Why open source inventory management for manufacturers differs from a warehouse-only rollout
For a plant operations or finance leader, inventory is not finished when every bin has a location. Stock has to reconcile to bills of materials, production orders and quality holds, so a raw material lot consumed by a work order, a sub-assembly in progress and a finished good awaiting release all need to be traceable to the same record. A warehouse-only rollout that tracks only locations and quantities will fail at the first production variance. The short answer on platform is that Odoo fits manufacturers who want inventory, manufacturing and quality in one application with a commercial Enterprise layer for some features, while ERPNext fits teams that want a fully open source GPL-3.0 stack covering manufacturing, inventory and accounting, with more of the configuration done by their own developers. Confirm in writing which manufacturing, quality and barcode features each option needs in your edition before comparing them.
Regulatory scope in manufacturing depends on the sector, not on the inventory software. A supplier of medical devices, electrical equipment, machinery or motor vehicles may fall under the NIS2 manufacturing sector in Annex II, and a product maker may face obligations under the Cyber Resilience Act, which applies to products with digital elements from 11 December 2027. Machinery makers face the Machinery Regulation from 14 January 2027, and defense contractors face CMMC requirements that depend on the level of federal contract information or controlled unclassified information they handle. Industrial control systems are covered by the ISA/IEC 62443 series, and an inventory system that connects to them changes the zone model. Ask your compliance lead which of these apply before the design of lot, serial and quality records is fixed, because those records become the evidence for each regime.
Inside the plant, the decisions that differ from a warehouse rollout are concrete. Decide whether components are consumed by backflush or by explicit work order issues, whether lot or serial numbers are assigned at receipt or at production completion, and which quality checks must pass before a stock move from quarantine to available. Set reorder rules against planned production, not only against sales demand, and plan cycle counts around production cut-offs so that work in progress is counted the same way every time. Those choices determine how your MRP output, shop floor reporting and quality records line up, and they are much harder to change after go-live than a warehouse location layout.
Which requirements shape a manufacturing inventory build
This table maps each regulation or standard that can reach a manufacturer's inventory system to the build consequence it creates. Read the conditional column first, since many items apply only to companies in specific sectors, markets or supply chains. The main takeaway is that most requirements converge on the same controls: role-based access, audit logs, change control and separation of OT and IT networks.
| Requirement | What it means for the inventory build | Applies when |
|---|---|---|
| NIS2 Annex II manufacturing scope (Directive (EU) 2022/2555) | Manufacturers in NACE Rev. 2 divisions 26 to 30 are in a critical sector. Expect to document access control, logging and supplier security for the ERP and inventory platform. | Operating in the EU and within the listed divisions, and meeting the size thresholds for in-scope entities |
| NIS2 incident reporting timelines (Article 23(4)) | Inventory and ERP logs must be retrievable fast enough to support an early warning within 24 hours, a notification within 72 hours and a final report within one month. | In-scope entities in the EU, including important entities |
| Cyber Resilience Act Article 14 reporting (Regulation (EU) 2024/2847) | If the company builds or sells products with digital elements, its vulnerability handling and incident reporting processes must cover the software it ships, including connected firmware and tooling. | Manufacturers placing products with digital elements on the EU market; Article 14 obligations have applied since 11 September 2026 |
| Machinery Regulation 1.1.9 (Regulation (EU) 2023/1230) | Connecting a device or remote device to machinery must not lead to a hazardous situation. Barcode devices, IoT sensors and remote access paths tied to production lines need a documented risk review. | Placing machinery on the EU market; applies from 14 January 2027 |
| ISA/IEC 62443 asset owner requirements (ANSI/ISA-62443-2-1-2024) | Plant owners need a security program covering who can change stock and production data, how access is granted and reviewed, and how OT assets are inventoried. | Operating industrial automation and control systems that the inventory system touches or reads from |
| ISA/IEC 62443 system and component requirements (ANSI/ISA-62443-3-3-2013, ANSI/ISA-62443-4-2-2018) | Set target security levels for zones that include MES, historians and scanners, and confirm that components used on the plant floor meet the technical requirements chosen for those zones. | Plants with IACS zones; component requirements mainly matter when buying or specifying equipment from suppliers |
| NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3 for OT security | Segment OT networks from IT, restrict cross-zone traffic to the specific data flows the shop floor needs, and account for performance and safety needs before patching or changing systems. | Operating OT such as SCADA, DCS, PLCs or building controls in US or internationally aligned plants |
| CMMC levels (32 CFR Part 170) | Defense suppliers handling federal contract information or CUI need Level 1 or Level 2 controls in the systems that store bills of materials, drawings and stock of controlled items. Level 3 adds selected NIST SP 800-172 requirements. | Holding defense contracts that involve federal contract information or CUI; confirm current phase requirements with the contracting office, as Phase II was suspended on 13 July 2026 |
| 21 CFR Part 11 electronic records and signatures | Lot records, batch genealogy, quality holds and electronic approvals need unique user accounts, audit trails, validated change control and controlled electronic signatures. | Manufacturing FDA-regulated products such as drugs, biologics or devices where electronic records replace paper |
| Access control and logging across all sectors | Use role-based permissions for receiving, adjustments and cycle count approvals, and keep logs of stock movements and admin changes that an assessor can sample. | Applies to every manufacturer that adopts the system, but the evidence depth depends on the regimes above |
| Change control for ERP customizations | Treat BOM edits, custom modules and reorder rule changes as controlled changes with test copies, approvals and rollback records, which many frameworks above expect. | Applies to every manufacturer with customized Odoo or ERPNext configurations or server scripts |
Which open source platform fits which manufacturing setup
The right platform depends less on feature lists than on how many plants you run, whether you make discrete or process products, and how much in-house development capacity you can keep. The cards below map those three factors to Odoo, ERPNext and Apache OFBiz, with the licensing and support limits that shape each choice.
Odoo Community for lean single-site setups
Odoo Community is the open source core under the LGPL-3.0 license, and it includes inventory and manufacturing modules that suit a single plant with a modest bill of materials structure. The hosting, support and upgrade path is yours to arrange, since the Community edition has no access to Odoo's upgrade service. Check whether the barcode scanning, mobile and multi-company features you need are available in your edition before you assume they are included.
Odoo Enterprise for multi-site and shop floor use
Odoo Enterprise adds mobile apps, Studio customization, version upgrades and hosting on top of the Community core. On-premise or Odoo.sh deployment requires the Custom plan, and that plan is also where multi-company and external API access sit, which matters once you run several plants. Ask any partner to list which warehouse, barcode and mobile features your floor relies on, and price the subscription against that list.
ERPNext for integrated manufacturing and inventory
ERPNext is licensed under GPL-3.0 and covers manufacturing, inventory, accounting and projects on the Frappe Framework, which is MIT licensed. Plan for version 15 or 16, because the Frappe support policy only covers listed versions, and version 14 reached end of life on January 31, 2026. Self-hosting is free of license fees, but a Frappe Cloud support plan matching your version is required for warranty coverage from Frappe.
Apache OFBiz for Java-based teams
Apache OFBiz is licensed under Apache-2.0 and includes business applications for supply chain management and manufacturing resource planning. It fits organizations with strong Java engineering skills that want to extend core logic in their own codebase. Expect a steeper configuration and training curve than Odoo or ERPNext, and confirm that the manufacturing modules match your routing, costing and quality needs before committing.
Module coverage against your process
Discrete manufacturers usually need serial numbers, engineering change control and work order routing. Process manufacturers often need batch genealogy, yield tracking and expiry handling. Neither Odoo nor ERPNext should be assumed to cover your exact case, so map each process step against the module documentation and a proof-of-concept with your own item data. Treat any gap as a scoping item for the partner, not a surprise at go-live.
In-house capacity as the deciding factor
Count the people who can maintain custom modules, upgrade the platform and handle server scripts after go-live. ERPNext disables Server Scripts by default from version 15 and requires an explicit setting, while Odoo customizations depend on Studio or custom modules. A small team with limited development skills usually needs a vendor retainer for upgrades, while a larger team can take on more of that work internally.
