Littlestar Plastics earns rare supplier recognition

Littlestar Plastics earns rare supplier recognition

MACHESNEY PARK — Littlestar Plastics, which has been designing and manufacturing plastic parts and components by machining and injection-molding for 26 years, has been lauded by United Technologies Corp. for its dedication to quality.

Littlestar learned in December that it earned the UTC Gold Supplier designation, an increasingly tough honor to receive and a recognition rarely given out.

The UTC supplier for more than 20 years won its first Gold certification in 2009. In the past couple of years, UTC tightened the Gold standards and required all suppliers to reapply. To qualify for the new Gold Supplier status, suppliers must have:

  • 0 escapes (no quality rejections) for the past 12 months.
  • 100 percent on-time delivery for the past 12 months.
  • Scored at least a 6 out of 7 in Customer Satisfaction.
  • Scored 80 percent or higher on a Supplier Health Assessment in each UTC category.

How hard has it been to hit all these metrics? According to UTC, Littlestar is only the 20th of more than 4,500 companies supplying its UTC Aerospace Systems segment to be designated as UTC Gold.

“Companies come to Littlestar because we can do work others can’t do on timelines others can’t meet,” Littlestar owner Phil Preston said. “Quality is always the top priority. We wouldn’t have a 20-year relationship with UTC if what we produced wasn’t the best in the industry.”

Preston founded Littlestar in 1991 and works with companies in industries ranging from off-highway to medical to fuel cells. Its major work, however, is found in food service and the high-precision field of aerospace. Littlestar components are found on nearly every airplane built in the Western Hemisphere and on almost every fast-food ice cream machine.

Connecticut-based United Technologies is a $57.2 billion company that makes everything from elevators and escalators to commercial and military engines. Its UTC Aerospace Systems produces engine controls and flight systems for military and commercial clients.