Services
Odoo Multi-Company / Multi-Entity Setup
Multiple legal entities in one Odoo instance is one of the platform’s superpowers and one of its sharpest configuration traps. Done right: shared master data, inter-company automation, consolidated visibility. Done wrong: security leaks between entities, tax chaos and a database no one can untangle.
We run this architecture ourselves across UK and Dutch entities, and we’ve configured it for clients whose group structures demanded precision.
What the work involves
- Entity architecture design. Companies, branches and shared-vs-separate decisions (products, partners, charts of accounts) made deliberately upfront, because reversing them later is surgery.
- Inter-company automation. Cross-entity sales and purchases generating their mirrored documents automatically, with transfer pricing rules your accountants defined.
- Security that actually separates. Record rules and user company scoping tested adversarially, so entity A’s staff genuinely cannot see entity B’s margins.
- Localisation per entity. UK and EU entities each get correct fiscal localisation, VAT setup and reporting formats in one database.
- Consolidated reporting. Group-level views across entities with currency translation, giving directors one truthful picture.
How the implementation runs
- Discovery workshop. We map how orders, stock and money actually move through your business today, including the workarounds nobody mentions in meetings.
- Design and fixed scope. You get a written design with clear in/out boundaries and an effort estimate in hours you can hold us to.
- Staged build with weekly checkpoints. Configuration and any custom work land on a staging environment, reviewed with you as it grows rather than revealed at the end.
- Data migration and rehearsal. Your team runs real workflows on staging with real data until the rehearsal is boring. Boring is the goal.
- Rehearsed go-live. A planned cutover with role-based training and a rollback path. Senior oversight from our UK base throughout, with delivery supported by our India team.
Common questions
One database or separate databases per company?
One database when you want shared operations and consolidated reporting; separate when businesses are truly independent or risk isolation matters. It's an architecture decision we'll argue explicitly with you, not a default.
Can you add a second company to our existing single-company Odoo?
Yes, it's a structured project: master data sharing decisions, security retrofit, accounting setup, then controlled activation.
How does VAT work across our UK and NL entities?
Each entity carries its own fiscal localisation and registrations; inter-company transactions get the correct cross-border treatment. Your tax advisor signs the design before we build it.
Not sure where to start? Book a free discovery call and we’ll map your current setup, or request a free Odoo health check if you’re already running Odoo.