based on specific criteria.
- Save time by automating returns and exchanges.
- Easily navigate multi-step transfers.
With these tools, Odoo 18 turns supply chain challenges into opportunities for efficiency and growth. Whether you're fine-tuning a single process or redesigning your entire workflow, Odoo's flexibility ensures that your business is ready to adapt, thrive, and lead in an ever-changing marketplace.
Take advantage of these features to future-proof your operations and stay ahead of the competition!
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