How a manufacturing inventory rollout moves from item master to go-live
This sequence turns scattered item, BOM and stock records into a clean, tested inventory baseline in Odoo or ERPNext, so the plant can run on the system with confidence before go-live.
Clean the item master and bills of materials
The implementation partner and your engineering, purchasing and planning leads review every item code, unit of measure, product category, supplier link and bill of materials. Duplicate parts are merged, obsolete items are flagged for retirement, and multi-level BOMs are checked against current engineering revisions. The step closes when each finished good and component has one owner, one unit of measure and a BOM that matches the approved revision. Confirm with your engineering change process who signs off the final master data.
Design locations and warehouse structure
The team maps physical storage to system locations: receiving docks, raw material stores, quarantine or hold areas, work-in-progress zones, finished goods staging and any sites or subcontractor locations. Transit locations are defined for multi-warehouse transfers, and the rules for which operations can move stock in or out of each location are written down. The output is an approved location tree with a short description of each location's purpose and permitted movements.
Set lot and serial tracking rules
Quality, operations and the plant engineers decide which items need lot numbers, which need serial numbers, and which need neither. The team defines lot naming conventions, the point at which a lot is created (receipt, production order or both), and how components are traced back to finished goods. Where regulators or customers require traceability, the rules are checked against those requirements before configuration. The step closes with a tracking matrix signed off by quality and operations.
Configure reorder rules and MRP parameters
Planners set minimum and maximum quantities, lead times, safety stock, lot-sizing and procurement routes for each item, using the data validated in the first step. Manufacturing orders, purchase orders and reorder suggestions are tested on a sample set of products to confirm that the planning logic produces the expected requirements. The output is a parameter sheet per item category and a set of test planning runs that planners have reviewed and accepted.
Import opening stock in controlled batches
Opening balances, open purchase orders and open production orders are loaded into a test environment in batches. The ERPNext Data Import documentation advises importing only a few thousand records at a time, and the same discipline is a sound approach for Odoo imports. After each batch, the team reconciles item counts, quantities and valuations against the source extract and logs every rejected row with its cause. The step closes when a full reconciliation report shows no unexplained differences.
Run a parallel period and establish the cycle count baseline
Operations runs the new system alongside the legacy process for a defined period, recording receipts, transfers, production consumption and shipments in both. Counsel and quality decide which variances must be investigated before cutover. A cycle count baseline is taken for high-value and high-movement items, and the variances are traced to root causes such as unit-of-measure errors or unposted transfers. The output is a signed reconciliation and a baseline count record that becomes the reference for future counts.
Integrate shop-floor and quality workflows
Production and quality teams test the links between manufacturing orders, work centers, scanning devices, in-process inspections and nonconformance handling. The team confirms how a lot is placed on hold, released or scrapped, and how shop-floor confirmations post consumption and output. Scanning hardware is verified on the production floor and in the warehouse, and any Enterprise-only app dependency is confirmed against your edition before the design is approved. The step closes with a tested end-to-end run from production order to finished goods receipt.
Go live with hypercare and support
Cutover runs on an agreed date with a rollback plan, a final data load, and named super users on each shift. The implementation partner provides on-site or remote support during the first stock counts and the first full production cycles, and tracks every issue to resolution. The step closes when operations has completed a scheduled count without critical defects, the support handover is documented, and the ongoing responsibility for master data changes is assigned to a named owner.
Integration points and deployment patterns for plants
Inventory on the shop floor only works when it stays in step with planning, machines, quality records, money and user access. The cards below cover the links that most often decide whether a manufacturing inventory rollout holds up, and the deployment choices that shape them.
MRP and production planning
Bills of materials, reorder rules and work orders in Odoo or ERPNext drive what the warehouse must issue, receive and count. Confirm whether planning runs inside the same database or in a separate system, because that decides who owns demand data and how often stock levels are reconciled. Check how the MRP run handles lot-tracked components, scrap and partial completions, since those cases create the most transfer corrections.
