Recording the actual quantity of ingredients used in production ensures accurate inventory tracking and minimizes waste. Operators can input real usage data directly from the Shop Floor App, helping you analyze performance and improve planning.
Why track actual ingredient usage?
Tracking actual ingredient quantities allows you to:
Identify discrepancies between planned and actual usage.
Report waste or production variations.
Improve the accuracy of your product recipes over time.
Maintain clean and reliable inventory data.
Enabling actual quantity tracking in Katana
By default, Katana uses the planned quantity for each ingredient.
To allow operators to enter actual quantities in the Shop Floor App:
Go to Settings > Manufacturing
Under Shop floor app settings, enable: Ask consumed ingredient quantities from the operator when a task is finished
This setting must be enabled before operators can start reporting real consumption data.
How operators report ingredient usage
Operators will be prompted to report consumed ingredients after marking a task as Finished in the Shop Floor App.
Here's how it works:
Finish a task
The operator taps Finish on a task in the Shop Floor App.Ingredient list appears
A list of all ingredients for the MO is shown. (Note: Katana does not link ingredients to specific tasks.)Enter quantities
By default, the planned quantity appears.
Operators can change the number to reflect the actual amount used.
Leave comments (optional)
Click + Add a comment to explain variances (e.g., “Extra fabric due to miscut”).
Comments are saved as Notes on the MO (along with the operator’s name).
Finish reporting
Click Finish to save the data.
If multiple tasks consume the same ingredient, the reported actual quantities will be combined automatically.
Example
If the MO is for 3 T-shirts, and each shirt needs 1.2 meters of fabric, the planned quantity would be 3.6 meters.
Operators should report the total actual fabric used, not the per-piece amount.
What about stock movements?
Understanding how Katana handles ingredient stock is essential.
Before MO completion:
Stock is not deducted when ingredients are reported.
The Committed quantity remains based on the planned amount.
Ingredient availability for other MOs has not been affected yet.
After MO completion:
The actual quantity reported is deducted from stock.
This may affect ingredient availability for future MOs, especially if actual usage was higher or lower than planned.
Barcode scanning support
Operators can use the Shop Floor App’s barcode scanner to:
Quickly identify ingredients
Record actual usage efficiently
Batch-trackable ingredients
If ingredients are batch-trackable, operators can:
Assign batch numbers while reporting consumed quantities
Manual edits on the Katana website
You can manually adjust the Actual Quantity for any ingredient directly in the MO:
This ensures accuracy even if changes weren’t made through the Shop Floor App.
Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know your thoughts on this article or anything in Katana you'd like to see improved: [email protected]