Proactively Protect ETO Profit Margin
A Proven Plan for Implementing an ETO Operations Backbone
Engineer-to-order manufacturers lose margin during execution, not in the bid. Novobi’s ETO Blueprint unifies engineering, operations, procurement, and finance in a single source of truth built on Odoo.
The Novobi ETO Blueprint is the only Odoo-based implementation methodology specifically designed for engineer-to-order manufacturers.
While others sell you software and customization hours, we deliver a proven operational control system built for ETO reality: change only stops when the job is complete.
Get your ETO Operations Diagnostic
A 45-minute scored read across five domains that shows where your operation runs smoothly and where it’s carrying execution risk.
10 Questions. 5 Domains. 1 page. Yours to keep.
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THE ETO OPERATIONS PROBLEM
ETO Job Changes Create Margin Risks. Most ERPs Can’t Handle This.
ETO manufacturers win on engineering capability. But profitability erodes during execution through five structural gaps that generic ERP systems were never designed to bridge.
01
Margin Blindness
You only discover a margin gap after the job ships when there’s nothing left to recover.
“We bid 22% margin and delivered 9%, and I can’t explain to the CEO where it went.”
02
Handoff Chaos
Sales quotes assumptions Engineering never sees. Engineering designs to specs Operations misses. Procurement learns about long-lead items after commitments are already made.
“Engineering says the BOM is ready. Production says it’s incomplete. Procurement was never told.”
03
Estimating in the Dark
Your senior estimators carry decades of pattern recognition in their heads, not in systems. When they retire, that knowledge walks out.
“If Tom retires, we lose 20 years of estimating knowledge.”
04
BOM Chaos
Engineering works from Rev D. Production prints from last week’s release. Purchasing orders parts from an email attachment. Same job, multiple versions.
“Buyers ordered $15K in parts for a superseded design. We found out at final assembly.”
05
Procurement Scramble
Long-lead components are identified after schedules are committed. Premium freight becomes a line item, not an exception.
“We’re always behind on materials. Always expediting. Always paying 3x for freight.”
These aren’t software gaps. They’re structural execution breakdowns that require integrated processes rather than disconnected modules. The ETO Blueprint addresses all five.
“We needed a single-source-of-truth ERP system that could consolidate efforts across organizations while remaining FDA-compliant. Odoo provided the perfect framework, and Novobi was the perfect partner to create exactly that system.”
Mark Ritchie
Director of Finance & Operations
“After a lot of research, we decided Odoo would be our platform solution. More research led us to our Odoo Gold Partner, Novobi. Novobi was able to take my requests and dreams and put them into usable systems and processes that streamlined each of our departments.”
Chad Schnitz
Vice President
THE NOVOBI ETO BLUEPRINT
A Proven Implementation Built for ETO Reality
Most ERP systems treat these as separate functional areas:
Finance owns costing. Engineering owns BOMs. Operations owns production. Procurement owns purchasing.
But in ETO manufacturing, these functions are interdependent at the job level. A BOM change isn’t just an engineering event; it’s a procurement event, a production event, a cost event, and potentially a customer commercial event.
The Novobi ETO Blueprint eliminates these gaps by creating an integrated operational backbone where engineering, operations, procurement, and finance work from a single source of truth.
Real-Time Margin Visibility
Every cost — labor, materials, subcontracting, overhead — flows into a single job record in real time, not weeks after delivery. Know profitability while you can still protect it.
Coordinated Cross-Functional Execution
Engineering, operations, procurement, and finance work from a single source of truth. BOM changes automatically propagate. Handoffs are structured. Blame-shifting becomes unnecessary.
Scalable, Data-Driven Estimating
Quote profitably using systems that learn from every completed job. Historical actuals replace tribal knowledge. Junior estimators become productive in weeks, not years.
Ironclad Revision Control
Engineering Change Orders formalize every BOM modification. One approved revision exists. The shop floor cannot access superseded designs. Procurement adjusts in real time.