Shop-floor scanning and label printing
Scanners, handheld browsers and label printers connect to the inventory core for receiving, picking, moves and finished-goods labels. Odoo's barcode app is Enterprise-only, so confirm the edition before pricing devices. Test label templates on the actual printers and check how the setup behaves when Wi-Fi drops on the floor, since a failed scan usually means a manual correction later.
MES and PLC data through a DMZ
Machine counts, cycle data and batch records from MES or PLC systems may need to reach the ERP without exposing the control network. A segmented zone with a one-way or brokered data path keeps the ERP out of the control network. Standards such as ISA/IEC 62443 describe how to zone these systems. Confirm with the OT team which data crosses the boundary, who approves the path, and whether the ERP ever writes back to controllers.
Quality records and inspection data
Incoming inspection, in-process checks and nonconformance records often need to link to lot numbers in inventory, so a rejected lot can be quarantined in the same step. Decide whether quality lives in the ERP's quality module or in a separate system, and how records are signed and retained. If the products fall under 21 CFR Part 11 or similar rules, confirm the electronic record and signature controls before choosing the design.
Accounting and purchasing links
Goods receipts, stock valuation and cost of goods sold must post to the general ledger in the right period. Purchasing sends receipts, and accounting receives invoices, so three-way matching depends on the same lot and purchase order references. Confirm the valuation method, the account mapping for each warehouse and whether the ledger is inside the same ERP or exported to another system.
Identity through LDAP
Both Odoo and ERPNext document LDAP integration, which lets plant staff sign in with directory accounts instead of local passwords. Plan group mappings so that warehouse, quality and planning roles follow the directory, and decide how leavers lose access at the plants. Confirm whether the chosen edition and version support the LDAP setup you need, and test it with the plant accounts that use shared terminals.
Central server or per-plant instances
A single central instance gives one stock picture and one set of configuration, but it depends on the WAN for every scan. Per-plant instances keep operations running during outages and suit air-gapped sites, but they need consolidation rules and a process for item master changes. For ERPNext production, Docker Compose images from the frappe_docker repository include MariaDB, Redis, workers, the scheduler and Nginx. Confirm the backup, patching and staffing model for each location before choosing.
How lot, serial and cycle count controls hold up under audit
Traceability and count evidence hold up under audit only when every movement is recorded at the time it happens, by a named user, against a lot or serial number that cannot be silently changed later. In Odoo or ERPNext, the stock ledger is the evidence: each receipt, manufacturing consumption, transfer and inventory adjustment creates a stock move with a timestamp and user. A cycle count is evidenced by the inventory adjustment record that shows the counted quantity, the system quantity, the reason and the approver. Confirm with your implementation partner which documents are locked after posting, and whether a lot can be split or merged after the finished good has been consumed into a production order. Those are the points where an auditor will test the chain from raw material lot to shipped serial.
Most breaks come from data entry, not from the software. Operators who receive a pallet under a generic lot number, post a consumption against the wrong work order, or edit a counted quantity directly instead of posting an adjustment leave a gap that the system will accept. Reorder rules and unit-of-measure conversions add further risk, because a bill of materials set up with the wrong yield or a purchase unit that differs from the stock unit corrupts quantities downstream. Limit who can create lots, adjust stock and change bills of materials, and review adjustments above an agreed threshold each period. Ask your partner to set these as roles and approval steps in the build, and to test them with deliberate errors during user acceptance.
Change management and access logging are where financial-style controls apply. The FTC Safeguards Rule at 16 CFR 314.4 requires covered financial institutions to adopt change management procedures and log the activity of authorized users, and it requires multi-factor authentication for anyone accessing an information system. A manufacturer is rarely a covered financial institution, but its auditors and lenders often ask for the same evidence when stock values feed the general ledger. Keep audit logs of user, role and configuration changes outside the application's own database where possible, and record who approved each change to a bill of materials or valuation setting. SEC Rule 17a-4(b) retention applies only if the company is a broker-dealer, which is rare for a manufacturer. Retention periods for stock records, lot genealogy and count sheets must be set by counsel and your quality function, not by the implementation team.
