Purchasing AI
for Distributors

Lantern guides what, when, and how much you buy
so you never stock out and never overbuy.

Book a demo
Inventory Guided
$800M+
Locations
700+
Distributors
30+
An isometric distributor warehouse stocked with HVAC equipment, valves, fittings, and electrical supplies
  • Porter Pipe & Supply
  • R&E Supply
  • CAPP
  • Schaedler Yesco
  • Lesman
  • Arbill
  • Apple Outdoor Supply
  • Plimpton & Hills
  • Transtar A/C Supply
  • Ramco Innovations
  • Bender Plumbing

The problem

Purchasing at a distributor is one of the hardest jobs in the business

15,000 SKUs across 35 locations create 525,000 stocking decisions for a handful of buyers.

More decisions than hours

Demand spikes, deliveries slip from two to six weeks, and products are replaced.

Everything keeps changing

A purchasing spreadsheet struggles to keep changing stock decisions up to date.

The tools can’t keep up

Too much stock ties up cash. Too little stock loses sales.

The worst of both worlds

How Lantern works

Forecasting, stocking, and purchasing in one workflow.

Lantern turns your data into forecasts, stocking levels, and ready-made orders that your buyers can review and send out.

Data and ML Models

A custom machine learning model for every distributor.

Lantern combines your sales, inventory, and purchasing data with relevant external signals. We prepare and structure that data, then build models tailored to your products and locations, so your buying plan reflects how your business actually works.

Demand forecasting

Different demand. Different forecasts.

Steady sellers, seasonal peaks, and sporadic orders need different forecasts. Lantern learns demand for every item and location, adapts as new sales arrive, and carries relevant history forward as products change so each branch buys against its own forecast.

Steady demand

Seasonal demand

Sporadic demand

  • Sales history
  • New sales
  • Previous forecast
  • Current forecast
  • Forecast range

Lead time forecasting

Order before delays become shortages.

Lantern learns from your purchase and delivery history to forecast how long replenishment will take. As supplier lead times get longer or less predictable, your stocking recommendations adjust to help keep customers supplied.

Steady lead times

Longer lead times

Variable lead times

  • Earlier receipts
  • Latest four receipts
  • Next order forecast

Illustrative forecasts and order examples.

Putting it all together

One-click purchase orders. Ready-to-go transfers.

Lantern checks stock across your network and what’s already on order, then accounts for pack sizes, supplier minimums, and freight targets. Buyers get a clear recommendation to buy, transfer, or wait, with orders ready to review and send to the ERP.

Forecasts + business rules

Forecasts

Demand
Branch A: 130 · Branch B: 50 units
Lead time
14 days

Inventory on hand

Branch A
10 units
Branch B
90 units

Business rules

Buy packs
20 units
Supplier minimum
$1,000
Free freight
$2,000
Lantern

Recommended plan

Transfer 40 · Buy 80

Ready-made orders

Purchase order

80 units$2,000
Supplier A → Branch A$25 per unit

✓ Pack size met   ✓ Minimum met   ✓ Free freight

Purchase order created

Transfer order Ready

40 unitsBranch B → Branch A

Rebalance existing stock

Transfer order created

We work with any business

Built for the way your network operates.

Direct supplier deliveries, distribution centers, regional hubs, and independent branches all fit into one connected plan. Lantern accounts for how stock moves between locations, so purchase and transfer recommendations follow the replenishment routes your business actually uses.

Direct

  1. Supplier
  2. Branch

DC

  1. Supplier
  2. DC
  3. Branch

Hub and spoke

  1. Supplier
  2. DC
  3. Branch A
  4. Branch B

Branch A replenishes Branch B

Testimonials

Why distributors choose Lantern

A warehouse worker scanning inventory on a distributor’s shelves

Supporting HVAC/R,
Industrial, Electrical,
Plumbing, and more.

On average, Lantern customers benefit from

Reduction in inventory
20%
Uplift in sales
5%
Buyer hours saved per week
20
  • Jonathan Pope

    CEO · R&E Supply

  • “We hold significantly less inventory, turns are up, and carrying costs are down”
    Inventory reduction
    18%
    Sales increase
    6%
  • of Lantern’s recommendations are approved
    98%
  • Bryan Abraham

    CEO · Transtar A/C Supply

  • “We couldn’t be happier with the results and the process. Lantern is a great platform, but more importantly, they’re great people”
  • “Lantern’s predictions are so accurate, their product is so easy to use, and their team seems to work 24/7. I thought Lantern was too good to be true but they’ve exceeded every expectation”
  • Monte Caplan

    CEO · CAPP

  • “We’re holding less inventory while delivering higher service levels, and our customers are thrilled”
    Sales increase
    9%
  • Inventory reduction
    $1.2M
    Inventory turn
    +1
    Sales increase
    $2.6M
  • Kevin Szymanski

    VP of Strategy & Ops · Lesman

  • “Lantern helped us carry more of what sells, less of what doesn’t. We reduced inventory 25% in year one while sales still beat budget”
    Inventory reduction
    25%
  • “Our workflows are faster, cleaner, and smarter with Lantern. We can easily access the data we need without digging through ERP screens.”
  • “Lantern customized things to fit how we actually work; this level of flexibility has improved adoption, built immediate trust, and driven results that show up in our financials”

Get started

See the impact before you commit

  1. 01

    Book a demo

    See how Lantern works for your business.

  2. 02

    Free proof of concept

    See the impact using your own data.

  3. 03

    Simple pricing

    One monthly fee. Cancel anytime in the first 6 months.

Your ERP.
A smarter way to buy.

Lantern connects to the systems your business runs on. Bring your data into one buying plan, then send approved orders back to your ERP.

Connected to leading distribution ERPs

  • Epicor Prophet 21
  • Epicor Eclipse
  • Infor
  • DDI System
  • Acumatica
  • SAP
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365
Implementation
Free
Time to go live
6–8 weeks
Setup by our
Silicon Valley Engineers

Our team

The people behind Lantern

We began at Stanford, where we set out to study distribution. Hundreds of conversations with distributors later, one thing was clear: buyers were doing an incredibly hard job with dated tools. We built Lantern to change that.

Our advisors

We’re guided by an advisory board of 15 distribution leaders. Between them, they’ve run and advised some of the most respected distributors in the country.

Lantern is a proud member of

  • Affiliated Distributors Service Provider Program
  • NAW
  • HARDI
  • Blue Hawk
  • NAED
  • ASA
  • ISA