Custom SOLIDWORKS Odoo Integration vs an Add-in: What It Really Costs

A custom SOLIDWORKS to Odoo integration usually costs far more than its build quote, because the real cost is keeping it working. For most engineering teams, a maintained add-in such as PDMPublisher ERP Sync costs less in the first year than a custom build, and much less over three years, while doing more on day one.

This is a question we hear on almost every call. A team wants SOLIDWORKS BOMs in Odoo, an Odoo partner or a developer offers to build it, and the quote looks reasonable. Here is what that quote usually leaves out, and an example you can redo with your own numbers.

What a custom integration has to do

Sending a list of part numbers to Odoo is the easy part. A connection your team can rely on also has to:

• Read assemblies, sub assemblies, configurations and quantities correctly, including suppressed and virtual components.
• Handle weldment and sheet metal cut lists.
• Create products that do not exist yet, without creating duplicates.
• Map custom and configuration properties to Odoo fields, and let someone change the mapping without a developer.
• Show what will change before writing, so a wrong push does not damage live ERP data.
• Avoid overwriting values that purchasing entered in Odoo.
• Keep working after every SOLIDWORKS release and every Odoo upgrade.

Each of these is a few days of work. Together they are a real software project.

The costs that are easy to miss

• Maintenance: SOLIDWORKS ships a new version every year and Odoo changes its API and data model between versions.
• Knowledge risk: the integration often depends on one developer or one partner.
• Testing: someone has to test every change against real assemblies before production.
• Scope creep: once BOMs flow, people ask for thumbnails, STEP files, another ERP or a second plant.

An example over three years

Treat this as an example and replace the numbers with your own quotes. Assume a developer at US$120 per hour, 120 hours to build and test the connector, and 20 hours per year to keep it working. Compare that with three engineers on PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS at the team price of US$349 per seat per year.

Even if your custom quote is half of this, the add-in still costs less, and it includes publishing to PDF, DXF and STEP, BOM Manager, Smart Pack and Go and Property Doctor on top of ERP Sync.

When a custom build makes sense

There are good reasons to build: a very unusual ERP data model, logic that no product will ever cover, or a team that already maintains SOLIDWORKS API code. If that is you, a custom connector on top of PDMPublisher is often the middle ground. ERP Sync does the SOLIDWORKS side, and we build only the part that is unique to you.

How to decide

1. List the fields and BOM rules you need in Odoo.
2. Try them in the free Community Edition on a small assembly, using our step by step Odoo setup guide.
3. Get a custom quote that includes three years of maintenance, not only the build.
4. Compare the totals, and the time until your team gets value.

Frequently asked questions

Is PDMPublisher a one time purchase?

The standard license is a yearly subscription per seat. A perpetual option is also available on the product page.

Can you build a custom connector for us?

Yes. If your ERP is not covered by the Odoo, ERPNext or Business Central connectors, we can build one on top of ERP Sync.

See what syncs, pricing and the full comparison on our SOLIDWORKS Odoo integration page.