Evidence auditors and regulators ask for, and what produces it
This table maps the evidence a manufacturer typically shows during a security, quality or regulatory review to the component that produces it and the gaps to check. Read each row as a question to answer before go-live: which system generates the record, who reviews it, and how long it is kept. DeployOpen prepares systems, controls and evidence for assessments, but auditors, certification bodies and regulators draw the conclusions.
| Evidence item | Primary producing component | What to confirm before go-live |
|---|---|---|
| Access reviews for inventory, costing and BOM roles | Identity provider and ERP role matrix | Quarterly review owner, export format, and removal of leavers from warehouse and costing roles |
| Change log for bills of materials and standard costs | ERP audit trail (Odoo or ERPNext versioning) | Which fields are tracked, who can edit after approval, and whether logs are retained beyond the ERP database |
| Cycle count records and variance approvals | ERP stock count documents and approval workflow | Approver separation from counters, threshold for mandatory review, and linked adjustment entries |
| Lot and serial traceability history | ERP stock ledger and lot or serial records | Ability to reproduce a genealogy from raw material receipt to finished goods shipment |
| Backup and restore test results | Backup system and database restore logs | Dated restore test into a separate environment, with the ERP data and attached files both covered |
| Vulnerability assessment and penetration test reports | Scanning tools and independent testing reports | Scope includes the ERP, its integrations and any shop-floor connectors, with remediation tracking |
| Network segmentation diagrams between IT and shop-floor systems | Architecture documentation and firewall or segmentation configuration | Diagram matches live rules, and any MES, PLC or scanner links are listed with their trust boundaries |
| Incident records for security or product vulnerability events | Ticketing system, ERP and supplier notification logs | Records can support early warning, notification and final report timing if an in-scope regime applies |
| Change management records for ERP upgrades and customizations | Version control, test environment records and approval tickets | Each custom module or server script has an approver, a test record and a rollback plan |
What do manufacturers ask before hiring an implementation partner for inventory?
How much effort does a self-hosted manufacturing inventory rollout take?
Total effort depends on scope, and no fixed figure applies to every plant. The main drivers are item count, bill of materials depth, number of plants and warehouses, lot and serial tracking rules, and the number of handheld scanners and label printers. Each driver adds data preparation, configuration, testing and training. Ask the partner to break the effort into discovery, data migration, configuration, integration with MRP and quality, device setup, testing and go-live support, and to state which items are one-time and which recur, such as hosting, support and upgrades. A written fixed-scope proposal from DeployOpen follows the agreed scope, and no price is published in advance.
Can our internal team run the inventory system after go-live?
Often yes for routine work, but the team needs named owners and time to learn the system. Day-to-day tasks such as receipts, transfers, cycle counts and reorder rule reviews are usually handled by warehouse and planning staff after training. Configuration changes to bills of materials, routes, costing and integrations, plus patching and backups, need someone with platform administration skills. Ask the partner which tasks transfer to your staff, which stay with a support retainer, and what documentation and handover sessions are included. Retainers for ongoing support, upgrades and testing are available from DeployOpen.
How long does a manufacturing inventory rollout take?
The timeline depends on scope and is agreed in writing before work starts. A single warehouse with clean item data moves faster than several plants with lot tracking, scanner devices and integrations with production and quality. The schedule is usually set by data readiness and by how long your team needs for test cycles and cycle counts before cutover. Ask the partner to show the milestones, the testing window, the count and cutover plan, and which dependencies sit with your team. Any duration quoted in a proposal should trace back to the scope it covers.
How do Odoo Enterprise licensing and the Custom plan change cost?
Odoo Community is free under the LGPL-3.0 license, but Odoo Enterprise adds features such as mobile apps, Studio customization, upgrade services and hosting options, and its source code is not public. Odoo's pricing page places hosting on Odoo.sh or on-premise, multi-company, Studio, external API access and custom modules in the Custom plan, with per-user monthly prices and a yearly discount. Barcode scanning features should be checked against the edition you select. Ask the partner to list each feature your plants need, the edition and plan that include it, and the recurring subscription cost in your quote, since licenses recur while implementation is usually one-time.
