QuickBooks for Manufacturers: The Katana Alternative
To clarify some misunderstanding out there – yes, there is a manufacturing edition of QuickBooks.
You will find that edition inside both the Premier and Enterprise (desktop) versions of QuickBooks (there are also Contractor, General Business and other editions).
There is no such thing as QuickBooks Online for manufacturers (at this time anyway…)
But just because it says “manufacturing” in the title doesn’t mean it is a good fit for your situation.
MANUFACTURERS NEED THESE FEATURES…
At its’ core, QuickBooks is accounting software with some manufacturing features baked into it.
And that’s a very important point when it comes to features and functionality that many manufacturers need.
Let’s take a closer look at what I mean…
In my experience working with manufacturers over the last twenty years, many of them need/want:
- Production scheduling of some sort
- Drag and drop scheduling to allow for the inevitable changes in plans
- Linkage from sales order to the build order for it
- Inventory committed to current orders
- Routers
- Variant tracking (i.e. S, M, L, XL)
- Ability to import bills of material (BOM) from Excel/CSV
- Open connectivity to other platforms and programs
- Ability to directly connect to e-commerce marketplaces
- Cloud-based solution for anytime/anywhere access
Believe it or not, the manufacturing edition of QuickBooks doesn’t offer any of the features/functionality listed above.
It’s true!
Enter the Katana solution…
KATANA MANUFACTURING SOLUTION FOR QUICKBOOKS
Let’s talk about the Katana manufacturing/ERP solution for a few minutes, as I think it’s important for you to know about them.
A few words from the Katana web site…
“Our strategy has been, and always will be, thinking like a maker. Every product development discussion and company meeting is guided by feedback from the people we’re here to help.
Today, Katana is the only manufacturing ERP selected as a Shopify Plus certified partner and raised $16 million from leading global VC investors who, like us, think our industry needs more love. To us, that love is all about taking the pressure off manufacturers. We do this with top-tier customer support, easy onboarding, and business software that lifts you up instead of holding you back.”
And a few more insights on the Katana team:
“We’re excited to announce that Katana won a spot on not one, not two, but three “Best of 2021” software listicles by some of the most reputable software comparison sites around.
The latest reports by Software Advice, Capterra, and GetApp announced Katana as one of the best manufacturing and production scheduling software available in 2021, awarding us a whopping six prizes. Katana scored three prizes in the Top Manufacturing Software 2021 list and Top Production Scheduling Software 2021 lists.”
Some really good stuff here!
Let’s build on that and discuss how Katana compares to the QuickBooks for Manufacturing edition when it comes to key features…
KATANA VS. QUICKBOOKS MANUFACTURING EDITION – FEATURE BY FEATURE
I’ve compiled this handy comparison chart to help you isolate on those manufacturing software features that are important to your business.
Let’s take a look and see why Katana may be better for you…
KATANA CAN RUN STANDALONE OR INTEGRATED WITH QUICKBOOKS ONLINE
When it comes to using Katana, you’ve got options:
- Run it as a standalone manufacturing software platform and make journal entries at month-end to transfer inventory and cost of goods sold figures into your QuickBooks desktop package. Under this scenario, all of your inventory and production information will be kept in Katana, and QuickBooks will house all of your accounts receivable, accounts payable and financial information and reporting
- Migrate from QuickBooks desktop into QuickBooks Online and then connect it directly with Katana
GET A 14 DAY FREE TRIAL OF KATANA
Katana is offered in two packages – the Essential and Pro editions.
Use this link to get your 14 day free trial of either package – no credit card is required.
In addition, I offer consulting help on the Katana platform, so if you have questions, please contact me today.
