How to Integrate with Katana and QuickBooks

Manufacturing Finance & Metrics
Written By Mark Sue

Your manufacturing company requires a scalable, integrated system to manage production, inventory, and financial operations across multiple sales channels. Combining Katana Cloud Manufacturing and QuickBooks Online (QBO) provides a streamlined, modern solution to unify operations and accounting.

We explain how Katana and QuickBooks work together, how to handle both B2C and B2B customer orders, the ideal operational workflow, and provide a visual flow and onboarding checklist for successful implementation.

Katana + QuickBooks: A Unified System for Manufacturing

What is Katana?

Katana is a cloud-based platform designed for small to mid-sized manufacturers. It manages:

  • Inventory (raw materials and finished goods)

  • Production planning and scheduling

  • Shop floor operations

  • Sales and purchase orders

  • Multichannel integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.)

Everyday  operations with Quickbooks

1. Daily Tasks

  • Bank Sync: Auto-import and categorize transactions.

  • Invoicing: Create, send, and track payments.

  • Bills & Expenses: Enter and pay vendor bills; upload receipts.

  • Payroll: Run payroll and manage tax filings (if enabled).

  • Time Tracking: Log hours for employees or jobs.

2. Inventory (if applicable)

  • Track stock levels and COGS.

  • Set alerts for low inventory.

3. Reports

  • View Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow reports.

  • Run and customize financial reports.

4. Reconciliation

  • Match bank transactions monthly to ensure accuracy.

5. Automation & Integrations

  • Recurring invoices and bills.

  • Connect to tools like Gusto, Shopify, Bill.com.

Integration Overview: How the Two Systems Work Together

Syncing operational data from Katana to QBO eliminates manual entry, reduces errors, and gains real-time visibility into financials and inventory.

Unified Order Workflow for B2C and B2B Customers

Visual Workflow Diagram

Step 1:

Step 2 :

Step 3:

Step 4 :

Step 5:

Onboarding Checklist: Katana + QuickBooks

Phase 1: Planning & Prep

  • Define B2C and B2B workflows

  • Assign roles (Operations Lead, Finance Lead)

  • Clean up customer, product, and vendor data

  • Review Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks

Phase 2: Katana Setup

  • Create product SKUs and categories

  • Build Bill of Materials (BOMs)

  • Set reorder points and vendor lead times

  • Add vendors and customers

  • Configure pricing tiers for B2B customers

Phase 3: QuickBooks Setup

  • Confirm key accounts (COGS, Inventory, Sales)

  • Enable inventory tracking

  • Map Katana fields to QBO accounts

  • Sync customer and vendor data

  • Test syncing invoices and bills

Phase 4: Integration and Testing

  • Connect Katana to QBO using native integration

  • Configure sync preferences (auto/manual, due dates)

  • Test B2C order through Shopify to Katana to QBO

  • Test B2B order via manual entry and verify invoice sync

  • Validate Make-to-Order and WIP tracking

Phase 5: Go-Live & Training

  • Train the fulfillment team on Katana’s Shop Floor App

  • Train the finance team on invoice review and reporting in QBO

  • Launch with parallel runs for two weeks

  • Document SOPs for order, production, and invoice workflows

Phase 6: Optimization

  • Schedule monthly inventory and WIP reconciliation

  • Analyze SKU-level profitability

  • Review customer payment terms and aging in QBO

  • Monitor reorder points and vendor performance

  • Consider multi-warehouse and forecasting add-ons

Benefits of the Integrated System

  • Centralized view of inventory, orders, and financials

  • Real-time production tracking and fulfillment updates

  • Accurate invoicing and revenue recognition

  • Streamlined purchasing and vendor management

  • Scalable to support multi-channel sales and complex B2B relationships

Go deeper: Guide 19, Manufacturing Finance & Metrics, part of the CFO Guide Series: 24 one-page guides for CEOs and founders.

Mark Sue