It was a gorgeous spring morning for our annual meeting of L&P shareholders in Carthage, MO.
Along with sharing exciting developments across the company, CEO Karl Glassman also recognized CFO Matt Flanigan for his service on our Board of Directors and his successful 21 years with L&P. Congratulations, Matt!
Throughout May, we’re highlighting people, places, and products within our Specialized Products segment. Today we’re spotlighting a collective effort by L&C Changsha to clean their community in Changsha, China.
The team at Automotive L&C Changsha recently took on a proactive effort to clean up the community as part of their goal to be recognized as a Corporate Social Responsibility leader.
We’re proud to share that 40 team members conducted a “Clean the Community” activity in coordination with local government support. The activity, organized by Jian Tong, L&C’s Human Resources Manager, involved cleaning the local streets and the surrounding neighborhood.
“During a recent audit at Specitubes in France, we visited a beautiful castle called the Château d’Hardelot.” Kathy Flinn, Internal Auditor II [Hardelot, France]
“We were able to tour the castle’s interior and walk the remains of the moat that evening. It was a perfect outing to end a busy day of work.” Jacki Allen, Internal Audit Supervisor [Hardelot, France]
Throughout the year, our grounds team works diligently to make our Corporate campus shine. But if there’s a time to shine brightest, it’s for our annual Shareholders Meeting in May, and the countdown is on.
Blake Ellis, Facilities Maintenance Manager, and the team begin their preparations months in advance. “Because we host so many visitors during this time of the year, it kind of becomes our Super Bowl,” he says. “We put in a lot of extra hours and do our best to make everything look as pristine as we can. We enjoy it.”
Here are our Top 5 Tips to create your own beautiful outdoor space:
1. Seed and mulch. Start by fertilizing your lawn in the spring and fall. During the spring season, seed your yard and mulch landscape beds.
2. Prune. Trimming all bushes and trees twice a year helps them healthily grow back.
3. Mow. It’s best to mow weekly, and at a height of 3 to 3.5 inches.
4. Weed. Get rid of those pesky weeds in both landscaping beds and your lawn. Certain sprays help keep them at bay, or you can try the old-fashioned method of pulling them.
5. Edge. Edging all sidewalks, curbs, and patios helps keep a clean look. Our grounds team also plants new flowers and freshens rock beds for that final touch.
After Shareholders Meeting is over, it’s back to daily campus maintenance for our grounds crew. And then, another countdown begins – days until snow removal.
(But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…)
We love this vintage L&P newspaper ad almost as much as kids love bunk beds.
Vintage ad from the Maryville Daily Forum
April 16, 1958
Throughout April, we’re highlighting people, places, and products within our Industrial Products segment. Today we’re pleased to spotlight Merit Steel, part of L&P’s drawn wire division in Kouts, Indiana.
Large machines steadily churn out spools of drawn wire at Merit Steel Company. Over 100 employees work together to ensure its production runs smoothly. The majority of the wire is then shipped to other L&P facilities to be transformed into bedding and furniture components.
“Everyone here is willing to lend a helping hand. I don’t think anyone is just looking out for themselves. It’s pretty evident in day-to-day operations,” says Jon Moneta, Continuous Improvement Coordinator at Merit.
One of Jon’s priorities is ensuring the safety of his teams. That responsibility became easier with a recent upgrade to one of their wire drawing machines.
Merit Steel’s new Frigerio wire drawing machine.
An older wire drawing machine, installed in 1979 when Nachman Corporation owned the mill. This type of machine was ultimately replaced by the new Frigerio machine.
Our Doors Summer Intern Program began in 2013 and was designed to provide a structured, robust intern experience for L&P interns. Since hosting just 6 interns in its inaugural year, the program grew to 29 participants in 2018!
Students, listen up. We’re gearing up for this summer’s program, and today, Madison Fehring and Eliysha Mircetic (who coordinate Doors) are sharing their Top 5 reasons why an internship should be part of your college plan.
Throughout April, we’re highlighting people, places, and products within our Industrial Products segment.
Meet James Dixon. He started his career with Solon Specialty Wire in 1967.
James is a Die Finisher, which means he prepares the machines to draw wire. Over the years, he’s worked hard to perfect his craft. “I like what I do. It’s a very interesting business. You’d never believe how many different industries we support by making and supplying wire.”
Solon Specialty Wire, located in Solon, Ohio, produces round specialty wires and flat-shaped, non-ferrous wires for the construction, telecommunication, automotive, food packaging, and medical industries.
Since 2009, Solon has made environmental sustainability a priority, focusing on many projects such as reducing packaging materials and scrap steel, as well as reducing transportation costs.
James has seen a lot of changes during the last 50 years, some rapid and some more gradual. “At one time, most of the materials we manufactured had to be patented (heat-treated through a furnace). Steel rod has become more durable, and our business has gotten more sophisticated.”
Still, the team at Solon has remained committed to quality. According to James, “We’re very focused on using high-quality materials, and we do a lot more testing now than earlier years. It’s all in an effort to ensure the reliability and consistency of our wire.”
Here’s a peek at our morning offsite! Alissa Owsley, Director of L&D, interviewed Mitch Dolloff, COO, to share his thoughts on leading strong teams as part of our Emerging Leader Academy.
Why the football stadium, you ask? Well, we totally ran with the “strong teams” theme!
Big thanks to our Marketing + Creative videography crew for always executing on our crazy ideas.
Our Drawn Wire group supplies high-quality wire and wire products to customers around the world. We supply annealed and galvanized wire to various industries (think appliance, construction, automotive, furniture, and bedding, for example).
Quality is important to us. Whether it originates from our steel mill or from one of our trusted suppliers, wire is held to the same stringent requirements to assure maximum reliability and consistency.
Our annealed wire goes through an in-process annealing that heat-treats wire to restore ductility, making it easier to work with.
Our galvanized wire is available in both high-carbon and low-carbon options. This process keeps wire protected against scratches, rusting, and corrosion.