In 2012, Leggett & Platt entered the aerospace industry by adding high-quality welded tubing used in critical aircraft systems to our company lineup. Producing these raw materials for the aerospace industry has led to even more opportunities for growth – including the acquisition of Meggitt Dunstable (now Leggett & Platt Aerospace Dunstable) earlier this year.

L&P Aerospace Dunstable is a UK-based company that specializes in full design, analysis, and development of high-pressure and high-temperature ducting, flexible joints, and components (including bellows, gimbals, and flexible metal hoses) for the space, military, and civil aerospace industries. Their capabilities also include testing and qualifying their products, a capability that sets them apart from other companies in the industry.

“L&P Aerospace has been looking to expand beyond build-to-print work for quite some time,” says Al Houde, VP of Sales for L&P Aerospace. “Our new Dunstable branch’s engineering, design, and testing capabilities really allow us to do that.”

Breaking into aerospace with raw tubing back in 2012 was only the first step in L&P’s vision to become a key player in the industry – but finding the right partners can take time and patience. “We’d been working on finding the right company that could help take us to the next level in the industry for a few years now,” Al explains. “This partnership is key to moving forward with our long-term strategic plans to advance in aerospace.”

Currently, L&P Aerospace features five other companies throughout the US, UK, and France, specializing in creating complex tubes and duct assemblies using high-performance materials capable of withstanding extreme pressure, temperature, and chemical reaction. Using top-of-the-line materials and state-of-the-art equipment gives L&P Aerospace the capability of customizing products to fit customers’ specifications.

Welcoming our new Dunstable branch to the L&P family only bolsters what we’re capable of achieving together. When asked about the benefits of our partnership, Al explains, “Dunstable is part of a company that looks to the long-term. I’m confident that our combined talents will take us both further than we can imagine.”

The sky (and beyond) is the limit in L&P Aerospace! To learn more about what we do, visit our website at www.leggettaerospace.com.

At Leggett & Platt, environmental compliance efforts ensure that air emissions, wastewater discharges, waste handling, and chemical use and storage are in full compliance with all local, state, and federal government regulations. Our Environmental team collaborates with branches to implement and sustain the Eco Initiative, our companywide environmental management system. 

Part of the program extends the Eco Initiative well beyond operations – encouraging L&P employees to take an active role in cleaning up their communities. 

Several L&P branches in Mississippi realized this was even more vital this year. During a time of heightened stress, anxiety, and isolation, many people depend on their parks and green spaces for much-needed relief – mentally, physically, and emotionally. After evaluating the needs in their community, the teams decided to volunteer their time and energy to make improvements at their local Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi.  

Four L&P branches were involved in the endeavor: Omega Motion, Super Sagless, Elite Comfort Solutions, and Tupelo Sleeper. Their environmental teams recruited employee-volunteers to provide electrical updates to the Boys and Girls Club facility, clean, trim hedges, pull trees and overgrowth, plant roses, paint safety zones, and more at the adjacent public park.  

“One of the reasons we chose this project was to give the children and staff members at this facility a sense of pride,” said Misti Lambert, Director of Environmental, Safety, Quality, and Continuous Improvement at Omega Motion. “Out of several possible projects in the area, we felt like this would make the biggest impact in our area. We want people to know that L&P is more than just a place to work. Our employees want to make a positive impact in our community.” 

The laundry list of improvements might have seemed daunting to most, but fortunately, team members were eager to get started. Some even brought their own equipment to make their efforts more efficient and fast-paced!  

The pictures in the gallery below clearly show the impact this project had in their neighborhood. We appreciate their commitment to Eco Initiative and their efforts to provide a safe, beautiful recreational space for families in their community.  

Are you interested in joining a team that hustles together to Do Some Good? Omega and Super Sagless are both hiring for roles in their manufacturing facilities! You can apply for open positions at Omega here and Super Sagless here, both located in Tupelo, Mississippi. Follow our blog next week to learn more about the positions and culture offered at their facilities.  

Amidst the pandemic, businesses have adopted new safety measures in order to keep employees safe and operations running. Leggett & Platt is no different – our employees around the world continue to make us proud by committing to safety protocols throughout the workday.

As part of our safety efforts, we’re committed to disinfection measures to keep our facilities clean. One new tool we’ve begun to use is a handheld or backpack-style disinfecting sprayer, which allows cleaning teams to disinfect faster and with more complete coverage than traditional disinfectant spray.

These sprayers have been adopted by schools, airlines, gyms, and countless other businesses since the pandemic began.

