Lear Corporation history, company profile (overview) and history video
Lear Corporation is a global manufacturer of automotive seating and automotive electrical systems headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, United States. In addition to providing seat structures and mechanisms, it provides leather, fabric, and industry-leading seat cover sewing expertise.
HISTORY
William Lear was a noted self-taught inventor. He went on to invent the Learscope Direction Finder, a radio triangulation device; the first commercial automobile radio for the company that would later become Motorola; the first practical lightweight beacon receiver for aircraft; and the Lear Jet Stereo 8 track tape in 1963, which was the precursor to cassette tapes.
In 1963, William Lear founded Lear Jets, the first company to manufacture a private, luxury aircraft.
Lear Corporation got its name from William Lear, but its original corporate entity was American Metal Products (AMP).
American Metal Products (AMP) was founded in Detroit by Fred Matthaei (1892-1973). At the age of 25, Matthaei began American Metal Products with one plant and 18 employees to manufacture tubular, welded, and stamped steel assemblies for the automotive and aviation industries.
In 1928, American Metal Products manufactured the first seat frames with coil springs.
During World War II, the company switched to military production.
By 1950, the company produced seats for all Ford passenger cars, seats and axles for Chevrolet trucks as well as some propeller shafts for some Chevrolet plants among non-automotive end-consumer products.
In 1954, AMP moved into the Canadian market by acquiring General Spring Products of Kitchener, Ontario.
In 1963, AMP acquired the No-Sag Spring Company, which has operations in Mexico, Germany, Brazil, England, and Venezuela.
In the 1960s, the company developed and manufactured the 6-way power seat mechanism and worked on the first robotic resistance welding to be used for seat frames.
In 1962, wanting to concentrate on aviation and unable to convince others within the company, William Lear sold his interest in Lear, Inc., to the Siegler Corporation, thus becoming Lear Siegler, Inc. (LSI).
In 1996, Lear Siegler, Inc. (LSI) acquired American Metal Products (AMP).
By the late 1960s, LSI produced 25% of all automotive seat assemblies and heavy truck axle housings and 20% of heavy truck and tractor seating within the U.S. and Canada.
By 1971, LSI had become the largest independent supplier of seating assemblies in the world.
In the 1990s, with about 70% of the automotive seating business in-sourced in Europe, Lear won the Saab and Volvo seat business to enter the European market.
In 1992, Lear built its first JIT facility in Eisenach, Germany, for Opel.
By 1995, Lear added programs for Jaguar and set up a Munich office for BMW.
In April 1994, the LSC Corporate entity went public.
In December 1994, Lear acquired the largest seat manufacturer in Europe, the Fiat Seat Business.
In 1995, Lear pursued new ventures in the Pacific Rim, South Africa and South America and assembled seats for Brazil’s best-selling car, the Volkswagen Gol.
In 1996, LSC changed its name to Lear Corporation.
In 1997, Lear made four significant acquisitions: ITT’s North American seating business; England’s Dunlop Cox, Ltd.; the Czech company Empetek; and Germany’s Keiper Car Seating, which strengthened Lear’s relationship with Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen.
In 1999, Lear expanded into electrical distribution systems by acquiring United Technologies Automotive (UTA).
In 2014, the company acquired the German terminals & connectors company, Grote & Hartmann.
In 2012, Lear acquired Guilford Performance Textiles.
In 2015, Lear acquired Eagle Ottawa Premium Leather, becoming one of the world’s leading suppliers of automotive leather.
In 2015, Lear acquired Autonet Mobile, a developer of software and devices for automotive applications.
In 2015, Lear also acquired Arada Systems, an automotive technology company specializing in Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2X) communications.
In 2016, Lear renamed its Electrical business segment as “E-Systems” to reflect its full portfolio of wire harnesses, terminals & connectors, complex electronic modules, power converters and inverters, battery chargers, 48-volt systems, wireless capabilities, software, cybersecurity, lighting modules, and audio components.
In September 2016, the company entered into a strategic partnership with Tempronics, and also secured exclusive rights to its thermoelectric seat heating and cooling technology for automotive applications.
In 2017, Lear Corp. acquired Grupo Antolin’s automotive seating business.
In 2022, the company acquired InTouch Automation, a supplier of Industry 4.0 technologies and automated testing equipment used in the production of automotive seats.
With more than 160,000 employees in 37 countries, Lear Corporation is considered one of the global automotive technology leaders in Seating and E-Systems. According to Forbes, it is considered one of the Largest Public Companies in the World.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.lear.com.
**Video published on YouTube by “Lear Corporation“