Industries
Every trade breaks in its own way
A factory, a contractor and a travel agency do not lose money in the same place. This is where each of them usually hurts, and what we set up so it stops.
Manufacturing
Factories and workshops that need to know what a unit really costs before they price it.
Where it usually hurts
- The real cost of a unit is unknown, so prices are set by feel and margins only surface at year end.
- Raw material stock in the books does not match what is on the factory floor.
- Production is planned in one person's head, and everything stops when they are away.
What we set up
- Bills of materials and manufacturing orders in Odoo, so every batch consumes stock and records its cost.
- Raw materials, work in progress and finished goods tracked separately, with lot numbers where the product needs them.
- Purchasing driven by production needs and minimum stock levels rather than by memory.
- A monthly close that reports cost and margin per product, not only a total.
Construction & contracting
Contractors who need to see whether each project is making money while it is still running.
Where it usually hurts
- Project profit is known only after handover, when nothing can be done about it.
- Materials are bought for one site and used on another, and no record follows them.
- Subcontractor accounts, retentions and progress invoices live in separate spreadsheets that disagree.
What we set up
- An analytic account per project, so every purchase, payslip and invoice lands on the project it belongs to.
- Project budgets set against actual cost and reviewed monthly, while the work is still in progress.
- Site stores set up as inventory locations, with every transfer between sites recorded.
- Progress invoicing and subcontractor balances kept in one system and reconciled at each close.
Distribution & trading
Wholesalers and distributors living on thin margins, customer credit and stock in more than one place.
Where it usually hurts
- Stock is spread across warehouses and vans, and nobody can say what is available without phoning around.
- Customer credit grows without limits, and collection starts only when cash runs short.
- Margin per item is unclear once freight, discounts and returns are counted.
What we set up
- Multi-warehouse inventory in Odoo, with transfers, reordering rules and stock visible per location.
- Price lists and credit limits per customer, with an ageing report that feeds a collection routine.
- Landed costs on purchases, so freight and customs sit in the cost of the item.
- Monthly margin reporting by product, customer and salesperson.
Retail
Shops and small chains where the till, the shelf and the books need to tell the same story.
Where it usually hurts
- The till total and the cash in the drawer differ, and nobody can say why.
- Stock is known only at the annual count, so shrinkage and expired goods are found too late.
- Each branch keeps its own records, and comparing branches means rebuilding the numbers by hand.
What we set up
- Odoo Point of Sale connected to inventory and accounting, so every sale moves stock and posts to the books.
- Barcoded items, cycle counts and expiry tracking where the goods need it.
- Daily cash closing per till and per cashier, reconciled to the bank deposit.
- Sales and margin per branch and per category in one monthly report.
Tourism & travel
Travel companies selling in one currency, paying suppliers in another, and earning the margin in between.
Where it usually hurts
- Profit per trip or group is unknown, because supplier costs arrive long after the customer has paid.
- Several currencies move through the business, and exchange differences are buried instead of measured.
- Customer deposits and supplier prepayments sit in the bank and get mistaken for income.
What we set up
- Multi-currency accounting, with exchange gains and losses reported on their own line.
- An analytic account per trip or group, so revenue and every supplier cost meet in one place.
- Customer deposits and supplier prepayments held on the balance sheet until the trip actually runs.
- A monthly close with margin by trip, destination and season.
Restaurants & cafés
Kitchens where profit is decided every day by food cost, waste and the cash drawer.
Where it usually hurts
- Food cost per dish is a guess, so the menu is priced against competitors rather than against recipes.
- Waste, staff meals and over-portioning disappear into purchases and never show up as a number.
- Cash, cards and delivery platforms each settle differently, and daily sales never quite match the bank.
What we set up
- Recipes costed from current purchase prices, giving a food cost for every dish.
- Kitchen and bar stock counted on a fixed cycle, with variances reported against sales.
- A daily sales reconciliation across cash, cards and delivery platforms, matched to the bank.
- A monthly close showing food cost, labour cost and margin per branch.
Your industry is not here?
These are the trades we are asked about most, not the only ones we work with. The method is the same everywhere: map how the business really runs, then configure the system around it.
Tell us about your businessTell us where it hurts
A first conversation costs nothing and usually makes the problem clearer even if you never hire us.