How the skincare brand Maria Akerberg tripled their production without hiring extra personnel

Company Name: MARIA ÅKERBERG

Location: Sweden

Industry: Retail, Cosmetics

Company Size: 250+

Odoo Users: <30

Hosting type: On-Premise

Apps: POS, Accounting, Sales, Project, Manufacturing, Inventory, Barcode, eCommerce, Website, Recruitment, Purchase, Email Marketing, Employees, Time-off

Implementation Partner: Linserv

MARIA ÅKERBERG is a skincare brand with a mission to redefine sustainability in the beauty industry, located in the coastal town of Frillesås, Sweden. Established in 1995, the business embarked on a journey to promote organic and natural products long before they became a consumer priority. Today, MARIA ÅKERBERG has become Scandinavia's leading professional skincare company. 

Prior to Odoo, the company was facing significant hurdles due to its initial reliance on a standardized system that made it impossible to adapt to its growth. They needed a versatile solution that would adapt to its evolving needs and seamlessly integrate each aspect of the business. 

For MARIA ÅKERBERG, everything is interconnected. As a production-oriented company, procuring the right ingredients at the right time and maintaining meticulous traceability is paramount.  Odoo entered the scene in 2010 as the catalyst of the company’s transformation.  At first, the main focus was on product traceability and management, precise accounting, and inventory control.  

Fast-forward to today, and MARIA ÅKERBERG is now using Odoo for all of its activities:  

• Inventory Management: With Odoo, the company achieved optimal traceability of raw materials. It became easier to track batch numbers, set expiration dates, and ensure the correct usage of ingredients in their production process.
• Manufacturing Orders: Odoo facilitated planning and executing production orders, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring quality control. The Material Planning System (MPS) feature was vital for MARIA ÅKERBERG to ensure raw materials were used in the right order to create the products, therefore achieving a flawless production.
• Sales, Point of Sale, and E-commerce: Whether through their website, phone orders, or in-store purchases, all sales orders are seamlessly managed by Odoo, simplifying order handling and customer service.
• Warehouse Management: MARIA ÅKERBERG optimized their warehouse operations with Odoo's two-step picking process. Zebra hand scanners equipped with Odoo apps streamlined product picking, packing, and shipping. 

From raw materials sourcing to in-store sales, Odoo has become the cornerstone of MARIA ÅKERBERG’s flourishing business.

The journey from Odoo 8 to Odoo 15

13 years ago, MARIA ÅKERBERG initially adopted Odoo 8 in its community version. Instead of pursuing annual upgrades, the company chose to develop missing features internally. Looking back, this strategy had its drawbacks. 

Last year, the company made the decisive move to upgrade to Odoo 15, this time in Enterprise, with the help of partner Linserv. Linserv's approach was marked by a clear vision. They leveraged Odoo's core features and optimized processes for maximum efficiency, ensuring that each development added significant value to the business. This transition helped MARIA ÅKERBERG to fully exploit Odoo’s value and solve previous technical and process complications.

How Odoo Helped Overcome Initial Challenges

Implementation Partner: