Blue Bird’s average cycle time dropped from 16 days to 14 days since moving to AI-native operating system for direct materials, LightSource

When fragmented, siloed data became the biggest supply chain bottleneck for Blue Bird, one of the largest school bus manufacturers in the United States, they turned to LightSource to bring its sourcing operations into the future. A nearly 100 year old business, Blue Bird recognized the need for tools to automate manual work, freeing them to focus on strategic priorities.

"There was no centralized data or database to contact suppliers or update critical spreadsheets, we were not providing our buyers the tools that they needed to be successful,” said Jeff Vanassche, VP of Purchasing, at Blue Bird.

LightSource is the only direct materials operating system purpose-built to connect engineering, procurement, and suppliers. For Blue Bird, that meant a centralized platform that connects suppliers directly with buyers, keeps the database intact in one place, and establishes accountability on both sides.

“Everything related to our sourcing was all over the place. There was no good way to do it. Emailing the suppliers, emailing spreadsheets back and forth,” said Jeff Vanassche, VP of Purchasing at Blue Bird. "We needed some kind of systematic way to do that, and that's where LightSource came in."

With AI now capable of automating up to 95% of routine procurement tasks, teams can instead focus on strategic work. Aside from removing the cumbersome, operational tasks, Blue Bird uses LightSource as a repository built for compliance, with the controls and records they need to fall back on if they're ever audited.

“Our partnership with Blue Bird has reaffirmed why we built LightSource in the first place,” said CEO and Co-Founder of LightSource, Spencer Penn. “Their buyers can now take a sourcing project from creation to launch in under 20 minutes, which means they get to market faster and spend less time on set up. That frees them to leverage supplier relationships, grow strategic partnerships, and focus on the work that moves their business forward."

Read more about the case study results at: https://lightsource.ai/customers/blue-bird.

About LightSource

LightSource is the direct materials operating system purpose-built to connect engineering, procurement, and suppliers, so innovators always know what their products cost and launch faster. Unlike legacy suites built for indirect spend, LightSource is built for direct materials and NPI velocity. Trusted by Amazon, Conair, Canada Goose, and Shure. For more information, visit lightsource.ai.

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Their buyers can now take a sourcing project from creation to launch in under 20 minutes, which means they get to market faster and spend less time on set up.