How do Odoo Online and Odoo.sh upgrades every two years affect planning?
On Odoo Online and Odoo.sh, major version upgrades are mandatory every two years according to Odoo's upgrade documentation, so each upgrade is a planned project rather than a background task. Odoo's support documentation states standard support covers three years after a major release, and Odoo SaaS versions are released every two to three months. Plan a test database upgrade, regression testing of bills of materials, reorder rules, transfers and custom reports, and a freeze window for stock counts. Ask the partner to include upgrade testing in the support retainer and to document custom modules so they can be reviewed against each new version.
What must our company provide during the implementation?
The project needs named data owners for items, bills of materials, locations and costing, a process owner who signs off each workflow, and staff time for test cycles. Data owners resolve duplicate item codes and unit-of-measure conflicts before migration, and migration is slower when this is left to the partner. Process sign-off covers receiving, put-away, production issue, finished goods receipt and cycle counts. Test time should include scanner testing on the floor and at least one full count rehearsal. Ask the partner to put these responsibilities, deadlines and sign-off points in the written scope so delays are visible early.
Should we build the inventory system ourselves, use a partner, or choose SaaS?
Self-hosting ERPNext is free under GPL-3.0, and Odoo Community is free under LGPL-3.0, so software license cost is rarely the main difference. The costs that decide the choice are implementation, data cleanup, hosting, devices, support, upgrades and staff time. Building internally suits teams with platform engineering depth and time to maintain it. A partner suits plants that need configuration, integration and a defined handover without hiring specialists. SaaS suits simpler single-site operations with standard scanning. Ask each option for a total cost over the period you plan to keep the system, including recurring items.
How do we check that a partner has tested the system before go-live?
Ask for a written test plan that covers data migration reconciliation, transactions for each warehouse and plant, lot and serial traceability, reorder rule behavior, transfers between sites, production consumption and receipts, and a rehearsed cycle count. Confirm who runs security testing and how access controls, backups and restore tests are checked. DeployOpen runs security testing for applications and infrastructure as a separate service, and it prepares evidence for compliance assessments without issuing audit reports. Ask for the test results and the defect log before cutover.
Questions to put to an implementation partner for a plant inventory project
Start with the data, because a plant inventory project succeeds or fails on the quality of its bills of materials and stock history. Ask the partner how item masters, BOM structures, routings and opening balances will be extracted, cleaned, mapped and loaded into Odoo or ERPNext, and in what order. Ask whether the import uses the standard Data Import tool or custom scripts, and how many records per batch they expect to load. For ERPNext, the Data Import documentation advises importing only a few thousand records at a time, so ask how large batches are planned and reconciled. Ask how lot and serial history will be carried over: whether open lots keep their original receipt dates, supplier references and quality status, and whether closed history is archived rather than migrated. Require a written reconciliation report that compares quantities and valuations per warehouse before and after load.
Next, ask how the go-live will handle cycle counts and the shop floor. Ask who runs the first full physical count, whether the partner schedules a freeze window for receipts and transfers, and how count variances are approved and posted. Ask how barcode scanning will be tested on the actual devices and labels, and which scanning app is included. Odoo's barcode app is Enterprise-only, so confirm the edition and the license count before the quote is accepted. On the OT side, ask how the inventory and MRP servers will reach the plant network, which zones and conduits are assumed, and whether the design follows the zone and conduit thinking in the ISA/IEC 62443 series. Ask who owns the segmentation decision and whether the partner will document it for the asset owner.
Finally, confirm the platform and support position in writing. Ask the partner to name the exact edition, modules and hosting model, and to list which features depend on Odoo Enterprise or on a Frappe Cloud support plan. For Odoo, ask which major version is planned and check it against the Odoo standard and extended support documentation, noting that standard support runs three years after a major release. For ERPNext, check the version against the Frappe supported versions page. Ask how upgrades will be tested on a copy before production, and who pays for them. Ask how evidence will be delivered, such as access logs, change records, backup restore tests and segmentation diagrams, and in what format. Require a written scope, with deliverables and acceptance criteria, before any work begins.