Engineering-Aware Procurement
BOM release automatically generates purchase requirements linked to specific projects. Long-lead items are flagged immediately. Procurement works from project schedules, not reactive scrambling.
Project-Based Execution
Every customer order behaves like its own mini-business. Project creation is triggered automatically by confirmed sales orders. Engineering, production, and finance milestones are in one place.
A 45-minute scored read across five domains — margin, handoffs, estimating, BOM control, and procurement — showing where your operation runs clean and where it’s carrying execution risk. 10 questions. 5 Domains. 1 page. Yours to keep.
THE PROCESS
From Firefighting to Structured Execution in a Defined Path
Novobi’s phased approach de-risks implementation before a single line of configuration is written. Every phase has defined scope, exit criteria, and outcomes.
Trusted by Companies Like Yours Since 2014
WHY NOVOBI
We Don’t Implement Odoo. We Implement ETO Operations.
Other partners call it manufacturing. We call it what it is: engineer-to-order (with all the complexity that entails).
Proven Structure
Documented Blueprint, Not Learning on Your Dime
Pre-defined ETO workflows, BOM governance, procurement models, and phase exit criteria; built from real ETO implementations, not assembled during your project.
De-Risked Start
Phase 0 Eliminates the Most Costly ERP Mistakes
No configuration starts until Phase 0 A&D is complete. This single standard eliminates the majority of ETO implementation risks — scope misalignment, BOM data surprises, and integration underestimation.
ETO-Native
Engineering-Centric Design, Not a Bolted-On Afterthought
BOM evolution, engineering change control, and post-order design completion are core capabilities, not workarounds. Designed from inside an ETO job, not from a standard module list.
Financial Clarity
Margin Visibility at 20% Completion, Not 100%
Real-time job costing without Finance overhead. Labor, materials, subcontracting, and vendor bills all flow into a single cost object during execution, not after delivery.
Scalable Knowledge
Estimating That Learns from Every Completed Job
Closed-loop estimating builds a database of historical actuals. Quoted costs compared to actual performance. Knowledge lives in the system, not a person.
Cost Certainty
Fixed Scope, Not Unlimited Hours
Pre-defined frameworks significantly reduce overrun risk. ERP projects typically have a 50–75% chance of failing to meet objectives. Our blueprint gives you a defined path, not a time-and-materials gamble.
FAQS
Common Questions from ETO Leaders
- We’ve tried ERP before, and it failed. What makes this different?
Most ERP failures in ETO stem from starting configuration before requirements are fully understood, and using generic ERP workflows for a business model that requires engineering-first design. Phase 0 Architect & Design directly addresses both; no build starts until scope, data quality, and workflow design are validated. Every implementation completed in the last three years has gone live successfully. - Our engineering process is complex. Can this handle in-flight BOM changes?
Yes. This is core to the blueprint, not an edge case. Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) are a first-class capability. BOMs are versioned and revision-controlled. Changes propagate automatically to affected manufacturing orders and purchase orders. - We have SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and a PDM system. Will those integrate?
Integration with CAD and PDM systems (SolidWorks, AutoCAD, SolidWorks PDM/EPDM) is a defined consideration item in Phase 0. The master system decision (PDM vs. Odoo for part numbers and revisions) is designed before configuration begins. - How is this different from implementing Odoo ourselves or with a generic partner?
A generic Odoo implementation starts from modules and figures out ETO along the way; you pay for that learning curve. Novobi’s ETO Blueprint starts from ETO operational reality: the five structural pressure points, engineering change control requirements, the job-cost traceability model, and the phased delivery structure. - What size companies is this designed for?
Mid-market ETO manufacturers with $15M–$150M in revenue and 30–300 employees. These companies have enough operational complexity to benefit from the blueprint: engineering-driven projects, cross-functional coordination challenges, and margin management needs.
Get your ETO Operations Diagnostic
We’ll conduct a 45-minute diagnostic of your current operations against the five structural challenges. The diagnostic provides context for your structural challenges and a basis for communicating them to the owner, CFO, or your leadership team.
10 questions. 1 page, yours to keep.
