LAPP Connector Ordering Checklist: 5 Things a Procurement Manager Checks Before Approving (LAPP 2170489 Example)

Before the Checklist: What This Is Really About

If you're the one who buys LAPP connectors for a controls panel, a machine builder, or an industrial plant, this checklist is for you. I've spent the last seven years managing procurement at a mid-sized controls company. I've also audited roughly $180,000 in cumulative cable and connector spending over that time, and I've made enough connector ordering mistakes to know where the money really goes. Honestly, it's almost never the line-item price. It's the part number, the lead time, and the pieces you assume are in the box.

Here's the short version: 1. Pick the right family. 2. Verify the part number. 3. Compare total cost. 4. Match the cable and environment. 5. Confirm lead time. Step 3 is the one I see skipped.

One more thing before we start. If you landed here from a 'cisco vs' search, this is not one of those brand-versus-brand posts. Cisco makes switches. LAPP makes cables and connectors. They sit at different levels of a network, so the real question isn't which brand wins; it's whether the connector matches the environment it's going into.

The Checklist

Step 1: Narrow the connector family before you search

LAPP doesn't make 'a connector.' They make M12 connectors for sensors, RJ45 connectors for Ethernet, EPIC connectors for industrial power and signal, plus cable glands and strain-relief components. If you type 'LAPP connector' into a search box, you'll get too many answers to review in a reasonable quote timeline.

Start with the application. Is the connector at the end of a sensor cable? That's likely an M12. Is it an Ethernet drop? That's likely an RJ45. Is it a high-current power connection inside a machine? That's the EPIC family. The family tells me which part of the catalog to open and which distributor stock to check.

Checkpoint: before you search, you should be able to name the connector family and the environment it will live in.

Step 2: Verify the part number as if the BOM is wrong

BOMs are useful and occasionally wrong. I see at least one incorrect part number per month in the paperwork that comes across my desk. It's not always the supplier's fault. Sometimes the engineer copied the number from an old project. Sometimes the person who wrote the BOM left years ago. Either way, I don't put a part number on a PO without checking it against the current catalog.

Here's a concrete example. LAPP 2170489 shows up on a lot of BOMs that land in my inbox. When I search for it, I get a LAPP part number that looks official. But I don't stop there. I check whether that number refers to a cable, a connector hood, a housing, an insert, or a complete assembly. With LAPP connector components, these are often sold separately. If the BOM lists only one number and the electrician expects a complete connector, you can end up with a bag of parts or a reel of the wrong cable.

And yes, I've typed 'jack lapp' into a search bar more than once. It's LAPP, not Jack Lapp. Search engines usually sort it out. But they won't tell you if the part number is complete. That part is still on you.

I use the LAPP group catalog on lappgroup.com as my reference before approving a new part number. I check it as of January 2025, because part numbers do change.

Checkpoint: before you request a quote, write down what the part number actually includes. If you can't answer in one sentence, you're not ready to buy.

Step 3: Compare total cost, not line-item price

This is the step that saved me the most money. A connector might be $12 on one quote and $9 on another. But if the cheaper quote has higher freight, a longer lead time, and a documentation pack that engineering requires, the $9 part can become a $14 part by the time it's installed.

In Q2 2024, I compared two options side by side. One supplier had a lower unit price on a LAPP connector order. The other had a higher unit price but included test documentation, and freight was basically nothing. After I added up the total, the 'cheap' option was about 7% more expensive. That contrast made me build a TCO sheet (total cost of ownership, not just the unit price) for every connector order. It didn't make me the most popular person in the office, but it stopped the small budget surprises that used to show up at the end of each quarter.

There's no magic max in this part of the process. No trick makes hidden freight disappear. Just a spreadsheet and a little patience.

Checkpoint: every quote gets a total cost column that includes shipping, test documents, and the cost of waiting.

Step 4: Match the connector to the cable and the environment

The most expensive connector is the one that fails after installation. So check the IP rating against the actual environment. Per IEC 60529, IP67 means protected against dust and temporary immersion in water. It does not mean it's safe from oil spray, pressure washing, or solvent. Don't assume the word 'industrial' covers it.

Also check the cable entry range. This sounds obvious, but I've seen a connector for an 8 mm cable installed on a 6 mm cable. It sealed poorly, and the machine failed after a washdown. If you're using a high-flex cable like LAPP's Magic Max line in a moving application, the connector needs strain relief that can handle repeated flexing. There is no magic max connector that works for every cable. You match the spec, not the brand name.

Checkpoint: compare the cable's outer diameter and minimum bending radius with the connector's entry range and IP rating. If they don't line up, change one of them before you place the order.

Step 5: Put lead time on the PO

Lead time is a cost. I have mixed feelings about rush freight. I hate paying for it, but I've also seen a $4,000 installation crew wait on a $40 connector. To be fair, rush shipping has its place. The smarter move is to plan the lead time before the order, not after the stock check comes up empty.

As of January 2025, LAPP connector availability looks better than it did 18 months ago, but I still check the distributor's stock promise before approving a purchase order. If a part is critical, I keep buffer stock. That saved us in Q3 2024 when a promised two-week lead time stretched to five.

Checkpoint: ask for the distributor's confirmed stock date and put that date on the PO. If the date moves, you want a paper trail.

Two Things I Learned the Hard Way

Don't trust the product photo

Product photos for connector parts are representative, not exact. I've ordered enough industrial components to know that a photo can show the wrong version or a generic image. The part number, not the photo, is the contract.

Small orders are not a favor

If you're buying a small quantity, don't apologize for it. I've placed $200 orders that became $20,000 orders with the same supplier. The vendors who take the small order seriously are the ones I trust with the big ones. Small doesn't mean unimportant; it means potential.

Bottom Line

Buying LAPP connectors doesn't have to be a fight with the BOM, the invoice, or the wait time. Pick the right family, verify the exact part number, compare the total cost, match the cable and environment, and plan the lead time. Treat the process the same whether you're buying one connector or a thousand. The controls are the same. I know, because I use them on every order.