Katana rebrands to bring more love and life to the manufacturing software space

A bold mission calls for a bold look.

After a successful Series A funding round, we’re excited to launch our new brand and a revamped vision to give manufacturers software they will love as much as the products they make. The change comes as we expand our customer base to include small to medium-sized businesses. And our team felt that it was time we went for a more vibrant and distinctive look as we take on these new challenges

Manufacturing software needs more love

Manufacturing ERPs have a reputation for being rigid, complex, and frustrating to work with. Because of this, low net-promoter scores (NPS) are the industry standard. Even long-time market leaders like SAP consistently score in negative as they struggle to understand what modern manufacturers need.

Atomico, the European VC firm that led Katana’s most recent funding round of over $11 million, invested in Katana after their team was “overwhelmed by the product love in a category that has been historically so loveless”. But no matter how much we evolve and grow, this love will always extend to small workshops and the micro-manufacturing market that made our rapid growth and success possible.

A word from our CEO on why we made the change

“Our team has and always will have a soft spot for small manufacturers, and enabling entrepreneurship for thousands of Katana customers is something our team is very proud of. But businesses with millions in revenue also need to be served.

In line with our vision to give all manufacturers a platform to make better decisions in a world where uncertainty is always present, we are excited to welcome larger-scale companies with very different challenges to our customer base. To cater to their needs and build trust, we needed a consistent and distinctive brand that matches our position as an industry-leading manufacturing ERP.”

— Kristjan Vilosius, Katana Co-founder and CEO

A fresh take on our vision and mission

Behind our new brand are a revitalized vision and mission that encompass the values Katana has always lived by. We continue to strive for a world where all manufacturers love the software they use as much as the products they make. And to realize this vision, we give manufacturers of all shapes and sizes the live insights they need in a world where change is the only constant.

In the digital era, where time is limited and global trends are change fast, manufacturers need a real-time overview of their business to make the right decisions. We’re here to make that possible. Today, Katana helps thousands of users across 60 countries get a live look at their business — and we expect to see that number continue to go up.

A look that matches our market position

Accessibility, ease of use, and excellent customer support set Katana apart from other ERP software on the market. Their poor usability standards and a lack of focus on design and user experience make them as painful to use as challenging to adopt.

Built to be easy for any manufacturing business employee, Katana’s master planning views employ a red-amber-green (RAG) color scheme. These visual cues give managers and shop floor employees an easy and instant overview of production and sales order fulfillment.

Our new color palette and branding complement the RAG colors for a look and feel that is vibrant and human. A fresh, manufacturing-inspired yellow and grounding green take center-stage as the primary colors. Aside from colors, Katana’s new web UI is built in line with top-tier SaaS industry standards regarding accessibility, performance, and navigability.

Learn more about Katana’s new brand

Because there is a lot more to a brand than colors and logos, our Chief Design Officer, Brett Võmma, put together an extensive article about our new brand and the story behind it. Go ahead and take a look at it here.