press releases

LAI recognized as Northrop Grumman Platinum Source

Preferred Supplier for second consecutive year

Commended for quality, delivery of JSF airframe components





Andy Bartle, director of areospace products, (left) and Jason Boles, F-35 project manager,
represented LAI International at the Northrop Grumman suppliers event and accepted the
Platinum Source Preferred Supplier Award for LAI, its second-consecutive honor.





LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2010 — LAI International, Inc., a strategic supplier of precision components and subassemblies for original equipment manufacturers, was honored by Northrop Grumman Corporation as a Platinum Source Preferred Supplier for quality control and on-time delivery of precision-manufactured airframe components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It is the second consecutive year LAI International has won the award.
   Jason Boles, F-35 program manager, and Andy Bartle, director of aerospace products, represented LAI International among 73 suppliers from the United States, Canada and Switzerland recognized at Northrop Grumman’s annual awards program at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. LAI was one of 69 firms named as Platinum Source Preferred Suppliers for 2009.
   LAI has received similar recognition from Lockheed Martin and the Boeing Company.
   LAI has a multi-year contract to manufacture 21 different highly engineered, precision-machined titanium and aluminum structural panels that fit on the airframe of three variants of the advanced attack aircraft F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet — a Conventional Take-Off and Landing aircraft for the  U.S. Air Force, a Carrier Variant for the U.S. Navy; and a Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy. As many as 15 international customers are expected to participate in the program.
   LAI has collaborated with its customers to engineer the panels for manufacturability, and the LAI team coordinates supply chain management of several manufacturing processes — including hot-forming, CNC machining, chemical milling, finishing and five-axis precision waterjet drilling — to supply completed components for assembly on the aircraft.
  “This award was made in recognition of outstanding quality and 100-percent on-time delivery,” Steward Cramer, president of LAI International, said. “This classification puts us in the top four percent of all Northrop Grumman suppliers. Only 69 of 1,658 suppliers have achieved this distinction.”
   LAI International is one of only 47, or three percent, of Northrop Grumman’s suppliers to have achieved continuing status as a Platinum Preferred Supplier. Only 22 supplier were named as new Platinum Preferred Suppliers.
   “With the current needs and demands of a complex market, we have taken steps to ensure our growth and business practices are in line with our customers' needs and expectations,” Gary Ervin, corporate vice president and sector president of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said. “As we continue to drive a culture of performance in every aspect of our products and processes, our suppliers remain a pivotal force in reaching that success. The suppliers recognized today remain our partners and share in Northrop Grumman's worldwide commitment to their customers.”
   The awards recognize companies for achieving distinction in product quality, on-time delivery, customer satisfaction, and robust lean processes. Companies honored this year provide Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector with products ranging from aircraft parts and assemblies to sophisticated electronics for spacecraft, as well as everyday services.
   “Northrop Grumman has always been rigorous in its selection of suppliers, so your recognition here today is testimony to your hard work, know-how and your dedication to being a valued part of the Northrop Grumman product team,” Lisa Kohl, vice president of Global Supply Chain for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said.
   “We recognize the critical part that you play in helping us to achieve our vision, to the leader in preserving freedom and advancing discovery by providing our customers with innovative and affordable integrated air, space and ground solutions,” Kohl said.
  The awards program is an outgrowth of the company’s strategic sourcing initiative, an effort that began in 2003 to build stronger long-term relationships with suppliers. Under this initiative, every supplier is graded on parameters such as quality, on-time delivery, customer satisfaction and participation in affordability initiatives.   

About LAI International, Inc.
   LAI International, Inc. is a leading contract manufacturer of make-complete precision-engineered components and assemblies for aerospace, power generation, defense, medical and other advanced technology industries. The company’s technology, engineering and manufacturing solutions are used to build components for airframes, aircraft engines, power generators, defense systems, medical devices and other industrial applications.
   LAI has developed strategic relationships with leading global OEMs and operates five U.S. manufacturing facilities, with locations in Minneapolis, Phoenix, Tucson, Westminster, Md., and Scarborough, Maine – all of which are IS0 9001:2008 and AS9100 certified. The company also offers NADCAP-certified non-conventional machining processes.
   LAI has developed innovative applications in advanced machining processes, including waterjet cutting and drilling, laser cutting, drilling, welding and heat-treating, EDM drilling, CNC EDM, high-speed EDM, conventional CNC machining, five-axis CNC machining and precision grinding. The company also provides gage calibration, tooling production, air-flow inspection and additional manufacturing services.
   For more information, see www.LAIco.com. 
  
Quick Facts about LAI International
- Five U.S. manufacturing facilities: Phoenix, Tucson, Minneapolis, Westminster, Md., and Scarborough, Maine
- Corporate headquarters located in Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Founded in 1979
- All facilities ISO 9001 | AS9100 certified
- GE Customer Impact of the Year Award winner
- Lockheed Martin Corporate STAR Supplier
- Northrop Grumman Platinum Source Preferred Supplier
- ACE Corporate Excellence Award winner, 2008-09
- An Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private U.S. company, three-time award winner, 2007-09