Step‑by‑Step Guide to Configure Automatic Reordering Rules in Odoo 16 Inventory

Small‑to‑medium businesses often struggle with stockouts or excess inventory because they manually track product levels. Odoo 16 offers a built‑in Reordering Rules engine that can automatically generate purchase orders when stock falls below a defined threshold. This tutorial walks you through enabling the feature, creating a rule, and verifying that Odoo triggers procurement without any manual intervention.

Prerequisites

• An active Odoo 16 instance with the Inventory module installed.
• Sufficient user rights – you need the Inventory / Manager access level.
• At least one product set up with a vendor (supplier) defined.
• Basic understanding of Odoo’s navigation (menu paths, form views).

Enable the Reordering Feature

Before you can create rules, Odoo must be told to activate the automatic procurement engine.

1. Log in to Odoo and go to Inventory > Configuration > Settings.
2. Scroll to the Operations section.
3. Check the box labeled Reordering Rules. This also enables the “Automatic Procurement” option.
4. Click Save at the top left.

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Create a Reordering Rule for a Product

Now that the feature is active, you can define the thresholds that will trigger automatic purchase orders.

1. Navigate to Inventory > Products > Products.
2. Open the product you want to manage (e.g., “Office Chair”).
3. In the product form, click the Reordering Rules smart button (usually located near the top right).
4. Press the Create button to add a new rule.
5. Fill in the fields:
   • Minimum Quantity: the stock level that should trigger a purchase (e.g., 10).
   • Maximum Quantity: the target stock after procurement (e.g., 30).
   • Quantity Multiple: the batch size for each order (e.g., 5).
   • Vendor: select the supplier from the drop‑down list.
   • Location: usually “WH/Stock” – the warehouse where the product is stored.
6. Set the Rule Type to Buy (default) so Odoo creates a purchase order rather than a manufacturing order.
7. Click Save. The rule now appears in the list with a green checkmark indicating it is active.

Optional: Fine‑tune the Procurement Scheduler

Odoo runs the procurement check on a scheduled action named “Run Scheduler”. To adjust its frequency:

1. Go to Settings > Technical > Automation > Scheduled Actions (you may need to enable the developer mode first).
2. Search for “Run Scheduler”.
3. Edit the record and change the Interval Number and Interval Unit** (e.g., every 4 hours).
4. Save the changes.

Test Automatic Procurement

With the rule in place, you can verify that Odoo creates a purchase order when stock drops below the minimum.

1. Return to the product form and click the Inventory smart button to view current on‑hand quantity.
2. Manually adjust the quantity by clicking Update Quantity (or use a stock move) and set the on‑hand amount to a value lower than the Minimum Quantity (e.g., 5).
3. Trigger the scheduler manually: go to Settings > Technical > Automation > Scheduled Actions, locate “Run Scheduler”, and click Run Manually.
4. Navigate to Purchase > Orders > Purchase Orders. You should see a new draft purchase order generated for the vendor you selected, with the quantity calculated as (Maximum – Current Stock) rounded to the nearest multiple.
5. Open the purchase order, review the line items, and click Confirm to complete the procurement cycle.

Monitor and Adjust Reordering Rules

After the initial setup, keep an eye on the rule’s performance:

• Use Inventory > Reporting > Reordering Rules to view all active rules, their next scheduled run, and any generated procurement orders.
• If you notice frequent over‑stocking, increase the Minimum Quantity or adjust the Quantity Multiple.
• For fast‑moving items, consider lowering the interval of the “Run Scheduler” action.

Conclusion

Automatic reordering in Odoo 16 eliminates the guesswork of manual stock management, ensuring you never run out of essential products while keeping inventory costs under control. By enabling the feature, defining clear thresholds, and testing the scheduler, you create a self‑sustaining procurement loop that scales with your business. Remember to review the rules periodically and adjust the scheduler frequency as demand patterns evolve.

Tags:

automatic procurement OdooOdoo 16 stock managementOdoo inventory reordering