If you buy in barrels, blend in litres, and sell in bottles, you aren’t just selling a product—you are managing a 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲.
In Sectors like lubricants, chemicals, and construction materials—inventory isn’t just “items on a shelf.” It is volume, weight, and mass. When your business buys, stores, and sells in different units, and the unit conversion chain is managed manually, it is perfect recipe for losing money.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗨𝗼𝗠) 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗢𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿
#1: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆
You buy raw materials in bulk (e.g. 200L drums). Your procurement team records “50 Drums” in the system. However, the warehouse receives 48 full drums and 2 partially used ones from a previous shipment.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿: Your system says “50,” but your physical reality is “49.2.” You have already lost sight of 160 litres of stock.
#2: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗽
In the plant, your Bill of Materials (BOM) is defined in Litres. A worker has to translate those “Drums” into “Litres” to start the blending process.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿: Over 100 batches the “consumed” stock will not match the actual stock. This creates “phantom inventory”—records that suggest you have stock when your tanks are dry.
#3: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸
You sell your finished product in 1L. Sales staff see the “10,000 Liters” in the system, but they have no visibility into how much of how many “bottles” that actually represents.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿: You over-promise. You sell 1,000 bottles, but your system fails to account for the spillages. You end up with a Stockout Crisis.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝗱𝗼𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗼𝗠 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀
Odoo treats Unit of Measurement as a fundamental data layer and uses a “Reference Unit” logic to automate the math.
#1 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿: You define a category (e.g., “Volume”) and set a reference unit (e.g., “Liter”). Every other unit (Drums, Gallons, Milliliters) is assigned a fixed conversion ratio.
#2 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵: The moment you create a Purchase Order for “10 Drums,” Odoo’s backend automatically adds “2,000 Liters” to your inventory ledger.
#3 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗢𝗠 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: When you trigger a Manufacturing Order, Odoo forces the system to deduct based on the precise recipe in Litres and doesn’t care if the stock arrived in a drum.
#4 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴: When a sales order for “500 bottles” is confirmed, Odoo reserves exactly “500 Liters” from your inventory. The salesperson doesn’t have to worry about barrels or ratios; they see only what is available!
One system. One truth. Zero math errors.
Let’s build smarter systems.