Getting Started as a Supplier on Lighthouse

Welcome to GroundControl! We're glad to have you here. You might be wondering why you're here in the first place. You received access to GroundControl because one of your receivers (customers) uses our platform to review inspection reports.

Your account lets you create, complete, and submit reports directly to your receivers.

You won't have to pay a thing to use our platform. GroundControl has been offered to you free of charge by one or more of your receivers.

As such, you'll have access to the "Lite" version of GroundControl, which has some restrictions on what you can export from our platform. Instead of exporting and sending out quality packages to your receivers, your data will be made available to your receivers when you click "Submit".

When you receive your welcome email, you will also receive a set of instructions to set your password. Follow the instructions and you'll be able to access GroundControl right away.

If you ever need additional user accounts to access GroundControl, feel free to email your primary contact at your receiver or [email protected].

To create a report in GroundControl, navigate to the "Reports" tab on the left navigation panel. Then in the top right, click "Create New Report".

This will bring up an additional window where you can choose the type of report you'd like to create, as well as the receiver you're building for. The GroundControl logo by a receiver/customer name indicates that they can receive report submissions directly through our platform.

Once created, your report will immediately be opened and set to "In Progress", so you can begin working right away.

For a First Article Inspection Report, you'll have three Forms to fill out.

Contains part and order details—the type of information you would find on a traveler cover letter and purchase order.

Contains material/process/test details—the type of information you would find on your material/process certificates of conformance and test reports.

Contains characteristics and results—here you would list out the dimensional requirements of a part and your true measured results after production.

To supplement all the above information, your ballooned drawings, material certificates, CMM reports, and any additional documentation your receiver requires can all be uploaded directly on our platform for review.

For more detailed descriptions of how our tools work, please check out our User Guides, where we host in-depth video and text instructions on every single tool we offer.

Once you have completed a report to your best ability, you can submit the report to your receiver through the "Submit" button on the left navigation panel. If you have any errors or missing information (marked by a red highlighted field), you will be warned of them.

After submission, the status of the report will be set to "Submitted". The report will be locked, and you will no longer be able to make edits.

After clicking Submit, your receiver will be notified to review your submission. At this point, the next steps follow two different paths.

If your receiver accepts your submission, you're all set. No further action is required—your report is completed.

If your receiver rejects your submission, you will be given the opportunity to read their reasoning for rejection and make the appropriate edits. Then, you can re-submit your report for another round of review.

This review cycle will repeat until your report has been accepted by the receiver.