Losing $17.5M to Defects? Implement Quality Checks in Odoo 18 Manufacturing

Electronics manufacturer ships 10,000 units monthly. No quality checks during production. Customer receives batch. 847 units defective (8.47% defect rate). Customer returns entire shipment. Cost: $847K lost revenue + $127K return shipping + $234K replacement production. Next month: Same defects. No way to catch them before shipping. Quality inspector manually checks 5 random units from 10,000 (0.05% sample). Misses 847 defects again. Annual cost: $12.5M in returns + $3.2M replacement + $1.8M lost customers (defect reputation). No systematic quality control = gambling with every shipment.

Odoo 18 Manufacturing Quality Checks fixes this: Define quality control points (inspect after Assembly operation). System auto-triggers quality check when operation completes. Worker can't mark "Done" until quality validated. Check types: Take picture (visual inspection), Measure (dimension validation), Pass/Fail (go/no-go gauge). Control per operation (every assembly), per product (specific SKUs), or per quantity (every 100 units or 10% sample). Defect found = Stop production, don't ship bad units. Here's how to implement manufacturing quality checks so you stop losing $17.5M annually to defect disasters.

What Manufacturing Quality Checks Do

Systematic quality control: Define checkpoints → Operation completes → Quality check auto-triggered → Worker validates → Pass = Continue, Fail = Stop → Prevent defects before shipping.

Step 1: Install Quality Module

1. Go to Apps
2. Search: "Quality"
3. Click Install on Quality module
4. Module integrates with Manufacturing automatically

Step 2: Create Quality Control Point

1. Go to Quality → Quality Control → Control Points
2. Click New
3. Fill basic details:
   • Title: "Assembly Visual Inspection"
   • Company: Select company
   • Quality Team: Assign team (optional)
   • Responsible: Quality inspector

Step 3: Configure Control Type

Three control types available:

Control Per Operation

Quality check triggered every time specific operation runs (regardless of product).

1. In control point, set Control Per: Operation
2. Operation: Select "Manufacture" (or specific operation)
3. Leave Product field empty (applies to all products)
4. Type: Select check type:
   • Take a Picture: Upload photo for visual inspection
   • Measure: Record dimension/weight measurements
   • Pass - Fail: Simple pass/fail inspection
   • Instructions: Follow written instructions
5. Example: Every manufacturing operation requires photo upload

Control Per Product

Quality check for specific product during specific operation.

1. Set Control Per: Operation
2. Operation: Manufacture
3. Product: Select specific product (e.g., "Laptop")
4. Type: Pass - Fail
5. Check only triggered when manufacturing this specific product

Control Per Quantity

Quality check based on quantity produced (full or partial inspection).

1. Set Control Per: Quantity
2. Operation: Manufacture
3. Type: Measure
4. Full Inspection: Check every unit
   • Producing 100 units = 100 quality checks required
5. Partial Inspection: Enable "Partial Test"
   • Producing 100 units, check 10% = 10 quality checks
   • Pass 10 = Approve all 100

Step 4: Add Instructions & Failure Messages

1. Instructions tab:
   • Add step-by-step quality check procedure
   • Example: "Inspect solder joints for cracks. Check alignment of components. Verify no loose screws."
2. Message If Failure tab:
   • Message shown when quality check fails
   • Example: "Unit failed visual inspection. Do not proceed. Report to supervisor."
3. Notes tab: Additional comments/details
4. Save control point

Step 5: Create Manufacturing Order

1. Go to Manufacturing → Operations → Manufacturing Orders
2. Click New
3. Select product with quality control point configured
4. Set quantity (e.g., 10 units)
5. Click Confirm
6. Start production

Step 6: Perform Quality Check

Method 1: Via Manufacturing Order

1. When operation completes, Quality Checks smart button appears
2. Click Quality Checks button
3. Quality check form opens

Method 2: Via Shop Floor

1. Click Shop Floor smart button
2. Quality check appears in workflow
3. Worker cannot proceed until validated

Method 3: Via Quality Module

1. Go to Quality → Quality Control → Quality Checks
2. All pending checks listed
3. Open relevant check

Step 7: Validate Quality Check

Take a Picture Check

1. Quality check form shows: "Take a Picture"
2. Click Upload or use device camera
3. Capture product photo
4. Add notes (optional)
5. Click Validate
6. Quality check smart button turns green = Passed

Measure Check

1. Quality check form shows: "Measure"
2. Enter measurement value (e.g., dimension: 15.2 mm)
3. System checks against tolerance (if configured)
4. Within tolerance = Pass, outside = Fail
5. Click Validate

Pass - Fail Check

1. Quality check form shows: "Pass - Fail"
2. Inspector evaluates product against instructions
3. Add remarks (optional)
4. Click Pass or Fail button
5. If fail: Failure message displays, production blocked

Step 8: Handle Failed Quality Checks

1. When quality check fails:
   • Manufacturing order cannot proceed
   • Failure message displays
   • Quality alert created
2. Actions:
   • Rework: Fix defect, re-run quality check
   • Scrap: Scrap defective unit, continue with remaining
   • Investigate: Root cause analysis, adjust process
3. Quality check must pass before marking manufacturing order done

Advanced: Partial Quantity Testing

1. Create control point with Control Per: Quantity
2. Enable Partial Test
3. Set percentage or specific quantity to test
4. Example:
   • Manufacturing 100 units
   • Partial test: 10 units (10%)
   • System triggers 10 quality checks
   • If 10 pass = All 100 approved
   • If any fail = Investigate, potentially check all 100

Step 9: Track Quality Metrics

1. Go to Quality → Reporting → Quality Checks
2. View metrics:
   • Total checks performed
   • Pass rate (%)
   • Fail rate (%)
   • Quality by product
   • Quality by operation
   • Trends over time
3. Identify problem areas (which products/operations fail most)
4. Continuous improvement based on data

Quality Check Types Comparison

Real-World Impact

FAQs