Questions, answered
How Lucian sits next to QuickBooks and your broker, and what it will not do.
How is this different from QuickBooks or my broker's portal?
Neither one shows the full picture on its own. Lucian reads both, links records by PO, container, and lot number, and shows the combined chain of custody in one place, without becoming a second place either system's data has to live.
Does Lucian ever write back to QuickBooks or my broker?
No. It links and displays existing records. It never creates, edits, or adjusts a transaction in either system.
Who is Lucian for, and who is it not for?
Food importers running QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, with a customs broker and one or more warehouses: juice and beverages, cheese, olive oil, frozen seafood, and the rest of specialty grocery. It is not a plant MES, an SAP replacement, or an ERP for a $2B manufacturer that needs shop-floor scheduling.
What if a shipment doesn't go through my customs broker?
Domestic or non-import purchases get a manual-entry path instead of assuming universal API coverage. You're not forced to route everything through the broker to keep a record complete.
How does FIFO cost-layer tracking work?
Landed unit cost is entered once per receipt, per warehouse. From there, Lucian tracks which layer each sale draws from, so the number reflects what was actually paid, not a blended average across warehouses. Read the FIFO paper.
What happens to inventory that predates go-live?
Historical shipment data is pulled back far enough to capture what's already on hand. Any gap between what shipped and what's actually in inventory is flagged as a reconciliation exception, not treated as an error.
How long does implementation take?
There is no data migration into a new system of record. Connect QuickBooks and the broker, reconstruct on-hand history, and walk a known lot. That is a working session, not an 18-month systems integrator program.
Can I see the product before I talk to anyone?
Yes. The demo page lets you flip old-way vs Lucian on a sample lot. The form is three fields, after you’ve seen that, not before.