Lehigh Structural Steel Company: Difference between revisions
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| name = Lehigh Structural Steel Company |
| name = Lehigh Structural Steel Company |
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| logo = [[File:Lehigh Structural Steel Company - Allentown PA.jpg|300px]]<BR>Facilities of the Lehigh Structural Steel Company, 1955 |
| logo = [[File:Lehigh Structural Steel Company - Allentown PA.jpg|300px]]<BR>Facilities of the Lehigh Structural Steel Company, 1955 |
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| type = [[Private company |
| type = [[Private company]] |
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| fate = Sold |
| fate = Sold |
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| successor = [[Thomas & Betts Corporation]] |
| successor = [[Thomas & Betts Corporation]] |
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| foundation = 1919 |
| foundation = 1919 |
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| defunct = |
| defunct = 1992 |
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| location = [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]] |
| location = [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]] |
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{{Coord|40|36|59|N|075|27|26|W|type:landmark|display=title}} |
{{Coord|40|36|59|N|075|27|26|W|type:landmark|display=title}} |
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| industry = [[Steel]] |
| industry = [[Steel|Steel production and fabrication]] |
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| key_people = |
| key_people = |
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| products = |
| products = |
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| num_employees = <!--peak number of employees--> |
| num_employees = <!--peak number of employees--> |
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| parent = <!--former parent companies, if any--> |
| parent = <!--former parent companies, if any--> |
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| subsid = |
| subsid = Lehigh-Lancaster Inc., Lancaster, South Carolina |
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}} |
}} |
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The '''Lehigh Structural Steel Company''' is a former steel manufacturing company, located in [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]]. The company was sold in 1992 to [[Thomas & Betts Corporation]] and its facilities were closed. |
The '''Lehigh Structural Steel Company''' is a former steel manufacturing company, located in [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]]. The company was sold in 1992 to [[Thomas & Betts Corporation]] and its facilities were closed. |
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==History== |
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The company was formed in 1919 by Thomas R. Mullen, William H. Mohr and Les Kift during the height of Allentown's industrial era. Lehigh Steel was the only major steel manufacturer in Allentown. The company fabricated steel for everything from bridges and airplane hangars to high-rise office buildings. It employed more than 500 workers in the 1960s and had annual sales of almost $90 million in the 1980s. |
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In 1967, the company expanded, purchasing Kaufman Fabricators of Texas and Wolko Engineering of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. It also constructed a second manufacturing plant, Lehigh-Lancaster Inc., in Lancaster, South Carolina. |
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Lehigh Steel began to have labor problems in June 1973 when a wildcat strike over incentive pay for welders temporarily halted production. Additionally, the company had begun facing stiff competition from lower-priced imports. |
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In early 1983, the Allentown plant closed and laid off 350 workers shortly after asking union workers to accept wage and benefits concessions. The union agreed to concessions several months later but the plant was shuttered for more than a year until it reopened in July 1984. Shortly afterwards, Lehigh Steel won a large contract to provide structural steel for two New York City office buildings that guaranteed work into February 1985. At that time, the company employed 260 people and had annual sales of almost $90 million. |
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However, pressure from foreign steel manufacturers led to a loss of orders during the mid-1980s. Canadian steel manufacturers, in paticular, was cited for dumping more than 120,000 tons of steel a year to the United States during the late 1980s. While the Canadian market share amounted to about 5 percent at the time, a majority of the imports were being dumped in the Northeast. Lehigh Structural Steel's prime market. |
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In 1989, the company announced the decision to stop fabricating steel in Allentown, citing company losses of about $10 million in five years and the firm was no longer able to secure financing or bonding for future operations. The Lancaster plant, however, would remain open. |
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The company sold its Allentown plant in June 1990 for $3 million to three local investors who renovate it and begin to lease out space to area companies. The number of employees was reduced in Allentown to a small group of twelve executives. |
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In June 1992, the Lancaster South Carolina plant was sold, and the last assets of Lehigh Steel were purchased by Thomas & Betts Corporation, an electrical equipment manufacturer based in Bridgewater, New Jersey on 25 August 1992. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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Revision as of 14:34, 16 August 2013
| File:Lehigh Structural Steel Company - Allentown PA.jpg Facilities of the Lehigh Structural Steel Company, 1955 | |
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Steel production and fabrication |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Fate | Sold |
| Successor | Thomas & Betts Corporation |
| Headquarters | Allentown, Pennsylvania 40°36′59″N 075°27′26″W / 40.61639°N 75.45722°W |
| Subsidiaries | Lehigh-Lancaster Inc., Lancaster, South Carolina |
The Lehigh Structural Steel Company is a former steel manufacturing company, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company was sold in 1992 to Thomas & Betts Corporation and its facilities were closed.
History
The company was formed in 1919 by Thomas R. Mullen, William H. Mohr and Les Kift during the height of Allentown's industrial era. Lehigh Steel was the only major steel manufacturer in Allentown. The company fabricated steel for everything from bridges and airplane hangars to high-rise office buildings. It employed more than 500 workers in the 1960s and had annual sales of almost $90 million in the 1980s.
In 1967, the company expanded, purchasing Kaufman Fabricators of Texas and Wolko Engineering of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. It also constructed a second manufacturing plant, Lehigh-Lancaster Inc., in Lancaster, South Carolina.
Lehigh Steel began to have labor problems in June 1973 when a wildcat strike over incentive pay for welders temporarily halted production. Additionally, the company had begun facing stiff competition from lower-priced imports.
In early 1983, the Allentown plant closed and laid off 350 workers shortly after asking union workers to accept wage and benefits concessions. The union agreed to concessions several months later but the plant was shuttered for more than a year until it reopened in July 1984. Shortly afterwards, Lehigh Steel won a large contract to provide structural steel for two New York City office buildings that guaranteed work into February 1985. At that time, the company employed 260 people and had annual sales of almost $90 million.
However, pressure from foreign steel manufacturers led to a loss of orders during the mid-1980s. Canadian steel manufacturers, in paticular, was cited for dumping more than 120,000 tons of steel a year to the United States during the late 1980s. While the Canadian market share amounted to about 5 percent at the time, a majority of the imports were being dumped in the Northeast. Lehigh Structural Steel's prime market.
In 1989, the company announced the decision to stop fabricating steel in Allentown, citing company losses of about $10 million in five years and the firm was no longer able to secure financing or bonding for future operations. The Lancaster plant, however, would remain open.
The company sold its Allentown plant in June 1990 for $3 million to three local investors who renovate it and begin to lease out space to area companies. The number of employees was reduced in Allentown to a small group of twelve executives.
In June 1992, the Lancaster South Carolina plant was sold, and the last assets of Lehigh Steel were purchased by Thomas & Betts Corporation, an electrical equipment manufacturer based in Bridgewater, New Jersey on 25 August 1992.