A member of the cleaning team at our Automotive facility in Juarez, Mexico, puts the electrostatic sprayer to good use on hard-to-clean equipment.

The science behind the sprayers is interesting: they place a positive charge on the cleaning solution before it enters the nozzle, which is then attracted to negatively charged surfaces when sprayed (most surfaces are negatively or neutrally charged). This allows the sprayers to more completely cover commonly touched or hard-to-clean surfaces and equipment.

The benefits of these sprayers are numerous. “There is no need to wipe a surface after spraying, thereby reducing any cross-contamination that wiping surfaces can cause,” says Josh Ford, a member of our Corporate Procurement team.

“They are easy to operate, require minimal training, and spray up to 65% fewer chemicals than traditional sprayers.” Plus, after spraying, it only takes a few minutes for the surface to dry completely, thus requiring no extra work!

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign.

This could never be more true than it is right now. The signage in our facilities is crucial to ensuring our employees stay healthy and informed this year. L&P’s Printing Solutions team plays an integral role in communicating corporate guidance – designing, printing, and shipping the signs our teams see every day.

Mary Lytle, Digital Press & Bindery Specialist, carefully sorts and packages a signage order for shipment.

Many of the signs they have created recently were designed to educate and remind workers about the importance of social distancing, wearing masks, and proper hygiene. However, their team is capable of meeting a wide variety of other design and printing needs.

L&P’s internal print shop has the capacity to produce full-color business cards, forms, envelopes, instruction books, labels, and more. For unique printing challenges, such as banners and promotional items, they’ve developed relationships with other printing companies to provide cost-effective outsourcing.

Many of their requests are for L&P facilities. However, L&P Printing Solutions can also work with external clients, with shipping available to anywhere in North America.

“Think of us as your problem solver,” says Susan Chapman, Marketing + Creative Operations Manager. “No matter what printing need someone has, we’ll find a solution. Usually at a better cost, too.”

Signs like these can be seen on the walls throughout our facilities. Many serve as visual reminders to maintain safe and healthy work environments for everyone.

For more information about available services, please contact L&P’s Corporate Office at 417.358.8131 and request to speak with Printing Solutions. 

Leggett & Platt employees have been able to apply their sourcing expertise to procure important supplies and help keep employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. On a typical day, our Corporate Procurement Department is responsible for strategic procurement of raw materials for operations. They conduct feed stock cost tracking, negotiate contracts, and provide projections of material costs for our business units. “Our primary role has been assurance of supply, so a branch is never shut down due to a lack of raw materials,” says Dave Church, Staff Vice President of Procurement.

As the pandemic took hold, they adapted their mission to include additional efforts to protect our employees around the world. “Our leaders are implementing very important health protocols within our branches,” says Dave. “We’re working to support them with all the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need.”

Jeff Vaughn, Senior Commodity Manager, prepares PPE shipments for delivery.

When the pandemic began in late January, Corporate Procurement began sourcing masks and other PPE for branches on a local level. They met early requests by working with L&P’s global network of preferred supply companies. Unfortunately, shortages quickly became an issue.

After reconsidering their process, Dave determined it was necessary to centralize ordering to ensure ongoing availability, and we’ve been able to supply our essential workers with vital equipment during an extremely uncertain time. The team has been ordering general purpose masks, disinfectants, alcohol wipes, gloves, face shields, hand sanitizer, and non-touch thermometers. Long-standing relationships with a diverse range of manufacturing suppliers have allowed the team to purchase the items directly, keeping costs competitive.

Dave Church and Vanessa Gile, Commodity Specialist, have adjusted well to working from home. The system Corporate Purchasing has implemented allows the team to source supplies, forecast supply needs, field incoming PPE requests, complete order paperwork, and manage incoming and outgoing shipments from remote locations.

Bulk orders are delivered to Carthage, Missouri, where the team fills and ships requested supplies directly to each facility. “Branch 0001 in Carthage has generously provided us with storage space near a bay door for incoming shipments,” says Dave. “We’ve even borrowed a few offices from remotely working employees for packing the shipments.”

Almost 500 PPE packages have been shipped to L&P facilities around the world in the past two months. The entire team is proud of the work that they’re doing — most of the recent shipments have gone to support facilities reopening their doors.

“I’m proud to say that we’ve never had to tell a branch we can’t help,” says Dave. “Even when dealing with shortages, we’ve found alternatives to meet the PPE needs within our branches. Our employees are doing an important job, and we are honored to help them stay safe.”