LightSource manages your entire direct materials lifecycle, from initial design specifications through scaled production, replacing fragmented process with integrated workflows that unite engineering, buyers, suppliers, and finance.
Live in about 30 days. See the full spec-to-scale flow on your own BOM.
What it takes to get running
How long does implementation take?
Days, not quarters. Legacy suites typically take six to eighteen months. You can be working in LightSource within hours by uploading flat files, then deepen the integration whenever it suits you.
What do our buyers need to learn?
Buyers run their first RFQs with guided onboarding from former McKinsey procurement consultants. The workflow replaces email threads and spreadsheets rather than adding another tool beside them, so most of what your team already does carries over.
Do our suppliers have to buy anything or be trained?
No. Supplier access is free. LightSource guides suppliers through submitting accurate data and automatically catches common quoting errors, which is why bids come back sooner and cleaner.
Can we keep our own quote formats and fields?
Yes. You can capture exactly the structured data you need with no technical setup, and configure formats, languages and fields to match how your team already works.
What changes on day one?
Sourcing moves out of email threads, spreadsheets and disconnected tools into one place the whole team can see, from first RFI through RFQ and negotiation to final award.
Cost visibility for direct materials
What cost visibility does LightSource give us?
Real-time cost tracking across every component, with full breakdown visibility. Because the item master and BOM sit inside the platform, you see cost at the line level rather than at the invoice level.
How is this different from a spend analytics tool?
Spend analytics tools report on what you already bought, mostly indirect and tail spend. LightSource works on the direct materials that go into the product, and on the cost before it is committed: quotes, should-costs and award scenarios rather than historical invoices.
Can we see why a price moved?
Yes. LightSource keeps a forensic record of who quoted what, when, and against which revision. If a price goes up or down, you can reconstruct exactly why.
Can we benchmark cost over time?
Yes. LightSource acts as a pricing system of record: track price changes, analyze supplier trends and benchmark should-costs over time.
What supplier performance data do we get?
Each supplier carries its full history in one place: past awards, ongoing work, performance metrics, contracts, contacts, locations and documents.
Running LightSource across a global manufacturing footprint
Is LightSource built for multinational manufacturers?
Yes. LightSource serves Global 2000 and Fortune 500 manufacturers alongside fast-scaling hardware companies. Customers include Yum! Brands, BRP, HelloFresh, Shure, Hims, Arxada, Canada Goose, Time Manufacturing (Versalift) and Aramsco.
Can suppliers and buyers in mainland China use it?
Yes, and this is unusual. LightSource is the only procurement platform with native accessibility in mainland China, served from the lightsource.cn domain. Your teams and suppliers there work without a VPN.
How much sourcing activity does the platform handle?
The platform manages over $300M in spend across 500+ supplier relationships, with thousands of quotes received.
Does it scale from one plant to a global rollout?
Yes. The platform runs on AWS with a Rust backend and dynamic scaling, and is built to hold consistent performance as volume grows. Whether you are managing thousands of line items across many suppliers or optimizing a single assembly, the same system handles it.
What support comes with an enterprise deployment?
Support is delivered by former McKinsey procurement consultants, not a generic help desk. That matters most in the first weeks, when buyers are launching their first RFQs.