The LAPP Group Procurement Checklist: Six Checks Before You Order Cables, Connectors, or Glands

Not long ago, I found a part number on an old drawing that looked familiar. I almost ordered it from memory. Good thing I didn't. By the time I checked the current catalog, the designation had been superseded and the clamping range had changed. It would have been a costly mistake.

I'm an office administrator for a 120-person company. I manage industrial supply ordering—roughly $300,000 a year across multiple vendors—and I report to both operations and finance. I've been managing these relationships since 2020. The LAPP Group is one of those vendors. If you're an admin buyer who gets pulled into industrial purchasing, this checklist is for you. These are the six checks I use now before I hit submit on any LAPP order.

To be fair, part of this might feel basic if you're an engineer. But most of us aren't engineers. If you landed here because you saw 'the LAPP Group' on a drawing, or you're trying to decode a code like LAPP S2513, you're in the right place. If you're actually looking for a consumer flip phone, a product called Magic Max, or unrelated equipment, this guide won't help.

Step 1: Start with the Application, Not the Search Bar

It's tempting to type LAPP S2513 or VSRX into a search engine and trust the first image. Sometimes that works. Often it doesn't, because industrial part numbers exist to separate dozens of close variants.

Before you search, answer these questions:

• What is this component supposed to do?
• What connects to it on both sides?
• Does the application flex, vibrate, or get wet?
• Does it need oil, chemical, or UV resistance?
• What temperature range does it see?

Write those answers down. They matter more than the part number. Once you know the environment, the part number starts to make sense.

Step 2: Confirm the Product Family

A code like S2513 or VSRX only helps if you know what it belongs to. I'm not 100% sure of the current mapping for either code offhand, and honestly, you shouldn't trust a random article for that either. Product lines get updated, and LAPP catalogs change over time.

What I can tell you is the general pattern. LAPP's naming usually groups products into families: OLFLEX cables, UNITRONIC data cables, SKINTOP cable glands, EPIC connectors, and so on. If you don't know the family, a short code is just four or five symbols that could mean anything.

If the drawing shows a cable entry, look at the thread, the clamping range, and the protection rating. If it shows a connector, look at the pin count, termination style, and current rating. The family tells you where to look.

Step 3: Read the Full Part Number, Not the Short Version

Searches like LAPP S2513 share a common problem: they often drop the suffixes that make the part specific. A suffix can change the material, the thread, the connection type, or the approval.

I learned this the hard way in 2020. I ordered what I thought was a standard LAPP cable gland. It arrived with the right outer shell but the wrong internal bus. Didn't fit the cable diameter we were using. The product looked exactly like the picture, and the description was almost right. Almost is not good enough in procurement.

So read the full designation from the drawing or the old package. Don't stop at the memorable part. If someone on the shop floor calls it 'the flip phone thing' because the hinged cover snaps shut, use that nickname to find the original drawing. But never put a nickname on a purchase order. We both said 'standard' once and meant different things—discovered that when the gland didn't fit the cable.

Step 4: Check Whether the Part Is Current or Superseded

Product lines get revised. Materials change. Part numbers get consolidated. If your drawing is more than a couple years old—or if the original purchaser retired without leaving notes—you need to verify the part is still current.

As of January 2025, LAPP product data is available through the company's official site and authorized distributors. If a number has been superseded, the current datasheet should tell you what replaced it and what changed. Don't assume the old number is still orderable just because you've ordered it before.

This is a case where 'I've always used this part number' isn't the safest reason to keep using it. Spend the extra two minutes. That's usually all it takes.

Step 5: Compare Total Cost, Not Unit Price

My purchasing rule is simple: the cheapest quote isn't the cheapest order. A $200 savings on a cable or connector disappears fast if the wrong item causes downtime, expedited freight, replacement labor, or a failed inspection.

Here's a real example. A vendor quoted a similar cable $200 below our usual supplier. The spec looked close enough. I approved it to save money. The cable arrived with the wrong shielding, and the installer didn't catch it until the panel test failed. By then, we'd paid for an extra service call, a replacement cable, and a day of downtime. That $200 savings turned into a $1,500 problem.

Another time, I had about two hours to decide while production was down. Normally I'd get three quotes. There was no time, so I went with the vendor who promised the fastest delivery. The part was the wrong version. In hindsight, a ten-minute datasheet check would have shown the mismatch before I paid for rush freight.

So before you approve a low-price alternative, ask what it costs if it's wrong. Who pays for the replacement? How long will you be down? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, factor that into the price.

Step 6: Verify Before Payment and Again at Receiving

When the quote comes in, check:

• Does it show the full part number, not just the series?
• Does it match the drawing and the product family?
• Does the datasheet list the same electrical and mechanical specs?
• Does the approval status match where the equipment will be installed?

If the application is wet, confirm the Ingress Protection rating—IP67, IP68, etc.—against the current datasheet. Don't assume IP68 means submersible anywhere; the datasheet usually states the test conditions. The same logic applies to UL/CSA approvals: use the current version for the destination market.

When the shipment arrives, don't wait until installation to open it. Check the markings on the cable or connector against the packing slip. It's much easier to send a wrong item back before the machine is disassembled.

Common Mistakes I Still See

I'm not saying I've eliminated every mistake. But these are the patterns I watch for:

• Ordering from a photo instead of a complete part number.
• Assuming the first search result is the right result.
• Using a nickname like 'Magic Max' or 'flip phone' anywhere on a PO.
• Focusing only on unit price and forgetting downtime, freight, rework, and retesting.
• Skipping the datasheet check because it's probably the same.

Granted, this process takes extra time at the front end. It also takes less time than cancelling a wrong order, explaining it to finance, and waiting for a replacement while production is stalled.

One last caveat: this has worked for us because our ordering patterns are fairly predictable. If you're dealing with seasonal spikes, emergency breakdowns, or international certifications, your checklist probably needs a few extra steps. That's okay. The point is to verify before you commit, and to make sure the true cost of a mistake is part of the decision.