Odoo Warehouse Optimization: Creating Movable Bin Locations Explained

Efficient warehouse management isn’t just about having enough stock it’s about knowing exactly where your products are stored and how quickly you can access them in your Odoo warehouse. This is where movable bins come into play. In Odoo, movable bins represent internal storage locations like containers, making it easy to track products within your warehouse.

In this blog, we’ll explore what movable bins are, where they can be used, and how to create them in Odoo to boost Odoo warehouse efficiency.

What Are Movable Bins?

A movable bin in Odoo is a sub-location within your Odoo warehouse used for organizing products. Think of a warehouse as a large room filled with different shelves and racks.

CSS
Warehouse (WH)
   └── Stock
        ├── Shelf-A
        │     ├── Rack-1 — BIN-01
        │     └── Rack-02 — BIN-02
        └── Shelf-B
              ├── Rack-1 – BIN-03
              └── Rack-2 – BIN-04

By creating these bins, you can organize stock in your Odoo warehouse, track exact product locations, and reduce picking time during order fulfillment—and you can move the bin from one location to another.

Where Are Movable Bins Used?

Movable bins are widely used across industries within an Odoo warehouse:

• Retail and Supermarkets – To store products in specific aisles and shelves.
• Manufacturing Units – To keep small raw materials and finished goods organized.
• Distribution Centers – To streamline the picking, packing, and shipping process.
• Cold Storage – To categorize goods based on temperature-controlled areas.
• E‑commerce Warehouses – To reduce picking errors by assigning products to designated bins.

Example:
A beverage Odoo warehouse can store:

• Pepsi in WH/Stock/Shelf-A/Rack-1
• Coca-Cola in WH/Stock/Shelf-A/Rack-2
• Water Bottles in WH/Stock/Shelf-B/Rack-1

When an order comes in, Odoo will tell you exactly which bin to pick from, ensuring faster and error‑free order processing.

Why Use Movable Bins?

• Organized Inventory: No more searching through piles of stock in your Odoo warehouse.
• Faster Picking: Workers can quickly locate products.
• Real‑Time Tracking: Know the exact location of every product.
• Automation: Combine with Putaway Rules to automatically assign products to the correct bins.
• Better Space Utilization: Helps optimize storage space by dividing stock across multiple racks.

How to Create Movable Bins in Odoo

Step 1: Enable Storage Locations

1. Go to Inventory → Configuration → Settings.
2. In the Warehouse section, enable Storage Locations.
3. Click Save.

Step 2: Create a Shelf Location

1. Navigate to Inventory → Configuration → Locations.
2. Click Create.
3. Enter:
   • Location Name: Shelf-A
   • Parent Location: WH
   • Location Type: Internal Location
4. Save.

Step 3: Create Rack Locations

1. Again, click Create in the Locations menu.
2. Enter:
   • Location Name: Rack-1
   • Parent Location: WH/Shelf-A
   • Location Type: Internal Location
3. Save.
4. Repeat this process for Rack-2 or additional bins as needed.

Step 4: Create a Bin Location

1. Navigate to Inventory → Product → Packages
2. Click New.
3. Enter:
   • Package Reference: BIN-01
   • Location: WH/Shelf-A/Rack-1
   • Package Type: Bin
4. Save.

Step 5: Use Bins for Transfers

• When receiving products in your Odoo warehouse, you can directly place them in a specific bin (e.g., WH/Stock/Shelf-A/Rack-1).
• To move products between bins:
  1. Go to Inventory → Operations → Transfers.
  2. Create a new Internal Transfer.
  3. Set:
     • From Location: WH/Stock/Shelf-A/Rack-1
     • To Location: WH/Stock/Shelf-A/Rack-2
  4. Add the product and quantity, then Validate.

Curious how it works? Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ySPXIcyI18