Katana MRP

What is Katana

Katana is a cloud-based inventory and manufacturing software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Its main purpose is to give businesses a live view of their entire operation, from raw material inventory to finished goods, sales orders, and production schedules. The platform centralizes data to help companies avoid stockouts, optimize production, and manage orders from multiple sales channels efficiently. Katana was founded to provide a more intuitive and accessible alternative to complex Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. It focuses on direct-to-consumer brands and modern manufacturers who need to track inventory and production in real-time. The company serves a global customer base with teams located in North America, Europe, and New Zealand.

Katana Features

Katana offers a wide set of features to manage inventory, sales, and production processes.

• Inventory Management: Provides real-time tracking of raw materials and finished products across multiple warehouse locations. It includes features for setting reorder points to automate purchasing and end-to-end traceability to track batches and expiry dates.
• Production Management: Users can create detailed bills of materials (BOMs) and production recipes. The system automatically allocates available materials to manufacturing orders and prioritizes production based on sales demand.
• Sales Order Management: It consolidates sales orders from various channels, including e-commerce platforms and B2B sales. The software shows real-time product availability to prevent overselling and allows for partial fulfillment of orders.
• Purchasing: Simplifies the purchasing process by allowing users to create and send purchase orders directly from the platform. It supports multicurrency transactions and helps manage supplier information.
• Shop Floor App: A dedicated application for production staff to view tasks, track time, and report material usage directly from the workshop floor, which updates the main system in real-time.
• Warehouse Management: Includes tools for barcode scanning, bin location management, and streamlined stocktakes to improve warehouse efficiency and accuracy.
• Integrations and API: Connects with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero, and offers an open API for custom integrations.

Katana Pricing Plans

Katana offers several pricing tiers designed to scale with a business's needs. The plans are structured based on the number of users, features, and level of support required.

• Essential Plan: This entry-level plan is suitable for small businesses and startups that need core inventory, sales, and manufacturing features. It typically includes a limited number of users and basic integrations.
• Standard Plan: Aimed at growing businesses, this plan offers more advanced features, such as multi-location inventory management, more integrations, and a higher user limit. Guided onboarding is often required for this tier.
• Professional Plan: Designed for established businesses with more complex operations. It includes all features from the Standard plan plus advanced capabilities like the Shop Floor App, API access, and more detailed reporting.
• Professional Plus Plan: This is the highest tier, providing comprehensive features for large-scale operations, including dedicated customer support and advanced customization options.

Katana Free Plan

Katana does not offer a permanent free plan. However, it provides a 14-day free trial for new users to explore the software's full capabilities. During the trial period, you can access all features available in their paid plans, allowing you to test its suitability for your business. You can import your own data, connect integrations, and simulate your workflows to make an informed decision before committing to a subscription.

How to use Katana

Getting started with Katana involves a few key steps to set up your operational workflow.

1. Sign Up and Initial Setup: Begin by signing up for the free trial. The first step is to enter your company details.
2. Import Data: Import your existing data, including products, raw materials, and customer information. You can do this using CSV spreadsheets.
3. Connect Integrations: Integrate Katana with your other business tools. Connect your e-commerce store (e.g., Shopify) to automatically sync sales orders and your accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks) to sync financial data.
4. Create Bills of Materials (BOMs): For each product you manufacture, define its BOM, listing all the raw materials and quantities required.
5. Manage Sales and Manufacturing Orders: As sales orders come in from your connected channels, Katana will check inventory levels. If stock is low, you can create a manufacturing order. The system will automatically allocate the necessary raw materials.
6. Track Production: Use the Shop Floor App to monitor the production process. Your team can update task statuses and material consumption in real-time.
7. Fulfill Orders: Once products are manufactured, the inventory levels are updated. You can then fulfill the sales orders and the information will sync back to your e-commerce platform.

Pros and Cons of Katana

Pros:

• Real-time Visibility: Provides a clear and live overview of inventory, sales, and production, helping to make informed decisions.
• User-Friendly Interface: The software is more intuitive and easier to navigate compared to traditional, complex ERP systems.
• Strong Manufacturing Features: Excellent support for bill of materials, production planning, and shop floor control.
• Good for E-commerce: Seamless integrations with major e-commerce platforms make it ideal for online sellers who manufacture their own products.
• Scalability: The platform grows with your business, offering different plans and features as your operational needs become more complex.

Cons:

• Learning Curve: While user-friendly, the wide range of features can require some time to learn and configure correctly.
• Mandatory Onboarding Cost: For higher-tier plans, the guided onboarding is mandatory, which adds an extra cost to the implementation.
• Limited Customization in Lower Tiers: Advanced customization and API access are typically reserved for the more expensive plans.

Katana integrations

Katana integrates with a variety of e-commerce, accounting, and reporting tools to create a connected business ecosystem.

• Shopify & Shopify Plus: Syncs products, sales orders, and inventory levels automatically between Katana and your Shopify store.
• BigCommerce: Connects your BigCommerce store to manage inventory and orders in real-time.
• WooCommerce: Integrates with your WordPress e-commerce site to streamline order and inventory management.
• QuickBooks Online: Keeps your accounting and inventory data in sync for accurate financial reporting.
• Xero: Connects your inventory and manufacturing operations with your Xero accounting software.
• Zapier: Allows you to connect Katana with thousands of other web applications to automate workflows.
• Integromat (Make): Provides another option for building custom automations and connecting Katana to other apps.

Katana Alternatives

• Fishbowl Inventory: A comprehensive inventory management solution that is particularly strong for QuickBooks users. It offers advanced features for manufacturing and warehousing but is typically installed on-premise, unlike the cloud-based Katana.
• Cin7: An all-in-one inventory management platform that combines inventory, POS, and B2B sales channels. It is a good alternative for businesses with complex omnichannel sales strategies.
• Unleashed Software: A cloud-based inventory tool focused on manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors. It offers strong features for managing production and supply chains but may have a steeper learning curve than Katana.
• DEAR Systems (now Cin7 Core): Provides a complete ERP solution for small to medium businesses, covering inventory, manufacturing, sales, and accounting. It is very feature-rich but can be more complex to implement.

Katana API

Yes, Katana provides a powerful and open API that allows developers to build custom integrations and connect the platform with other software. The API enables you to programmatically read, create, and update data such as products, sales orders, and inventory levels.

To get an API key, you typically need to be on a plan that includes API access (usually the Professional plan or higher). You can generate a key from the settings section of your Katana account. The documentation is available on their developer portal.

Here is a basic example of how to connect to the Katana API using Python to fetch a list of products:

import requests

# Your Katana API key
api_key = 'YOUR_API_KEY'

# The API endpoint for products
url = 'https://api.katanamrp.com/v1/products'

# Set the authorization header
headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

# Make the GET request
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

# Check if the request was successful
if response.status_code == 200:
    products = response.json()
    print(products)
else:
    print(f'Error: {response.status_code}')
    print(response.text)

Katana Affiliate program

Katana offers a partner program for agencies, consultants, and affiliates who wish to refer clients to the platform. The program is managed through PartnerStack, a popular platform for managing partnerships.

To join, you can apply through the 'Partners' page on the Katana website. Once approved, you receive a unique referral link to share with your audience or clients. When a new user signs up for Katana through your link and becomes a paying customer, you earn a commission. The commission is typically a recurring percentage of the subscription fee paid by the referred customer, often around 20-30% for a specific duration. Payments are managed and disbursed through the PartnerStack platform.