Konfigurera produkten

A group of products in Odoo can be further defined using:

  • Units of measure (UoM): a standard quantity for specifying product amounts (e.g., meters, yards, kilograms). Enables automatic conversion between measurement systems in Odoo, such as centimeters to feet.

    • Ex: Purchasing fabric measured in meters but receiving it in yards from a vendor.

  • Paket: A physical container used to group products together, regardless of whether they are the same or different.

    • Ex: A box containing assorted items for delivery, or a storage box of two hundred buttons on a shelf.

  • Förpackning: groups the same products together to receive or sell them in specified quantities.

    • Ex: Cans of soda sold in packs of six, twelve, or twenty-four.

Jämförelse

This table provides a detailed comparison of units of measure, packages, and packaging to help businesses evaluate which best suits their requirements.

Feature

Måttenhet

Paket

Förpackning

Syfte

Standardized measurement for product units (e.g., cm, lb, L)

Tracks the specific physical container and its contents

Groups a fixed number of items together for easier management (e.g., packs of 6, 12 or 24)

Product uniformity

Defined per product; saved as one UoM in the database

Allows mixed products

Same products only

Flexibel

Converts between vendor/customer UoMs and database UoM

Items can be added or removed from the container

Quantities are fixed (e.g., always packs of 6, 12 or 24)

Complexity

Simplest for unit conversions

More complex due to container-level inventory tracking

Simpler; suitable for uniform product groupings

Inventory tracking

Tracks product quantities within the warehouse in the specific UoM defined in the product form

Tracks package location and contents within the warehouse

Tracks grouped quantities but not individual items’ locations

Smooth barcode operations

Ej tillgänglig

Requires scanning both the package and individual items for reception. (even if there are 30 items in a package). Can enable the Move Entire Packages feature to update the package’s contained items’ locations, when moving the package

Scanning a packaging barcode automatically records all included units. (e.g. 1 pack = 12 units)

Product lookup

Ej tillgänglig

Scanning a product’s barcode identifies its typical storage location in the Odoo database

Barcode identifies grouped quantity, not storage location

Unique barcodes

Ej tillgänglig

Unique barcodes for individual packages (e.g. Pallet #12)

Barcodes set at the packaging type level (e.g. for a pack of 6)

Reusability

Not applicable

Can be disposable or reusable, configured via the Package Use field

Disposable only

Container weight

Not applicable

Weight of the container itself is included in the Shipping Weight field of a package (Inventory app ‣ Products ‣ Packages)

Weight of the container is defined in the Package Type settings

Spårning av parti-/serienummer

Requires manual adjustments to track UoMs via lots (See use case for details)

Applies only to contained products

Applies to both contained products and the container

Custom routes

Cannot be set

Cannot be set

Routes can define specific warehouse paths for a particular packaging type

Användningsfall

After comparing the various features, consider how these businesses, with various inventory management and logistics workflows, came to their decision.

Pallets of items using packaging

A warehouse receives shipments of soap organized on physical pallets, each containing 96 bars. These pallets are used for internal transfers and are also sold as standalone units. For logistical purposes, the pallet’s weight must be included in the total shipping weight for certain deliveries. Additionally, the pallet requires a barcode to facilitate tracking, and the number of individual bars of soap must be included in the stock count when the pallet is received.

After evaluating various options, product packaging was the most suitable solution. Packaging enables assigning a barcode to a pallet, identifying it as a ”pallet type” containing 96 soap bars. This barcode streamlines operations by automatically registering the grouped quantity. Key distinctions include:

  • Warehouse tracking limitations: Odoo tracks only the total quantity, not the number of packagings. For instance, if a pallet with 12 and 24 quantities is received, Odoo records 36 quantities, not the pallet details.

  • Packaging barcodes are type-specific, not unique: Barcodes represent packaging types (e.g., ”pallet of 96 soap bars”) but do not uniquely identify individual pallets, such as Pallet #1 or Pallet #2.

Capture product information using barcode

An Odoo user expects the Barcode app to display the typical storage location of a product by scanning a barcode for a container.

Packages was the most suitable. When the appropriate setting is enabled, scanning a package barcode displays its contents in the Barcode app.

Packages represent physical containers, enabling detailed tracking of the items they hold. Scanning a package provides visibility into its contents and facilitates operations, like inventory moves.

Track different units of measure in storage

A fruit juice distributor tracks multiple UoMs for their operations:

  • Fruits are purchased in tons.

  • Juice is produced and stored in kilograms.

  • Small samples are stored in grams for recipe testing.

Unit of Measure was most suitable. Odoo automatically converts tons to kilograms during receipts. However, since Odoo tracks only one UoM per product in the database, the company uses lot numbers to differentiate UoMs:

  • LOT1: Grams (g)

  • LOT2: Kilograms (kg)

Manual inventory adjustments are required to convert between lots, such as subtracting 1 kg from LOT2 to add 1,000 g to LOT1. While functional, this workaround can be time-consuming and prone to errors.