Categories / Operations & Inventory
Automated weekly supplier stock reports
Truck accessories manufacturer · 4 hours a week of manual updates cut
- Task
- stop running out of materials, track WIP, and replace manual supplier updates
- Result
- 4 hours/week of manual updates removed; product line expanded; owner freed for product design
- Tools
- Katana (Shop Floor App, manufacturing orders); Easy Insight (automated weekly reports); Zapier + API; OpenCart; ShipStation
- Setup
- move production orders into Katana → track multi-job WIP in Shop Floor App → dashboard flags orders ready to ship when MO completes → Easy Insight auto-sends weekly stock/projection reports to the supplier → Zapier/API sync with OpenCart and shipping
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A ready-to-send prompt built from this card. Your AI will ask a few questions about your business, then give you a beginner setup plan.
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Help me set this up for my business: "Automated weekly supplier stock reports".
Example business: owner-run Chicago aftermarket truck lighting/accessories manufacturer (OpenCart store;…. Task: stop running out of materials, track WIP, and replace manual supplier updates.
Reported result: 4 hours/week of manual updates removed; product line expanded; owner freed for product design
Tools: Katana (Shop Floor App, manufacturing orders); Easy Insight (automated weekly reports); Zapier + API; OpenCart; ShipStation
Setup outline:
1. move production orders into Katana → track multi-job WIP in Shop Floor App → dashboard flags orders ready to…
Starter prompt from the guide (use it as a base):
Write a short email to my finishing supplier ([PROCESS, e.g. anodising]) explaining that from [DATE] they'll get an automatic weekly report every [DAY] from reports@easy-insight.com. It shows our stock of parts they finish and what we'll need over the next [NUMBER] weeks. Ask them to whitelist the address, and to reply with any capacity issues. Friendly, under 120 words.
First, ask me up to 5 questions about my business and tools. Then give me a beginner step-by-step setup plan, plus copy-paste prompts/templates I can use. Plain English, and tell me if any step needs a tech helper.
via autopilotbusiness.ai/use-case/truck-accessories-maker-katana-easy-insight-weekly-supplier-reports-za/Step-by-step setup guide + copy-paste prompt
> Cost: Freemium. Katana is free for up to 30 products (SKUs), with all features, unlimited users, the API and a 15-day unlimited-SKU start; on Free, Shopify is the only store integration. Beyond that you need Advantage, a custom annual contract (by quote) that includes guided implementation, a success manager, traceability, the shop floor app and the AI connector.
Honest note: rule-based reporting and tracking, not AI. The 4 hours a week is from a Katana-published story. The owner is a software developer who connected his OpenCart store with Katana's API and Zapier himself. OpenCart has no ready-made Katana integration, and Katana's Zapier app only sends data into Katana (it can't trigger flows out of it). The weekly supplier report (Easy Insight) and the shop floor app are the parts a non-technical owner can copy.
Prerequisites
- Katana (the shop floor app is part of Advantage).
- An Easy Insight account for scheduled reports.
- A tablet or phone for each shop-floor station.
- Optional: a Zapier account, or a developer for store sync if you don't use Shopify.
Step-by-step setup
Step 1. Put production in Katana. Create manufacturing orders (MOs) for each job, with operations such as machining, outsourced coating and assembly.
Step 2. Assign tasks on the shop floor. Add operators under Team settings. Then go to Make → Tasks tab and set Assigned To, or open an MO and fill the Operators column in the Operations table. Use bulk Assign to for many at once. Operators log start and finish in the shop floor app, so you can see work in progress.
Step 3. Connect Easy Insight to Katana. In Easy Insight, go to Connections, choose Katana and click Authorize Access. A pre-built dashboard appears and refreshes nightly.
Step 4. Build the supplier report. In Easy Insight, make a simple report: the parts that supplier finishes, stock on hand, and quantities needed for open MOs.
Step 5. Schedule it weekly. In Easy Insight, click Add → Add Report Delivery, pick the report and format (PDF or Excel), choose Weekly, a day and time, and add the supplier's email as recipient. Write a short subject and message, then Save. Reports come from reports@easy-insight.com, so warn the supplier.
Step 6. Store and shipping sync (optional, technical). On Shopify, use Katana's native integration. For other stores, Katana's Zapier actions (Create Customer, Create Sales Order) can push orders in, but anything flowing out needs the API and a developer.
Easier: let your AI do it
Katana has an official MCP server, a secure plug that lets an AI chat like Claude or ChatGPT read and update your Katana data with your permission. Katana's pricing page lists it under Advantage.
- In Katana, the account owner has access by default. To give someone else access, open your profile → Team → pick the user → Admin tab → switch on Access to MCP.
- In Claude, open Customize → Connectors, click +, then Add custom connector. Name it Katana, paste
https://mcp.katanamrp.com(no slash at the end), click Add, then Connect and sign in to Katana. It also works with ChatGPT. - Ask things like "Which materials will run short for this week's manufacturing orders?" It can read, create and update records, but it can't delete anything.
What success looks like
Suppliers know what's coming without a phone call, you can see every job's stage at a glance, and you spend your time designing products, not updating spreadsheets.
Common issues & fixes
- Report data is a day old: Easy Insight refreshes nightly (faster on its higher plans). Schedule delivery for the morning.
- Supplier never gets it: check their spam folder for reports@easy-insight.com.
- Zapier can't start a flow from Katana: expected. Katana's Zapier app has actions only.
Optional: Maintenance
- Monthly: ask the supplier if the report has what they need.
Copy-paste prompt
Write a short email to my finishing supplier ([PROCESS, e.g. anodising]) explaining that from [DATE] they'll get an automatic weekly report every [DAY] from reports@easy-insight.com. It shows our stock of parts they finish and what we'll need over the next [NUMBER] weeks. Ask them to whitelist the address, and to reply with any capacity issues. Friendly, under 120 words.Sources
- Case: Katana case study (aftermarket truck accessories manufacturer). Credit: the company's owner (vendor-published).
- Katana Help: Assigning tasks to shop floor operators
- Katana Help: Zapier integration overview
- Easy Insight docs: Katana data source
- Easy Insight docs: Scheduling report delivery
- Katana MCP overview
- Katana Help: Connect Katana to Claude (MCP)
- Katana pricing
Industries: AI automation for Retail Shops
Results as reported by the source; not independently verified. Community-sourced from public sites and attributed to the source platform. Original author? Ask us to correct or remove it. Read the disclaimer.