AI for the Trades: LanternBRP™ Aims to Revolutionize Field Operations

NEW YORK, NY – March 18, 2026 – Lantern Partners AI, a provider of AI-native business software, has announced a significant expansion into the skilled trades and labor sector with its new platform, LanternBRP™. The solution, a modular Business Resource Planning (BRP) system, is designed to tackle one of the most persistent problems plaguing industries like HVAC, plumbing, and engineering: the administrative burden that keeps skilled professionals away from their primary, revenue-generating work.

The launch positions LanternBRP™ as an all-in-one operations platform built to replace the patchwork of disconnected software commonly used by service companies. By unifying dispatch, inventory management, financials, and customer communications into a single, intelligent system, the company aims to deliver greater speed, visibility, and efficiency to an industry ripe for technological transformation.

The Digital Disconnect in Skilled Trades

For decades, skilled trade businesses have operated in a complex environment where hands-on expertise is the core asset. However, as these businesses grow, they often become entangled in a web of operational inefficiencies. Industry analysis reveals a significant digital gap: a large percentage of field service technicians still use minimal software, and nearly half of those who do are frustrated by slow or clunky applications. This frustration stems from a fragmented digital landscape where companies juggle separate tools for scheduling, invoicing, customer relationship management (CRM), and inventory—a practice that creates data silos and operational chaos.

This digital disconnect manifests in several critical pain points. Technicians frequently receive incomplete work orders, leading to wasted trips and customer dissatisfaction. Schedulers struggle with manual dispatching, resulting in either overloaded or underutilized teams. A lack of real-time communication between the office and the field causes delays and errors, while managers lack the visibility needed to optimize routes or respond to emergencies effectively. The result is an immense administrative drag, where highly trained and well-paid professionals spend valuable hours on paperwork, phone calls, and data entry instead of on the job site. This not only erodes profit margins but also impacts employee morale and a company's ability to scale.

An AI-Native Answer to Operational Chaos

LanternBRP™ enters this environment with the promise of a fundamentally different approach. Described as "AI-native," the platform is architected with artificial intelligence at its core, rather than as an added feature. This allows the system to learn and adapt, automating workflows and providing predictive insights to help operators identify potential issues before they escalate. The platform aims to unify the entire data ecosystem of a trades business, from the initial customer call to the final invoice.

By integrating functions like scheduling, dispatch, inventory management, and customer communication, LanternBRP™ provides a single dashboard for managing operations. This eliminates the need for manual data transfer between systems and provides a real-time, holistic view of the business. "The biggest problem in the trades space is that employees are stuck managing the business aspects of the company even though the revenue is generated by their labor on the jobsite," explained Craig Powell, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lantern Partners AI, in the company's announcement. He added, "LanternBRP™ will provide a complete overhaul for all of our partners running companies in the trades or skilled labor." The platform's predictive analytics can help optimize schedules, forecast inventory needs, and improve first-time fix rates, directly addressing the core inefficiencies that hinder growth.

Empowering the Technician, Not Just the Office

A key part of Lantern Partners AI's strategy is its emphasis on an "operator-led" design, focusing on the real-world needs of business owners and their teams in the field. This human-centric approach aims to empower the skilled worker by removing the friction of back-office tasks, allowing them to focus on their craft. The company highlights that in an industry where labor is both the greatest asset and the largest cost, the goal isn't just to cut expenses but to unlock the full productive potential of the workforce.

This perspective is echoed by early partners. Francis Volpe, a longtime business owner in the HVAC space and a Lantern partner, noted the platform's transformative potential. "LanternBRP™ is transforming the HVAC industry by bringing everything a company needs into one simple-to-use, AI-powered platform which replaces multiple disconnected tools with a single dashboard," Volpe stated. He emphasized that the system helps companies "run smarter" by seamlessly managing everything from sales and scheduling to dispatch and customer communication. "The result for any business is increases in efficiency and profit through decreased overhead costs and a better customer experience," he added. By automating routine administrative work, the platform promises to enhance job satisfaction for technicians and improve service quality for customers.

A Modular Challenger to the ERP Establishment

With the launch of LanternBRP™, Lantern Partners AI is not only targeting the specific needs of the trades but is also positioning itself as a nimble challenger to the established giants of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) market. Traditional ERP systems, while powerful, are often criticized for being rigid, expensive, and slow to implement. Their one-size-fits-all approach frequently requires significant and costly customization to meet the unique workflows of specialized industries like the skilled trades. Furthermore, many legacy ERPs lack the modern, user-friendly mobile interfaces essential for a workforce that operates primarily in the field.

In contrast, LanternBRP™ is presented as a highly flexible, modular SaaS solution. This allows businesses to adopt the components they need and integrate them quickly and more cost-effectively. The platform boasts seamless integrations with over 150 other systems, offering an open ecosystem rather than a closed-off environment. This strategy appears to be part of a broader push by the company, which has also announced expansions into manufacturing and agriculture, tailoring its core BRP platform to address similar challenges in other verticals. By taking on competitors ranging from niche field service management tools like ServiceTitan and Jobber to broad ERPs like Oracle NetSuite, Lantern Partners AI is betting that its AI-driven, operator-focused, and modular approach can offer a compelling alternative for mid-market businesses seeking a competitive edge through operational intelligence. The platform's success will ultimately depend on its ability to deliver on the promise of turning operational chaos into clarity and measurable returns for businesses on the ground.