Location/Region: Bogotá, COL
Industry: Geosynthetics engineering services
Apps implemented: Sales, CRM, Inventory, Purchase, Accounting, Email Marketing, Contacts, Project, and Maintenance.
Software
Replaced: Microsoft Office
Size of the company: <50
Hosting type: Odoo.sh
In an industry where precision, traceability, and operational control are critical, Geopolímeros SAS found in Odoo a platform capable of supporting its growth without losing visibility or efficiency. From engineering to invoicing, the Colombian company consolidated its operations into a single system, connecting areas that previously operated in isolation.
Geopolímeros SAS is an engineering company based in Bogotá, Colombia, primarily dedicated to the supply, importation, and installation of geosynthetics. With a team of approximately 55 people, the company operates across multiple sectors, including Agribusiness, Environment, Mining & Oil, Construction, and Road Infrastructure.
Geosynthetics are materials manufactured from industrial polymers that replace traditional inputs of natural origin. Instead of clay, stone, or other extracted resources, Geopolímeros uses solutions such as geomembranes for waterproofing or geodrains for drainage. This approach not only improves the technical efficiency of projects but also reduces environmental impact, aligning engineering practices with more sustainable standards.
However, the company does more than supply materials; it also actively participates in their installation and in the technical monitoring of projects, which requires rigorous management of inventory, costs, and on-site execution.
From a Specialized Operation to a Robust Portfolio
The history of Geopolímeros began in 2006 as a response to a specific need in the Colombian market. With the arrival of large international oil and mining companies, the lack of specialized local suppliers of geosynthetics became evident. Having previously worked with these materials as engineers, the founders identified a clear opportunity: to become importers and specialists in a niche that was still underdeveloped in the country.
What began as a small operation focused solely on geomembranes grew alongside international oil and mining companies. Over time, Geopolímeros expanded into other sectors and diversified its portfolio. Today, the company offers around 50 different geosynthetic materials, adapted to multiple types of projects.
"Today, in the geosynthetics sector, we are competing for first place in Colombia with very important companies in the industry."
Before Odoo: Managing Fragmented Operations
Before implementing Odoo, Geopolímeros’ operations were supported by multiple disconnected tools. As an engineering company, the team used Excel for project control and technical calculations, Word and Office for accounting processes, and various invoicing software solutions that changed over time due to limitations in support and scope.
Some key areas (such as invoicing, accounts receivable, and payroll) were partially connected, but most processes were managed manually. Information was scattered, leading to inefficiencies, duplicated efforts, and a heavy reliance on local files and email communication.
In addition, the company faced issues with data loss, consuming time and undermining data reliability. The result was an “atomized” operation, with little integrated control and limited traceability across departments.
In 2022, Marco Rodríguez decided to look for a definitive solution. He researched market options, conducted online searches, and held conversations with different vendors. Among the alternatives evaluated was SAP Business One, which at the time was positioned as a solution for companies of their size.
However, functional scope, cost, and implementation complexity led Geopolímeros to continue exploring. During this research, Marco discovered Odoo. At that time, there were no local partners in Colombia, so the initial contact was made directly with Odoo’s team in the United States, including a conversation with a user in Los Angeles who shared real-world experience with the ERP.
"What we had was a patchwork quilt: each department worked with different tools, and nothing was truly connected.”
How Odoo Unified the Entire Business Operation
More than a simple technology implementation, Odoo represented a structural change in how Geopolímeros manages its business. From the initial analysis, the company identified that the modular approach, where all applications are connected to a single database, aligned perfectly with its operations.
Geopolímeros needed to manage imports, inventory, partial production, dispatch, invoicing, installation projects, purchasing, accounting, payroll, banking, sales, marketing, and equipment maintenance. Odoo allowed each of these stages to automatically impact the others, without reprocessing or data duplication.
The implementation began in 2022 and took approximately four months. The first step focused on the commercial area: loading inventory, customers, price lists, quotations, sales, and CRM. At the same time, accounting configuration was carried out. Months later, invoicing was activated, integrating opening balances from the previous system to maintain complete financial information.
Today, Geopolímeros uses close to 70% of Odoo’s native applications, including Sales, CRM, Inventory, Purchase, Accounting, Email Marketing, Contacts, Project, and Maintenance.
One of the most valued aspects is real-time visibility. The company can access its up-to-date P&L from any device, with minimal delays related only to documents not yet received from third parties.
Fully Integrated Inventory, Sales, and Purchasing:
In day-to-day commercial operations, Odoo has become a key decision-making tool. When creating a quotation, the system visually shows whether sufficient inventory is available for each product, using green or red indicators. If a confirmed quotation requires materials that are not available, Odoo automatically triggers alerts for the purchasing team.
In addition, Geopolímeros configured minimum and maximum inventory rules, allowing the system to generate draft purchase orders when stock falls below certain thresholds. This prevents stockouts and enables demand anticipation based on real sales statistics.
Once the material is delivered, Odoo automatically marks the product as pending invoicing. The finance team receives the alert, issues the invoice, and generates the accounts receivable entry, maintaining full process traceability.
Marketing and CRM with Measurable Impact:
From the marketing side, the Email Marketing module is one of the most valued tools. Creating contact lists, remarketing campaigns, and tracking metrics such as open rates can be done in just minutes.
According to Yeison Guzmán, Marketing Coordinator, tasks that previously took three to four hours are now completed in 20 minutes, representing a 60% to 70% efficiency improvement, even compared to platforms specialized solely in email marketing.
The CRM allows leads generated by marketing to integrate directly with sales, eliminating rework and centralizing all customer information in one place.
Quotations Processed Faster: Hours to Minutes Using Odoo
Before Odoo, quotations were created manually in Word, copying information, pasting graphics, and storing files in local folders. Tracking those offers was complex and depended heavily on team memory.
Today, Geopolímeros works with quotation templates within Odoo, differentiated by service type (supply or installation). Products already include technical specifications, units of measure, and attached technical datasheets.
Traceability, Tasks, and Collaborative Work:
Features such as task assignment, shared calendars, and automatic notifications replaced long email chains and unnecessary meetings. Every task is documented, with clear owners and deadlines, key to a company certified under ISO 9001.
Odoo makes it possible to reflect quality processes step by step: commercial approval, logistics, quality review, and dispatch, all within the system. This not only facilitates certification compliance but also helps identify improvement opportunities in real time.
"A quotation that used to take us an entire morning can now be ready in ten minutes."
Next Steps for Geopolímeros SAS Using Odoo
Geopolímeros is in a phase of sustained growth, and Odoo has supported that process without falling short. The company is currently operating on Odoo 15 and plans to migrate to Odoo 19 to take advantage of the availability of localized electronic invoicing and payroll modules in Colombia.
The company uses Odoo.sh due to local developments required for regulatory compliance, while the rest of the system remains fully native. So far, Odoo has operated effectively without customizations, although future versions may include specific adaptations for Geopolímeros’ proprietary processes.
- Operationally, the company will continue expanding its product portfolio, strengthening its presence across sectors, and improving internal management through greater automation and traceability.
- The impact of Odoo is also reflected in commercial growth: improved customer follow-up, fewer missed opportunities, efficient reassignment of offers when sales teams change, and higher close rates thanks to structured processes.
The experience of Geopolímeros demonstrates that even complex engineering operations can benefit from an integrated, modular, and scalable platform. Centralizing processes, improving traceability, and making data-driven decisions in real time is possible with Odoo. If your company faces similar challenges, Odoo can be the partner that transforms your operation. Contact Odoo and discover how a single platform can connect every area of your business.
