3-Month Fully Remote ERP Implementation of Odoo System for an E-Commerce Retailer

Overview

Within only three months, Novobi implemented an integrated Odoo ERP system for Almond Cow, the retailer famous worldwide for their nut-based milk-making machines. To support their growing international business, the Novobi team focused on a quick and fully remote Odoo implementation that included a comprehensive retail solution. Ultimately, the new Odoo system increased accounting data accuracy, decreased order processing time, and streamlined Almond Cow’s operations.

The Client

INDUSTRY:

E-Commerce, Dairy Alternative Products

LOCATION:

Atlanta, Georgia

Almond Cow 

almondcow.co


Dubbed “The Plant-Based Milk Maker,” Almond Cow manufactures and sells machines, accessories, and ingredients for making nut-based milk in the comfort of your own home.

Almond Cow works to provide everyone with a convenient and sustainable way to make homemade plant-based milk through their extensive e-commerce efforts. The company proudly services the US and an international market that spans Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Challenge #1

Current system cannot support new business initiatives without costly, time-consuming, and complicated development

Solution

Inflexible and monolithic

Challenge #2

“Requires a system that allows sales representatives to quickly generate BoMs, verify component availability, and generate quotations with increased speed and efficiency”

Solution

Create a custom job report to automatically generate the total cost of an ETO project that updates costs and inventory in real time with design changes.

Challenge #3

Requires a system that eliminates manual effort when sending purchase orders while ensuring order data accuracy

Solution

Create a custom job report to automatically generate the total cost of an ETO project that updates costs and inventory in real time with design changes.

Challenge #4

Requires a system that produces real-time financial accuracy by posting journal entries in real-time as transactions or stock moves occur

Solution

Create a custom job report to automatically generate the total cost of an ETO project that updates costs and inventory in real time with design changes.

The Client’s Challenge

Almond Cow came to Novobi wanting to transition to a single comprehensive ERP system. They were using multiple software, specifically, a combination of Shopify, Tradegecko, and ShipStation. To ensure that Novobi provided a world-class solution to match the scale of Almond Cow’s business, Novobi addressed several business and technical challenges ranging from limited accounting capabilities and data access to an overall lack of operational integration.

Business Challenges

On the business side of things, Almond Cow had specific requirements that the Novobi team had to meet. The solution developed had to overcome the following challenges:

Aggressive Project Timeline

Three Months for System to Go Live

Typically, three months is not enough time for an ERP implementation with requirements similar to Almond Cow’s, but the company needed the system in place for the holidays. Novobi worked on a very tight schedule as the retailer requested the system to be ready in time for Almond Cow’s busiest and biggest revenue-generating seasons.

Limited Accounting Capabilities

Multi-Software Accounting Management

Almond Cow used three main software for managing their operations: Quickbooks, Tradegecko, and Google Sheets. The lack of a single source of truth for data led to overall operational inefficiency. There is a need to map data across platforms to improve the company’s accounting capabilities.

Lack of Operational Integration

No Traceability and Forecasting

In Almond Cow’s current system, subcontract production is managed separately from purchasing and receipt operations. Because of this lack of integration, the processes are not as seamless as they should be. Specifically, the company encounters problems in traceability as well as forecasting orders. Almond Cow needed a way to ensure reliability for both.

Time-Consuming Sales Order Processing

Processing of Sales Orders Takes Too Long

Sales orders are processed on a platform separate from purchasing and fulfillment. This lack of system unification results in the Almond Cow team struggling with order processing time, especially for international orders. Sales order processing takes too long, and Almond Cow needed a solution to prevent wasted time and effort on the team’s end.

System Challenges

The multi-software system Almond Cow currently had in place could not match the needs of their growing international business. This pushed the company to seek a suitable solution that can overcome the following challenges:

Fragmented System

No System Integration

There is no singular system in place for Almond Cow. The company utilizes multiple software to manage different aspects of their operations, creating inefficiencies in different aspects of their processes. Almond Cow needs a scalable all-in-one system that can support their business sufficiently.

Limited Data Access

No Real-Time Data Access

Almond Cow’s current system has limited data access. As a result, the company cannot get valuable data in real-time. Having a system that provides live data access will provide improved traceability and provide accurate reporting, allowing the company to be more effective in their decision making.

Novobi’s Solution

Utilizing Odoo’s framework as the central system to manage sales, purchasing, manufacturing, and delivery processes, Novobi built a unified solution that integrates the e-commerce platform to enhance sales and fulfillment capabilities and handles all of Almond Cow’s international orders. The Novobi team also upgraded Almond Cow’s accounting features to meet standard GAAP requirements and US accounting needs.

Novobi Enhancements

Novobi leveraged the Odoo open-source platform to build the following Novobi products tailored to meet Almond Cow’s needs:

Novobi Accounting

Our accounting module is a full-stack finance solution that fully complies with US accounting standards. The all-in-one Odoo accounting module integrates all the functions Almond Cow needs for accounting.

Novobi Retail Solution

This module provides Almond Cow with the support required for their Odoo retail management needs. Our solution synchronizes Shopify orders and ensures they are tracked and fulfilled by Almond Cow.

Novobi ShipStation Connector

Our Odoo ShipStation connector provides the full integration that Almond Cow needs for their expanding business. This ensures that sales orders are completely fulfilled and delivered to customers, making the overall workflow extremely efficient.

Odoo Apps

Our solution for Almond Cow includes the following Odoo modules:

Sales
Accounting
Purchase
Inventory
Manufacturing

“Having a trusted real-time source of truth has been key to improving operational efficiency.”

Brett Goodson
President / Almond Cow

The Novobi Approach

Novobi follows a strict implementation schedule following CMMI and Scrum frameworks with weekly sprints, ensuring that clients can expect demos and workable solutions weekly or biweekly. Novobi also follows best practices in configuration and customization to ensure the system functions correctly. This approach makes it easier and more cost-effective to upgrade in the future.

Discovery

Planning

Implementation

Launch

Training

Support

Discovery

Novobi conducted a standard discovery approach and discovered that Almond Cow required a comprehensive solution that enhances their sales and fulfillment capabilities, streamlines accounting data, and provides real-time data access. The company also needed key integrations with external services they utilized.

Planning

Having identified the need for Almond Cow to move to an all-in-one system that could sufficiently support their growing business, Novobi carefully planned for the remote implementation, designed essential workflows and data flows, then presented a detailed estimate and timeline for the project that took into consideration the setup of the project, the tight 3-month schedule, and the timezone difference among the staff involved in the project.

Implementation

Novobi facilitated Almond Cow’s agile, clean, and effective transition into Odoo through an implementation that was executed purely remotely. The project was successfully completed within a single 10-week phase.

Launch

Almond Cow required a system launch in time for the holiday season. After onboarding the team on the 27th of July 2021, Novobi had 3 months to develop and implement Almond Cow’s Odoo system. Remarkably, the system was launched on October 15, 2021, only 3 months after the project started.

Training

Before working with Novobi, Almond Cow’s team did not have prior knowledge of Odoo. To ensure they would be fully equipped to use their new system, Novobi trained Almond Cow SMEs and managers extensively on all related modules and operations to be performed during the implementation phase.

Support

After the system go-live, the Novobi team continued to provide the Almond Cow team with ongoing support. Specifically, Novobi provided production support and improvements to ensure their Odoo system remained optimal.

The Results

Novobi successfully designed, implemented, and tailored Odoo ERP system for Almond Cow in time for the holiday season. The three-month remote ERP implementation provided the company with an all-in-one solution that increased flexibility and reliability required for their growing e-commerce retail business.

LAUNCHED IN TIME FOR HOLIDAY SEASON

With a modular system, implementation focused on the most important features needed to run the business.

ACCURATE REAL-TIME DATA INSIGHTS

Syncing operations and accounting data throughout the entire workflow gives Almond Cow real-time data access for traceability and forecasting.

SHORTER PROCESSING TIME

Consolidations of all the major systems used in the workflow improved efficiency especially when processing Sales and Purchase orders.

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