Flame Spray Technologies BV

Flame Spray Technologies BV

Customer profile

Flame Spray Technologies, or FST, develops and supplies solutions for thermal spray technology. The company combines equipment, materials and integrated systems in a broad portfolio that includes spray guns, auxiliary equipment, spare parts, powders and complete turn-key installations. This positions FST in a highly technical market where product knowledge, repeatable processes and service quality are closely connected in daily operations.

FST’s role goes beyond supplying products alone. Engineering, support and application expertise are also part of the customer relationship, which means commercial activities, production work, service requests and quality assurance often influence each other. For a business that brings together standard products, technical configuration and longer customer trajectories, a shared operational picture is essential to keep teams aligned around the same information, priorities and process expectations.

Reason for change

At FST, several business flows come together at the same time: equipment sales, consumables, purchasing, stock handling, production and assembly, as well as service-related follow-up. As those flows become more interdependent, the need grows for a system that supports collaboration instead of simply storing transactions. The reason to implement Odoo was therefore rooted in improving alignment across departments and reducing fragmented process information across commercial, operational and support teams.

For a technical organization, it is important that commercial commitments, material availability and execution activities follow one another in a logical way. When customer data, product details, documents, planning and work status are spread across multiple places, coordination becomes slower and more error-prone. FST therefore needed an environment in which processes could connect more naturally and in which employees could work from one central process structure for handling, follow-up and day-to-day decision-making.

Challenge

The main challenge was not one isolated workflow, but the combination of activities FST manages. A company that delivers technical products while also handling production, projects and service needs clear handovers between sales, purchasing, inventory and execution. Product knowledge, documentation and quality information also need to remain connected to operational reality. These cross-links between business processes are exactly what make ERP design so important in a technical environment like this one.

There was also a need for flexibility without losing control. Products and components must remain traceable, documents must be available in context, and teams must understand the current status of work. For FST, this meant Odoo had to function as more than an administrative tool. It had to become a platform that connects commercial, operational and support activities in a practical way. That required targeted process choices and custom work where standard setup alone would not fully match the way the business operates.

Odoo solution

With Odoo, the project focused on creating an integrated environment in which FST could better connect customer management, order handling, purchasing, inventory, production and follow-up. Letting information flow through one system creates stronger consistency between what is sold commercially and what must happen operationally. For a technical company with several layers of activity, this supports better information availability and makes handovers between teams less dependent on separate files or informal communication.

The chosen solution fits the nature of FST as a business where product, project and service activities intersect. Odoo supports not only transactional registration, but also the structure around documents, tasks and process follow-up. Where needed, the environment was extended with specific support for daily practice so that the setup would reflect how FST actually works. That turns Odoo into more than a system of record and makes it a workable foundation for coordination and operational steering.

Apps and processes

Several Odoo apps play a role in the solution. Sales and CRM support the commercial pipeline and the translation of requests into concrete orders, while Purchase and Inventory help coordinate availability, replenishment and logistical follow-up. On the execution side, Manufacturing, Project, Planning and Field Service are relevant, supported by Documents and Knowledge to keep information accessible. Together, they create an environment in which commercial and operational workflows no longer need to be managed separately.

Supporting processes are also part of the setup. Quality helps place checks and assurance closer to operations, while Helpdesk, Timesheets, Expenses and Employees contribute to task follow-up and internal collaboration. Invoicing supports the commercial completion of work, and Studio enables targeted adaptations where standard functionality is not enough. In combination, these apps support a broad flow from request to aftercare , which suits the technical and service-oriented character of FST’s business.

Result

The primary result is a stronger basis for operational coherence. By bringing processes together in Odoo, FST gains better control over handovers, status visibility and document availability across departments. That helps teams perform daily work more consistently and reduces dependence on fragmented information sources. A clearly realized effect is therefore more uniform ways of working , especially where several teams contribute to the same customer, production or service-related process.

At the same time, some outcomes are best described as intended improvements that can deepen as usage matures. These include faster transitions between commercial and operational steps, better traceability of information and a stronger platform for future optimization. For FST, Odoo creates an environment in which current processes come together more effectively while leaving room for refinement over time. The value lies not only in digitization, but in a better connected organization with clearer and more manageable process execution.