Lear Siegler
Encyclopedia
Lear Siegler Incorporated was created as a result of a merger between the Siegler Corporation
(Los Angeles
) and Lear Avionics Inc. (Santa Monica
) that was concluded in 1961. John G. Brooks was the founder; President and Chairman of Siegler and William Lear was the founder; President and Chairman at Lear. The merger was based on Brooks' goal of growing Siegler into one of the first conglomerates (with a focus on aerospace markets) and Lear’s goal of divesting his ownership interest in Lear to pursue development of his Learjet corporate aircraft (the first pure jet private aircraft).
.
The resulting corporation, Lear Siegler Inc. leveraged its new expertise in controls, instruments and navigation systems into a steadily increasing share of government and general aviation contracts for research and development as well as system delivery. Notable innovations include inertial guidance systems, "hands off" landing systems, the telemetry and navigational instrumentation for the Apollo Moon missions, and the flight controls for the Lockheed L-1011
commercial aircraft.
The business climate was strongly influenced by the political undercurrent that accelerated when Sputnik was launched and amplified when President John F. Kennedy
set as a national goal putting an American astronaut on the Moon by the end of the decade of the 1960s. This goal, based on an unprecedented effort by the combined resources of the American aerospace Industry, was achieved in 1969.
By 1970 LSI had 56 divisions in 17 countries operating in six major business areas — commercial products, fabricated products, avionics, power equipment, systems and services, and real estate. Keys to the company's growth and performance were product diversification; balanced growth, where internal growth matches growth by acquisition; a favorable sales ratio between non-government and government business; a formalized, in-depth planning program; and emphasis on management development. Sales had skyrocketed from $6.5 million at its inception to over $600 million by the close of 1969. Government / Aerospace accounted for 65% of its volume.
In its expansion Lear Siegler had acquired Bangor Punta, which was an early conglomerate manufacturing Piper Aircraft, multiple brands of sailboats, Smith and Wesson firearms and other well known brands. In March 2002, Lear Siegler was acquired by EG&G
Defense Materials Inc.
In August 2002 the defense and services sector of EG&G was acquired by URS Corporation headquartered in San Francisco. Then December 2009 URS announced its decision to discontinue the use of EG&G, Washington Group, and Lear Siegler brand names. EG&G became the Federal Services Division which included Lear Siegler. The brand name of Lear Siegler no longer exist. URS Corp.
http://www.urscorp.com/EGG_Division/lsi/index.php
Siegler Corporation
The Siegler Corporation was created by a group of investors in 1952 in Chicago, Illinois and began operations following the acquisition of the Siegler Heater Corporation in Centralia, Illinois. John G. Brooks headed up the new enterprise...
(Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
) and Lear Avionics Inc. (Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
) that was concluded in 1961. John G. Brooks was the founder; President and Chairman of Siegler and William Lear was the founder; President and Chairman at Lear. The merger was based on Brooks' goal of growing Siegler into one of the first conglomerates (with a focus on aerospace markets) and Lear’s goal of divesting his ownership interest in Lear to pursue development of his Learjet corporate aircraft (the first pure jet private aircraft).
History
During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s and 1970s America and Southern California in particular was experiencing an unprecedented boom in aviation technology and aerospace research and development, based on a "space race" inaugurated by the launch of Sputnik, a simple but startling first in a long history of scientific and technological competition between the United States and the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
The resulting corporation, Lear Siegler Inc. leveraged its new expertise in controls, instruments and navigation systems into a steadily increasing share of government and general aviation contracts for research and development as well as system delivery. Notable innovations include inertial guidance systems, "hands off" landing systems, the telemetry and navigational instrumentation for the Apollo Moon missions, and the flight controls for the Lockheed L-1011
Lockheed L-1011
The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
commercial aircraft.
The business climate was strongly influenced by the political undercurrent that accelerated when Sputnik was launched and amplified when President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
set as a national goal putting an American astronaut on the Moon by the end of the decade of the 1960s. This goal, based on an unprecedented effort by the combined resources of the American aerospace Industry, was achieved in 1969.
By 1970 LSI had 56 divisions in 17 countries operating in six major business areas — commercial products, fabricated products, avionics, power equipment, systems and services, and real estate. Keys to the company's growth and performance were product diversification; balanced growth, where internal growth matches growth by acquisition; a favorable sales ratio between non-government and government business; a formalized, in-depth planning program; and emphasis on management development. Sales had skyrocketed from $6.5 million at its inception to over $600 million by the close of 1969. Government / Aerospace accounted for 65% of its volume.
In its expansion Lear Siegler had acquired Bangor Punta, which was an early conglomerate manufacturing Piper Aircraft, multiple brands of sailboats, Smith and Wesson firearms and other well known brands. In March 2002, Lear Siegler was acquired by EG&G
EG&G
EG&G, formally known as Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier, Inc., is a United States national defense contractor and provider of management and technical services. The company was involved in contracting services to the United States government during World War II, and conducted weapons research and...
Defense Materials Inc.
In August 2002 the defense and services sector of EG&G was acquired by URS Corporation headquartered in San Francisco. Then December 2009 URS announced its decision to discontinue the use of EG&G, