Inventory, stock and purchasing management with Odoo

For Swiss companies that handle physical inventory, real-time visibility into stock levels and control over supplier purchases are direct levers of profitability. Poorly managed stock ties up capital, generates shortages or overstocking, and complicates planning. Odoo Inventory and Odoo Purchasing form an integrated pair that covers the entire supply chain — from the supplier order to putting goods into stock — with automatic, real-time accounting.

As an Odoo partner in Switzerland, AX-Fiduciaire configures these modules according to the specificities of your activity: warehouse structure, valuation methods, logistics flows, customs constraints and replenishment rules adapted to your business cycle.

Odoo Inventory Module: Total Visibility into Your Stock

The Odoo Inventory module provides comprehensive management of all stock movements, storage locations and logistics rules. It adapts to SMEs as well as multi-site companies.

Multi-Warehouse and Location Management

Odoo allows the management of several distinct warehouses with their own replenishment rules, inter-warehouse transfers and internal locations (reception areas, picking, shipping, returns). Each location can be configured as a valued stock zone or a transit space. Transfers between warehouses are traceable and generate appropriate accounting entries if valuation is activated in continuous mode.

Traceability by Lot and Serial Number

For sectors subject to regulatory traceability (food, pharmaceutical, chemical, medical devices), Odoo supports:

• Serial numbers: individual tracking of each unit, from receipt to the end customer
• Lots (batch/lot numbers): grouping of articles produced under the same conditions, with expiry date and complete traceability
• Complete movement history: each lot or serial number is traceable upstream (supplier) and downstream (client)

This traceability is also useful in the event of a product recall or quality dispute.

Barcode Scanning and Mobile Operations

The Odoo Inventory mobile app transforms a smartphone or tablet into a scanning terminal. Operators can:

• Validate receipts by barcode or QR code scanning
• Complete picking lists without returning to the office
• Confirm inter-location transfers in real time
• Carry out physical inventories with direct scanning

Integration with industrial barcode scanners and readers is native, without specific development.

Real-Time Stock

Each stock movement (receipt, shipment, transfer, adjustment) instantly updates available, reserved and forecast quantities. The Odoo dashboard displays at any time:

• Available stock by product and by location
• Stock reserved for ongoing orders
• Forecast stock incorporating planned receipts and deliveries
• Minimum stock alerts

Automatic Replenishment Rules

Odoo offers two automatic replenishment mechanisms, adaptable product by product:

These rules can be combined and scheduled via the Odoo scheduler, which runs automatically according to the frequency you define.

Stock Valuation

Odoo stock management supports three valuation methods, compliant with Swiss accounting standards (CO and Swiss GAAP FER):

• FIFO (First In, First Out): the cost of the first items received is used first upon issue. Recommended for articles whose prices vary over time.
• Weighted average cost (WAC): the average stock cost is recalculated at each receipt. Simple method adapted to most SMEs.
• Standard cost: a manually defined standard price is used for all valuations. Differences from the actual price are posted as variances.

In continuous valuation mode (perpetual inventory), each stock movement automatically generates the corresponding accounting entries in Odoo Accounting.

Configurable Routes and Logistics Flows

Odoo allows the modelling of complex logistics flows through routes:

• Dropshipping: the supplier delivers directly to your client
• Cross-docking: received goods are immediately redistributed without being put into stock
• Push/pull flows: triggering of transfers on demand or automatically at each upstream movement
• Multi-step: receipt in a quality control area before being put into stock, multi-step order preparation

Physical Inventory and Adjustments

Odoo facilitates the carrying out of annual or rolling physical inventories (cycle counting):

• Generation of inventory lists by location or product category
• Entry of counted quantities directly in the interface or via mobile scanning
• Validation of discrepancies with automatic generation of stock adjustments
• Accounting of stock adjustments in the inventory gains/losses account

Odoo Purchasing Module: Optimising Supplier Relationships

The Odoo Purchasing module manages the entire procure-to-pay process: from the expression of need to the validation of the supplier invoice, via the order and goods receipt.

Requests for Quotation and Tenders

Odoo allows requests for quotation (RFQ) to be sent to multiple suppliers simultaneously for the same need. The tender feature allows:

• Comparing received offers on a single screen (price, lead times, conditions)
• Awarding the contract to the selected supplier with one click
• Archiving received offers and decisions made

This structured competitive bidding directly contributes to reducing purchasing costs.

Supplier Management

Odoo centralises all supplier information:

• Contact details, contacts and dedicated interlocutors
• Lead times by supplier and by product
• Historical purchase prices and negotiated rates
• Supplier performance evaluation (punctuality, quality)
• Price lists and volume discounts

Automated Purchase Orders

Purchase orders can be generated automatically by replenishment rules or manually. Odoo offers:

• Automatic grouping of needs to optimise ordered quantities
• Automatic application of negotiated pricing conditions
• Validation workflow with authorisation levels (e.g. manager validation for orders above a threshold)
• Automatic sending to the supplier by email in a customisable PDF format

Goods Receipt Control

Upon goods receipt, Odoo compares the delivery against the purchase order:

• Partial receipt with backorder management
• Control of received quantities vs ordered quantities
• Recording of serial or lot numbers upon receipt
• Mobile validation by barcode scanning
• Immediate update of stock and valuation

Supplier Invoice Control — 3-Way Matching

Three-way matching is a key feature of Odoo Purchasing. It automatically compares:

1. The purchase order (ordered quantities and prices)
2. The goods receipt (quantities actually received)
3. The supplier invoice (invoiced quantities and amounts)

If discrepancies are detected (different price, quantity exceeding the receipt), Odoo generates an alert and can block invoice validation. This control reduces payment errors, detects fraud and reinforces the rigour of the accounting process.

Purchase Conditions and Blanket Orders

For established supplier relationships, Odoo manages blanket orders:

• Definition of a negotiated annual volume and a guaranteed price
• Issuance of successive purchase orders within the framework of the contract
• Real-time tracking of contract consumption
• Alerts when approaching the expiry date or exhaustion of the contractual volume

Manufacturing and MRP: From Stock to Production

For manufacturing companies, Odoo offers a manufacturing management module (MRP — Manufacturing Resource Planning) that integrates natively with inventory and purchasing.

Bill of Materials (BOM)

Bills of Materials define the composition of a finished product: raw materials, components, sub-assemblies and operations. Odoo supports multi-level BOMs and product variants.

Manufacturing Orders

Manufacturing orders are generated manually or automatically by MTO/MTS rules. Each order consumes components from stock at launch and produces the finished goods at the end of manufacturing, with costing of labour and materials.

Production Planning

Odoo's MRP planner calculates component requirements based on planned manufacturing orders and available stock. It automatically generates purchase or manufacturing proposals for missing components, respecting supplier lead times and production lead times.

Quality Control

Odoo Quality allows the definition of quality control points at different stages of the flow: at supplier receipt, during manufacturing or before shipment. Non-conformities are recorded, alerts are generated and corrective actions can be launched directly from the interface.

Integration with Odoo Accounting

One of Odoo's major advantages is the native integration between inventory management and accounting. Unlike solutions where stock and accounting are separate systems connected by interfaces, Odoo generates accounting entries in real time at each stock movement.

Automatic Accounting Flows

• Goods receipt: debit of the stock account, credit of the receipt accrual account (stock interim)
• Supplier invoice validation: debit of the receipt accrual account, credit of the supplier account
• Client shipment: debit of cost of goods sold (COGS), credit of the stock account
• Inventory adjustments: debit or credit of the inventory gains/losses account

This automatic accounting eliminates double entry, reduces errors and guarantees permanent consistency between physical stock and accounting values. To learn more about Odoo's accounting features, consult our page Odoo Accounting.

Stock Financial Dashboard

The Inventory module offers a valuation dashboard that displays in real time the total stock value by product category, by warehouse and by valuation method. This data feeds directly into the balance sheet without additional manual processing.

Swiss Specificities: Customs, Multi-Currency and VAT

Switzerland, a non-EU country with intense commercial exchanges with its neighbours, presents particularities in the management of stock and international purchases. Odoo, correctly configured, meets these requirements.

Swiss Customs and Importation

For companies that import goods into Switzerland, ancillary costs (customs duties, clearance fees, import VAT) must be integrated into the cost price of products. Odoo allows:

• Recording of ancillary costs (landed costs) on each receipt
• Allocation of these costs to received products according to different methods (proportional to weight, volume or value)
• Update of average cost or FIFO with import costs included

This feature ensures that your stock is valued at full acquisition cost, compliant with the requirements of the Swiss Code of Obligations.

Multi-Currency for International Purchases

Odoo natively manages purchases in foreign currencies:

• Issuance of purchase orders in EUR, USD, GBP or any other currency
• Automatic application of the exchange rate (manual or automatically updated via an online service)
• Conversion to CHF for accounting
• Posting of realised and unrealised exchange differences according to Swiss GAAP standards

Import, Export and Reverse Charge VAT

VAT treatment related to international flows is correctly handled in Odoo:

• Import VAT: deductible upon declaration to the AFC, to be distinguished from non-recoverable customs duties
• Exports outside Switzerland: exempt from Swiss VAT (0% rate), automatically documented
• Reverse charge: for services received from foreign suppliers

These VAT codes are configured during the initial Odoo setup by our team, in accordance with the directives of the Federal Tax Administration (AFC).

Why Choose AX-Fiduciaire for Your Odoo Inventory Project?

A successful Odoo Inventory project goes beyond installing the software. The configuration of logistics routes, valuation methods, replenishment rules and accounting integration requires combined expertise in stock management and Swiss accounting.

• Analysis of your current flows: we map your existing processes before configuring Odoo
• Tailored configuration: setup adapted to your sector and your specific constraints
• Team training: operational training for warehouse, purchasing and accounting teams
• Data migration: import of your product catalogue, initial stock and supplier history
• Ongoing support: post-deployment support for adjustments and developments

Our approach: we configure Odoo to match your operational reality, not the other way around. A good initial configuration avoids costly reconfigurations and internal resistance to change.