Quality is non-negotiable for manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (P&W), whose engines power America’s critical military, law enforcement, and commercial aircraft. To align with aerospace standards, P&W only uses source materials with LCS (Laboratory Control at Source) certification.
Sullivan Steel is proud to be an approved LCS vendor. We currently stock certified aerospace metals, including M50, M50NiL, BG-42®, 52100 VAR and 52100 VIM-VAR, 9310 VAR, and 440C VAR 440C air-melt.
Specialty alloys can be difficult to source at the best of times. And in today’s market, with mill supplies becoming less predictable, certain products may have a lead time of up to 14 months. Even with an onsite stocking program in place to manage inventory, it may not be enough to meet demand spikes.
At Sullivan Steel, we’re positioned to fill the supply gap left by mill and inventory shortages. We’ve built our business around keeping the metals our customers need in stock, including LCS-certified steels.
What Is Pratt & Whitney LCS Certification?
When it comes to critical aerospace applications, any stock mix-up can be catastrophic. Pratt & Whitney’s LCS certification ensures that every material, part, and service that goes into their products meets exacting quality standards.
Companies supplying LCS materials to the P&W supply chain must be authorized and approved under LCS. This includes material suppliers such as mills and stocking centers (like Sullivan Steel).
P&W evaluates a potential vendor before certification. This involves conducting in-depth site visits, documentation reviews, and inspections. Vendors must show they’ve updated procedures and product handling instructions to LCS requirements and vendor staff must also undergo specialized training and testing to ensure knowledge of, and conformity with, LCS.
Joining the Pratt & Whitney Supply Chain
As of Jan 2022, Sullivan Steel is an approved LCS supplier. This is no small achievement—the process to attain certification involves training at P&W’s facility in Hartford, CT, and it takes time, commitment, and effort to maintain the approval. Sullivan is now uniquely qualified to sell certified steel, and our quality management staff is trained to verify and sign off on orders calling out LCS requirements.
Our reps always make it easy to verify the certification of your steel order.
Sullivan Has LCS-Certified Steels in Stock
It's not easy to become an approved Pratt & Whitney steel distributor, but it can be even more difficult for machine shops to find a reliable source for LCS certified steel alloys. For example, Sullivan is one of the only suppliers of M50 steel, certified to LCS standards, in the Northeastern U.S.
If you’re contributing to any part of the P&W supply chain, it’s essential to have a swift, trustworthy source of LCS-certified metals. Sullivan Steel stocks the following grades with LCS certification:
- M50
- M50NiL
- BG42
- 52100 VAR
- 52100 VIM-VAR
- 9310 VAR
- 440C VAR
- 440C air-melt
At Sullivan Steel, our ethos has always been the same—focus on the customer. We’re proud to uphold the P&W supply chain and work hard to keep a reliable stock of steel grades available that are certified to LCS.
Sullivan Steel is always looking for ways to advance the industry. If you don’t see the material grade you need certified to LCS, let’s start a conversation about how we can support you.
