Mulder-Hardenberg B.V.

Mulder-Hardenberg B.V. with Odoo

Customer profile

Mulder-Hardenberg B.V. has been active since 1927 as a specialized supplier and knowledge partner in industrial automation and network infrastructure. From that position, the company supports customers with advice, engineering and the delivery of solutions for technically demanding environments. Its public website shows a clear focus on expertise, long-term relationships and a broad portfolio of products and solution domains. That makes specialized technical knowledge an important part of both its market position and its internal way of working.

A company with that profile needs processes that support sales activity as well as operational follow-up. Customer requests, quotations, purchasing, stock movements and project execution all need to connect in a practical way. When information is spread across separate tools or routines, it becomes harder to maintain consistency between teams. Mulder-Hardenberg therefore needed one shared operating environment that could support its renewed organization with clearer process alignment.

Reason for change

The project started in a period of major change for the company. Mulder-Hardenberg moved from an organization with multiple locations to one Dutch location with a local warehouse. At the same time, production and assembly were no longer part of the internal operation and were outsourced instead. That shift changed the way work had to be coordinated and created a need for new operational simplicity across commercial, logistical and internal support processes.

In that context, the company expressed the wish to have an operational and modern CRM and ERP system available within a short time frame. The agreed direction was to implement Odoo largely in its standard form, while adapting some internal processes to fit standard Odoo workflows. This made it possible to prioritize speed, usability and clarity over an implementation dominated by custom development. It was a decision centered on manageable implementation choices and a practical start.

Challenge

The challenge was not simply to install software, but to reconnect business processes after the organization itself had been restructured. Commercial follow-up, order processing, purchasing, warehouse activities and project work all needed to work together again in a coherent flow. The solution also had to be usable by key users who would receive training and then continue working independently with the setup. That required a practical standard approach with clear steps, clear ownership and limited complexity.

A second challenge was the range of operational scenarios that had to be supported in a structured way. These included goods receipts, customer deliveries, internal transfers, dropshipping, inventory counts and the use of serial or lot numbers. For assembled products, bills of materials, manufacturing orders and work orders also came into scope. The implementation therefore had to cover several connected process areas while still remaining understandable as a workable foundation for growth rather than an overengineered system.

Odoo solution

Odoo was implemented as the central platform for Mulder-Hardenberg’s main commercial and operational processes. The project was deliberately based on standard Odoo functionality so that the company could start with a coherent setup and avoid unnecessary delays. Odoo Experts supported the translation of business needs into the application, while key users were trained to manage and continue configuring the environment themselves. This created a solution shaped by the principle of standard where possible rather than complexity for its own sake.

That approach matched the need to combine speed and structure. Within Odoo, the sales flow was organized from lead and prospect to quotation and sales order, after which fulfillment could continue through the warehouse or via a project. Purchasing, inventory handling and manufacturing were also set up in a clear standard framework so that related process steps could be followed in one place. The result was a connected process chain inside Odoo instead of isolated tools and disconnected routines.

Apps and processes

Sales, Invoicing, CRM, Purchase and Inventory form the core of the implemented process landscape. CRM supports lead, prospect and quotation management, while Sales handles the move from agreement to sales order. Purchase connects with that flow through manual requests or replenishment based on product rules, and Inventory supports receipts, deliveries, internal transfers, dropshipping and stock counts. Together, these apps provide commercial and logistical alignment with clearer handovers between sales, warehouse and purchasing activities.

Manufacturing and Project also play an important role in the setup. For assembled products, bills of materials and routings can be defined, followed by manufacturing orders and work orders with support for serial or lot traceability. Project helps create projects automatically from sales orders or manually when needed, and allows work to be followed through project stages. The broader database also contains apps such as Documents, Quality, Repairs, Employees and Calendar, but this reference mainly focuses on the core path from quotation to execution .

Result

The main result of the project is a modern operational foundation that supports Mulder-Hardenberg B.V. in its renewed organizational setup. CRM, sales, purchasing, inventory, manufacturing and project-related work now sit within one environment, making information less fragmented and process transitions more visible. Training key users also helps the company not only use Odoo, but continue building on the setup internally. This delivers a solid operational base for day-to-day work across connected teams and process areas.

It is also important to distinguish between realized outcomes and expected improvements. What is clear is that the company chose a standard-oriented implementation to support its key processes and match its new operating model. The expected value lies in better overview, more consistent ways of working and stronger links between commercial and operational activities. Any later optimizations should be checked before publication. As it stands, this reference shows how Odoo became a new foundation after change for the organization.