We were thrilled to have a distinguished guest at L&P for the past two days. Anthony Ross is the Leggett & Platt Missouri Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management from the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri. He and his team represent a Leggett-sponsored professorship at the university.

His visit to L&P included networking activities with several of our leaders within supply chain operations, as well as tours of our local manufacturing branches.

We’re grateful for the time Anthony spent getting to know L&P!

From left: Lathon Ferguson (Director of Advancement at MU), Anthony Ross, Chuck Hutchins (VP – Chief Tax Officer at L&P), Doug Thrasher (Plant Manager at the L&P Wire Mill)

Anthony took some time to greet a forklift driver at the Wire Mill.

Doug explained the ins and outs of the plant.

Touring the wire products outside of the Wire Mill.

Lots of learning!

From left: Wayne Kaminski (Staff VP of International Logistics), Anthony Ross, Jeff Mitchell (Staff VP – Business Support Services), Chuck Hutchins

Yesterday, CEO Karl Glassman presented for investors at the Raymond James 41st Annual Institutional Investors Conference.

Here’s a glimpse into his day:

• The day opened with Karl and our Investor Relations (IR) Team holding 30-minute Q&A sessions with various investors. (The team jokes that this feels a lot like “speed dating” for the professional world!) Most of the investors are familiar with L&P and are in regular contact with our IR Team through calls and other marketing trips and conferences.

• After 5 of those Q&A sessions in the morning, Karl and the IR Team took a break for lunch.

• After lunch, Karl spoke to a room full of investors. His presentation provided an overview of L&P while highlighting our markets, businesses, and financial performance and priorities.

• At the conclusion of Karl’s presentation, the team moved to a smaller room and investors who attended asked follow-up questions about L&P.

It was a busy but exciting day for Karl and our Investor Relations Team!

Over the past month, we’ve been highlighting people, places, and products within our Furniture Products segment. Today we’re spotlighting a vision system being used by Consumer Products to ensure quality products are delivered to our customers.

At Leggett & Platt, delivering a high-quality product is essential to building successful relationships with our customers. However, managing quality assurance on our product lines involves a great deal of planning, correction, and monitoring.

In January 2018, L&P’s Adjustable Bed team began developing a new product with an existing customer. During that process, they had extensive discussions about ways to ensure complete and consistent manufacturing and delivery of units.

The team ultimately implemented a vision system designed to inspect each unit before it was packaged for delivery. The system is able to electronically analyze critical components of the bed base to determine whether any of the parts are missing or misaligned. If an error is detected, it must be corrected before the unit can continue down the production line for boxing.

The black and white system substantially reduced their defect rating in the first few months. However, as the team analyzed the defects still being reported, they realized a color system could improve their outcomes. They made the upgrade, and both the contrast capabilities and higher pixel count allowed them to inspect even more points on the unit.

With the new vision system in place, the team was able to color code components and add additional quality checkpoints. This allowed the team to exceed their original target defect rate within 10 months!

According to Cody McCormick, Director of Sales: “We are just now gaining steam with this system. We’ve drastically reduced our missing parts warranty signal and have high hopes for other capabilities in the future.”

Throughout June, we’re highlighting people, places, and products within our Furniture Products segment. Today we’re putting the spotlight on Trio Line Polska!

Behind every branch at Leggett & Platt is a story: How they’ve grown or faced challenges, how they’ve developed and defined their culture, and how their products support unique customers. Trio Line Polska’s story is one of growth and great craftsmanship.

Based in Poland and acquired by L&P in early 2015, Trio Line joined our Work Furniture group to produce high-end upholstered furniture for some of the most recognized European furniture brands – the most iconic being the Egg Chair produced for Fritz Hansen. In fact, the branch’s main production is for the dining and lounge chair markets.

What makes Trio Line stand out is the artistry that goes into each piece of furniture. The attention to detail, precision, and beautiful finish make their products uniquely high-end. Trio Line has been able to push their products worldwide for customers such as Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Haworth.

Bjorn Bahnsen heads the Trio Line management team. In 1999, Bjorn purchased his family’s Danish furniture company, Trio Line A/S. Four years later, he started Trio Line Polska to gradually shift production from Denmark to Poland. Since 1999, Bjorn has grown the business from 6 employees to over 500 – and they are some of our most dedicated. According to Wojtek Mytko, VP of Production: “None of the competition we give other producers would be possible without our talented team of employees.” Continue reading →

Throughout May, we’re highlighting people, places, and products within our Specialized Products segment. Today we’re putting the spotlight on a unique program sponsored by L&P Schukra-Lakeshore in Ontario, Canada – a UWindsor Engineering team formula car build!

Car rendering

Working hands-on with vision systems, electrical lines, and robots is a dream opportunity for any engineering student. That dream became a reality for P.J. Kriemadis. He gained valuable experience last semester, when he accepted a Co-op position in the manufacturing engineering department at L&P Lakeshore.

Because of his love for all things automotive, P.J. is also on a team at the University of Windsor, which is building a Formula Electric racecar. The group of mechanical and electrical engineering students all have a passion for racing. They look forward to competing with other universities from around the world at an upcoming Formula North competition in Toronto. However, they’re also enjoying the actual process of the build and are learning more about electrical and automotive technologies of the future.

When P.J.’s coworkers at Lakeshore learned about the project, they decided to get involved by becoming a sponsor. “This project is a perfect opportunity for us,” says Ian Agnolin, HR Generalist. “It allows us to interact directly with students who are interested in emerging electrical and automotive technologies. They will be looking for careers soon and already understand the transformations that are occurring in the industry.”

(L to R): Lynn Caixeiro, HR Manager; Ian Agnolin, HR Generalist; P.J. Kriemadis, Student & Team Member; Beth Rocheleau, Manufacturing Engineering Manager. Not Pictured: Angela Durand, Marketing Communications & Social Media Manager

Lakeshore’s sponsorship allowed for the purchase of a Quaife style differential. This specific type offers both superior performance and high durability, which will allow the part to be used by Formula Electric team students at UWindsor for many years to come.

Continue reading →

As you shop the aisle of the local grocery or relax on the back patio of your house, hydraulic cylinders are probably the last thing on your mind – but this critical component is working behind the scenes in a variety of ways to make these things, and much more, possible.

“From construction applications to materials handling, we’re making people’s lives easier on a global basis,” explains Chris Barclay, President of Precision Hydraulic Cylinders (PHC).

Like many L&P products, PHC’s hydraulic cylinders comprise a small but vital piece in several end products. They are essential to the functionality of equipment like dump trucks, forklifts, truck mounted cranes, and aerial platforms.

Always Right, Always on Time

Hydraulic cylinders are used for many applications, including critical movement functions in forklifts and dump trucks.

With over 45 years of experience, PHC has proven design and technical support capabilities. But the hydraulic cylinder market also requires highly flexible manufacturing capabilities. Given the large number of configurations available on just one single forklift model, it’s not surprising that PHC’s customers require short lead times on a large product line that are usually built to order.

“PHC is selling a lot more than a high-quality hydraulic cylinder at a good price – we’re offering complete integration with our customer’s manufacturing process,” says Chris.

Providing just-in-time delivery for customers’ assembly-line style manufacturing requires a lot of coordination and sequencing within PHC’s own manufacturing process. But PHC’s commitment to provide the right product on time has enabled them to continue to capture and dominate within the market. Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →