modern industries expansions

Posted May 2006

Leggett & Platt Inc., parent company of Modern Industries, LLC, has announced an expansion of Modern Industries in Chattanooga. The expansion is anticipated to bring in 146 new full-time jobs within three years and represents an investment of $10.2 million in machinery, equipment and facility improvements.

This expansion at Modern Industries is consistent with Leggett & Platt’s announcement last year to restructure its manufacturing footprint in North America. Many of the new jobs to be introduced at Modern Industries will be transferred from a Leggett & Platt facility in Ohio that is scheduled for consolidation. Modern Industries currently employs 225 people at its main facility in Lookout Valley.

The new operation will be located in the former Lookout Knitting facility, also in Lookout Valley. Leggett and Platt is in the process of moving equipment and machinery from Ohio to the new Lookout Valley facility.

Modern Industries primarily makes wire frames and seat components for the automotive seating market. Modern Industries supplies product for a wide range of vehicles manufactured in North America. Modern Industries’ direct customers include Johnson Controls, Woodbridge Foam and Lear Seating.

"Leggett & Platt has made a strategic decision to grow our Chattanooga facility. Our company has expressed a tremendous amount of confidence in our workforce, and we are proud to play a key role in Leggett & Platt’s continued growth in the automotive market," said Modern Industries General Manager Jeff McCay.

"I am extremely pleased that another Chattanooga manufacturer is expanding and adding almost 150 new jobs to our economy," said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. "The Modern Industries development clearly indicates that our community is a premier location for business expansion."

"Chattanooga boasts a rich heritage as a manufacturing hub," said Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, "and we are fortunate to have a large workforce of highly skilled and productive workers that help attract expansions like the one at Modern Industries."

"Modern Industries has been a long-time corporate partner in Tennessee, and we are excited about the company’s decision to expand its operations in Chattanooga and create nearly 150 new jobs here," said Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matthew Kisber. "Tennessee is consistently ranked among the top states in the country for business location or expansion, and today’s announcement is another indication that we are successfully partnering at the state and local levels, and providing the right tools and the right business environment for growth."

"Automotive manufacturing is one of our target industries," said Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Vice President for Economic Development Trevor Hamilton.

"In fact, in January both Mayors Littlefield and Ramsey and I attended the Automotive News World Congress and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. During the trip, we met with Barry Jones, President, North America, Leggett & Platt Automotive Group, at its Group Headquarters in Ontario, Canada. This kind of personal contact was important in solidifying our community’s commitment to assist in expanding Modern Industries’ operations here in Chattanooga."

Modern Industries was formed in 1987 as a sister company to a pattern and mold facility, Modern Pattern Engineers. Modern Industries Inc. was originally founded in 1966 as Modern Pattern Engineers Inc.

In 1989 Modern Industries Inc. was incorporated as a wire-forming venture. Since then welded assemblies, springs and tubular products have been added to the company’s manufacturing capabilities.

In 1994 Modern Industries Inc. moved from a downtown Chattanooga location to its current location in Lookout Valley. Ten years later, Modern Industries Inc. joined the automotive division of Leggett & Platt Inc. to become Modern Industries LLC.

The home office of Leggett & Platt Inc. is located in Carthage, MO.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is the leading business and economic development organization for the Chattanooga region. For over 100 years, the Chattanooga Chamber has provided community engagement and opportunities for businesses, large and small, including networking, business promotion, business discounts, and public policy advocacy, as well as leadership development and training opportunities.

In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber is a one-stop-shop for site selectors and business decision-makers considering investments and job creation projects in the Chattanooga region. The Chattanooga Chamber is also responsible for marketing Enterprise South Industrial Park, a top-tier industrial park that offers significant strategic business advantages. In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber administers the Chattanooga Hamilton County Business Development Center, the largest business incubator in the U.S. in terms of the number of start up companies it houses, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth, an innovative effort to nurture technology-based start-up companies.

As the first stop for people interested in moving to the Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Chamber provides a range of relocation information including demographics, informational videos, connections to Chattanooga Area jobs, and frequently asked questions.