How DeployOpen scopes, builds and supports manufacturing inventory
The sequence moves from a written scope covering items, locations and shop-floor links to a hardened, tested and documented inventory system that the client's own team can operate and upgrade.
Agree the written scope and data model
DeployOpen reviews the product and bill of materials structure, warehouse and location hierarchy, lot and serial tracking rules, valuation method, reorder logic and the links to MRP, quality and accounting with your operations, finance and quality leads. The result is a written scope with deliverables, interfaces and exclusions agreed before work starts. Most engagements are fixed-scope, so the document is the reference for change requests and the quote. Confirm which edition supports the features you need, such as barcode apps or multi-company, before the scope is signed.
Select the platform and edition
DeployOpen compares Odoo Community, Odoo Enterprise and ERPNext against your scope, hosting constraints and support requirements, and records why the chosen option fits. For Odoo, confirm the edition and plan that include the features you depend on, and the support window for the release you will run. For ERPNext, confirm that the version you deploy is on a supported line. The output is a short decision record that names the platform, edition, hosting model and the features that depend on it.
Build the instance in your infrastructure
DeployOpen installs the platform in your cloud account, data center or isolated network, using the installation method your IT team approves, such as packaged installers, Docker Compose or the bench tool for ERPNext. Configuration covers companies, warehouses, locations, units of measure, product categories, lot and serial settings and reorder rules as defined in the scope. Customization stays within what the edition allows. The step closes when a test environment reproduces the agreed configuration and your team can log in with the identity method you selected.
Harden, back up and secure the instance
DeployOpen applies a hardening baseline to the database, application servers, reverse proxy, file storage and admin accounts, and sets up role-based access so receiving, picking, counting and costing rights are separated. Backups are configured and restore is tested on a copy, not assumed. Where your policy requires it, multi-factor authentication and directory integration are set up using the platform's supported methods. Testing is offered as a separate option: application, API, infrastructure and configuration tests, scoped and agreed in writing. The output is a hardening record, a restore test result and a list of accepted residual risks.
Integrate and migrate item and stock data
DeployOpen maps the integrations in scope, typically MRP and production, quality records, purchasing, sales, accounting and barcode devices, and builds them against the supported interfaces of the chosen platform. Item masters, bills of materials, opening stock by lot and location, and open orders are cleaned and loaded in controlled batches, then reconciled against the source system. Import tools have practical limits on batch size, so loads are sequenced and verified. The step closes with a reconciliation report showing quantities and values matched between the old and new systems, signed off by finance and operations.
Prepare evidence for compliance assessments
DeployOpen documents the configured controls that matter for your assessment, such as access roles, change records, backup and restore results, audit logging settings, and the lot and serial traceability procedures your quality system requires. Where a regulation applies to your products or sector, the evidence pack is mapped to the requirements in your own words and to your auditor's expectations. DeployOpen prepares systems, controls and evidence only. It does not issue audit reports, attestations or certifications, and independent auditors or certification bodies make those determinations.
Train, cut over and hand over
DeployOpen runs role-based training for warehouse staff, planners and quality users, using your own data where possible, and rehearses a cutover with a full stock count in the new system. Go-live follows the cutover plan agreed in the scope, with a rollback path until the reconciliation is accepted. Handover includes runbooks for backups, restores, user onboarding, label printing and count procedures, along with the list of open items. The step closes when your team has run a count and a receipt without DeployOpen present, and the handover document is accepted.
Support upgrades and operations under retainer
After go-live, ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing can be covered by a retainer agreed in writing. Upgrades follow the vendor's documented path, which for Odoo includes testing an upgraded database copy before production, and for ERPNext means staying on a listed supported version. Your team keeps administrative ownership, and DeployOpen reports each change, test result and backup check. Confirm the upgrade and support model you need with the platform vendor, since Odoo support windows and ERPNext warranty coverage depend on the version and any subscription in place.
