Leggett & Platt

Last updated
Leggett & Platt, Incorporated
Company type Public company
IndustryResidential Bedding and Furniture
Automotive Seating
Industrial Materials
Founded1883;141 years ago (1883)
Headquarters Carthage, Missouri, U.S.
Key people
J. Mitchell Dolloff, CEO
RevenueIncrease2.svg US$4.28 billion (2020)
Increase2.svg US$280 million (2020)
Increase2.svg US$253 million (2020)
Number of employees
20,000 [1]  (2020)
Website leggett.com

Leggett & Platt (L&P), based in Carthage, Missouri, is an American diversified manufacturer that designs and produces various engineered components and products that can be found in homes and automobiles. The firm was founded in 1883, and consists of 15 business units, 20,000 employee-partners, and 135 manufacturing facilities located in 18 countries. [2]

Contents

Leggett management

As of January 2022, senior corporate executives included:

Board of directors

DirectorJoined InPositionCompany
Mark A. Blinn2019Retired President, CEO, DirectorFlowserve Corporation
Robert E. Brunner2009Retired Executive VPIllinois Tool Works, Inc.
Mary Campbell2019Chief Merchandising OfficerQurate Retail Group
J. Mitchell Dolloff2020CEO & PresidentLeggett & Platt
Manuel A. Fernandez2014Managing directorSI Ventures
Karl G. Glassman2002Retired CEOLeggett & Platt
Joseph W. McClanathan2005Retired President & CEOEnergizer Household Products Division of Energizer Holdings
Judy C. Odom2002Retired Chairman & CEOSoftware Spectrum, Inc.
Srikanth Padmanabhan2018Vice-presidentCummins Inc.
Jai Shah2019Group PresidentMasco Corporation
Phoebe A. Wood2005PrincipalCompaniesWood

Company history

J.P. Leggett JP Leggett.JPG
J.P. Leggett
C.B. Platt CB Platt.jpg
C.B. Platt

In 1883 in Carthage, Missouri, J.P. Leggett developed a new type of bedspring consisting of single cone spring wire coils, formed and interlaced, then mounted on a wood slat base. The bedspring could then be used as a base for the then-popular cotton, feather, or horsehair mattresses. Needing expertise in manufacturing and production, he recruited his soon-to-be brother-in-law, C.B. Platt, whose father owned and operated Platt Plow Works, into the partnership. Together, they produced the components of their Leggett & Platt bedspring, which was patented in 1885.

Bedspring vs. Innerspring
At the time of their invention, bedsprings referred to cone-shaped wire coiled springs, attached to a wooden slat foundation, used to support then-popular mattresses. These mattresses were typically made of horse hair, corn husks, cotton, feathers, or another soft material. Early bedsprings functioned similarly to today's box springs in their support of a mattress. However, box springs are rather rigid in structure, while bedsprings provide a more flexible surface.
Innersprings , by contrast, refer to the core system of wire springs that, along with various types of foam and other padding materials, comprise the insides of today's mattress. The mattress is usually coupled with a box spring to create a sleep set. Innersprings can be coiled springs laced together, continuous coil springs, or individually encased springs, that support a person sleeping on the mattress.

The Carthage market for their new product was very limited. To expand the market to a wider region, Platt and George Leggett, brother of J. P. Leggett, would load a horse-drawn wagon with bedsprings and travel to surrounding communities. Often, to conserve space, they would load the springs and slats separately into the wagon and assemble them in a store or on an adjacent sidewalk. The partnership prospered, and the business was incorporated in 1901.

The Platt Plow Works Platt Plow Works.jpg
The Platt Plow Works

The company built its first factory and offices in Carthage in 1890. The workforce at that time consisted of the two partners and five employees. Soon after completion of the Carthage plant, a second factory was built in Louisville, Kentucky. During the next 50 years, three more factories were built. Demand for the company's improved bedsprings was rising, and a second plant was built in Carthage in 1925. The new, much larger plant was located next to a railroad to allow for expanded shipments of products and supplies. In 1942, an additional factory was built in Winchester, Kentucky, which was subsequently consolidated with the Louisville plant. For some time, Texas had proven to be a main market outlet, and in 1947, a major factory was built in Ennis, Texas. By 1947, Leggett & Platt consisted of 4 plants and 500 employees.

Although available in various models and continuously improved upon, bedsprings were practically the only product Leggett & Platt offered until 1933. However, in that year the company began to manufacture springs for innerspring mattresses, which were relatively new products in the industry and growing in popularity. Thereafter, the company slowly began to diversify its products within the bedding industry by producing rollaway beds and folding metal cots, along with bed frames and bed rails.

Innerspring mattress components Innerspring.jpg
Innerspring mattress components

In 1960, Harry M. Cornell Jr., J.P. Leggett's grandson, was elected President and CEO of the company, taking over for his father (who was Leggett's son-in-law). The company's total sales in 1960 were approximately $7 million from three states: Kentucky, Texas, and Missouri. Determining the course and future of the company became management's primary objective. Following an extensive evaluation of the company and its potential, Cornell and his management partners concluded that Leggett & Platt's best opportunities for profitable growth lay in a strategy of specializing in manufacturing, marketing, and distributing a broad and growing line of components and related products, first nationally and eventually on a worldwide basis. Key drivers of future sales and earnings would include aggressive internal growth initiatives, coupled with an active and ongoing acquisition program.

J.P. Leggett's original bedspring and patent Patent Spring.jpg
J.P. Leggett's original bedspring and patent

Even greater success followed, and Leggett & Platt became known as “the components people.” Leggett & Platt stock was first traded over the counter in 1967. Twelve years later, on June 25, 1979, top management was present in New York City to witness the stock's first day listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1999, the company became part of the S&P 500 Index.

Today, Leggett & Platt has 135 manufacturing facilities in 18 countries.

Timeline

Executive leadership: past & present

ExecutiveYears of Service
J.P. Leggett & C.B. Platt, Partnership1883–1901
J.P. Leggett1901–1921
C.B. Platt1921–1929
J.P. Leggett, Jr.1929–1933
F.B. Williams1933–1938
George S. Beimdiek, Sr.1938–1953
Harry M. Cornell, Sr.1953–1960
Harry M. Cornell, Jr.1960–1999
Felix E. Wright1999–2006
David S. Haffner2006–2015
Karl G. Glassman2016–2021
J. Mitchell Dolloff2022–Present

LEG stock

History of stock splits:

Philanthropy

Leggett & Platt is a signature sponsor of the Seena Magowitz Foundation, helping support the mission to eradicate the world of pancreatic cancer. [4]


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References

  1. "Leggett & Platt". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  2. https://leggett.gcs-web.com/static-files/1b1a6024-bb63-4186-b980-e8cb5d5c42aa.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Signature Bank, SolarEdge Technologies and FactSet Research Systems Set to Join S&P 500; Others to Join S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600" (PDF). S&P Dow Jones Indices . December 3, 2021.
  4. "Major Sponsors - Seena Magowitz Foundation". Seena Magowitz Foundation. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 2024-01-05.