Driving Operational Excellence for Express Sign Products with Odoo ERP
Transforming Operations for Express Sign Products with ERP Implementation
Streamlined end-to-end workflows by connecting inventory, production, and order management.
Reduced manual processes and improved visibility across departments.
Enabled scalable growth with a fully integrated ERP-driven system.
About Express Sign Products
In 1993, founded by Lance Giesbrecht, Express Sign Products was a company that sold hard-to-find materials to sign shops in Western Canada. Over the past 27 years, the company has had significant growth, including making its mark within the printing services industry and expanding to eastern Canada. What started as a single-person operation has grown to harbor employees in the double digits, and the company now carries a wide range of digital print media, inks, cut vinyl, banner, reflective sheeting, tapes, sign frame materials, and equipment to Canadian sign and print shops. Additionally, Express Sign Products offers trade of signage materials to Canada, the USA, and Mexico.
Overview
Dealing with multiple islands of information can be confusing, exhausting, and, oftentimes, can result in a whirlwind of inaccuracies for many companies. That is exactly what was happening with Express Sign Products, who were using multiple systems to manage its business. Unfortunately, that led their team to believe that they were too understaffed to handle the workload coming in. Additionally, with the insane influx of information, pulling correct data in order to optimize their workflows was proving to be a difficult feat.
Enter the Bista Solutions team – an Odoo Gold Partner and a 7x Odoo Best Partner winner. Not only was Bista able to help Express Sign Products with their endeavor, but their efforts also amounted to a reduction in inaccuracies, quick reporting metrics, and optimal business processes. While the project had many scopes, all of them were met, and the client is beyond pleased with the results of the implementation.
Key Challenges & Requirements
Before Bista Solutions’ involvement, the Express Sign Products’ team was facing multiple challenges as a result of the systems they were using. While All Orders, Prestashop, Amazon, Shopify, QuickBooks, and Creation CRM are all fine software that meet their purpose, using them all in order to manage business processes was a tall order.
Especially since, in spite of using all those systems, the Express Sign team was still faced with traceability issues, management report inaccuracies, as well as duplicate entries. Ultimately, the Express Sign team wanted to resolve their aforementioned issues with one solution application, and their main requirement was simple: integrating 3rd party applications and bringing all their departments under one application. With a rough deadline in mind, both the Express Sign Products and Bista Solutions teams laid out the project scope and went to work.
Odoo ERP Implementation for Express Sign Products
Project Timeline & Kickoff
- Project initiated in January 2022 after initial consultation
- Led by ERP experts, including Eduardo Vieira (Client IT Manager) and the Bista implementation team
- Transitioned from discovery to go-live in ~7 months
- Fully executed through virtual collaboration (no on-site visits required)
Structured Implementation Approach
- Conducted detailed discovery sessions to understand business workflows
- Maintained weekly and daily meetings for alignment and progress tracking
- Ensured clear communication between business and technical teams
- Delivered a fully implemented ERP system aligned with real operations
Key Implementation Challenges
- Consolidating multiple disconnected systems into a single ERP platform
Managing:- Data synchronization across systems
- Data validation and accuracy
- Real-time data flow between departments
- Adapting to new processes and system-driven workflows
- Overcoming resistance to change from existing business practices
Customization & Flexibility with Odoo ERP
- Leveraged Odoo’s open-source flexibility to match business needs
- Implemented custom features such as:
- Warehouse-level stock validation
- Stock reservation at the sales order line level
- Delivery merging and splitting workflows
- Balanced standard ERP functionality with required customizations
System Integrations
Successfully integrated multiple business-critical platforms:
- Amazon Marketplace (via connector)
- PrestaShop eCommerce integration
- Authorize.net payment gateway
- ShipStation for shipping automation
Ensured seamless data flow across sales, inventory, and fulfillment systems
Overcoming Technical Challenges
- Addressed integration complexities with Amazon and PrestaShop
- Ensured stable and reliable system performance
- Maintained data integrity across all connected platforms
- Delivered a fully functional, unified ERP ecosystem
Training & User Adoption
- Provided comprehensive user training sessions
- Ensured teams could:
- Navigate the system confidently
- Execute daily operations efficiently
- Focused on smooth transition and long-term adoption
Conclusion
Streamlined Operations, Accurate Reporting, and Higher Productivity with Odoo
Within three months of implementation, Express Sign Products significantly reduced manual effort, cutting report generation time from hours to minutes with accurate, real-time data.
By replacing disconnected systems with a unified ERP platform, the team eliminated data inconsistencies and improved overall visibility across operations.
Despite earlier challenges of being “under-staffed,” the team now handles increased workload efficiently without adding resources, thanks to automation and streamlined workflows.
With ongoing support and continuous improvements, the solution continues to evolve—delivering long-term value and high client satisfaction.
Client Appreciation
“The entire team went above and beyond to make sure we didn’t have any downtime. They made their team available even through the night. We would love to work with the team again. The way they resolved issues and replied to our questions in a timely manner was a sign that they have a good knowledge of the system the where implementing.”