Every can of paint, from the coating on your car to the yellow lines on highways, must pass strict quality tests before reaching the market. For decades, Leneta Company has been the backbone of this process, supplying the standardized surfaces that ensure consistency and reliability across industries. But behind their reputation for precision lies a story of evolution: how a family-owned business modernized its operations with Odoo.
Based in Mahwah, New Jersey, Leneta was founded in 1956 by a paint chemist who knew he had the expertise to make a better product than what was available at that time. Today, the second and third generation lead the company, preserving its tradition of high-quality standards while expanding globally through a network of more than 50 distributors.
Whenever a paint manufacturer needs to confirm that a new batch matches previous runs, Leneta’s charts are the benchmark. “We believe we have the highest quality surface in the industry, which means that when customers apply their product on our chart, they know any defect they see is due to their product and not the surface itself,” explained David Schaeffer, Vice President at Leneta.
Beyond architectural or decorative paints, Leneta products are trusted by industries ranging from automotive and cosmetics to pharmaceuticals and government agencies. With customers in nearly every country, the company has become a global leader in its niche by ensuring that quality is measurable, repeatable, and consistent.
"We sell throughout the entire world… almost every country you could think of because everyone uses paint."
The Roadblocks Before Odoo
Like many long-standing companies, Leneta experienced the growing pains of adapting to new technology. Over the years, they cycled through different ERP systems. “We’ve used a variety of different products. A long time ago it was Macola, then we went to SAP, and then after SAP we went to Odoo,” recalled Schaeffer.
Each transition was difficult for the team. Leneta’s workforce is highly specialized in their respective roles, but adapting to new ERP systems always brought a steep learning curve. With SAP in particular, the company faced a mismatch: a sprawling system with far more functions than a small company required. “We were paying for a lot of different features and we didn’t need as many features as SAP was giving us. It was cumbersome because we didn’t know how best to navigate it, it was so big and sprawling,” said Schaeffer.
"With SAP, we wanted something more simplified… Odoo gave us an ERP system we could customize to our use."
Odoo: A Better Way Forward
The switch to Odoo came after thorough research by the company’s IT lead, who interviewed multiple ERP vendors before concluding that Odoo was the best fit. Implementation began in 2020, a pivotal year for Leneta. Unlike SAP, which tied them to a server, Odoo’s cloud-based system gave employees browser access to all functions, a critical factor when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the office staff to work remotely while the warehouse stayed open:
"Odoo allowed us, because of the cloud capability, to continue on. We would not have been able to go back into the office otherwise."
Since then, Odoo has been central to Leneta’s operations. The company uses:
- Sales Module to process orders and generate customer sales history reports.
- Accounting Module for invoicing, tracking open and past-due invoices, and compiling statements for customers.
- Inventory to manage stock efficiently.
- Contacts, integrated across operations for smooth customer management.
The impact of Odoo on daily workflows has been clear:
Sales Reports for Smarter Customer Conversations: The Sales App enables Leneta to drill down into customer purchase histories and forecast future demand. This visibility is especially valuable in meetings with distributors and customers. “It helps when we’re sitting down with our customers to dive into their sales figures because it’s easily accessible,” Schaeffer noted.
Streamlined Accounting and Faster Collections: The Accounting App has transformed how Leneta manages invoices. Open and past-due invoices are now tracked seamlessly, and customer requests for statements can be answered instantly. What once required time-consuming manual work is now just a few clicks.
Attachments and Remarks for Accuracy: One of the team’s favorite features is the attachments and remarks function in the Sales App. Customers send purchase orders via email, which are then entered into Odoo. By attaching the PO directly to the sales order, reviewers can instantly verify accuracy. Remarks add clarity, avoiding endless back-and-forth emails and ensuring every order is correct before fulfillment.
Eliminating Paper Filing: Previously, employees spent hours daily filing physical documents, from tax forms to customer orders. With Odoo, all backup documentation is stored digitally. “Now you just search for the customer in Odoo and you find all the backup attached. It does away with the filing. That saves at least a couple hours a day,” said Schaeffer.
Remote Access and Business Continuity: The switch from a server-based system to Odoo enabled uninterrupted operations during COVID-19 remote work. This flexibility continues to benefit Leneta, ensuring access anywhere, anytime.
"Odoo has eliminated the need for manual filing, saving us, at least, a couple of hours every day. All the backup documentation is right there in the system, instantly accessible whenever we need it."
What’s Next for Leneta
As a mature company in a highly specialized industry, Leneta’s focus remains on maintaining the highest quality standards for its testing surfaces. Future growth will center on product consistency and global distribution.
On the technology side, Schaeffer is excited about upcoming developments in Odoo. “From my understanding, the next upgrade is to incorporate AI. I think that will make it very interesting and much more user-friendly. We could potentially look at other apps like the Marketing app and see how we can incorporate them into our current structure.”
Leneta’s story shows that modern ERP systems aren’t just for massive corporations, they can be customized and scaled for specialized, family-owned businesses too. By leveraging Odoo’s modular, cloud-based design, Leneta saved hours of manual work, improved accuracy, and ensured resilience in times of disruption.
If your company, whether in coatings, manufacturing, or beyond, faces similar challenges with cumbersome systems or manual processes, explore how Odoo can streamline operations and deliver measurable efficiencies.
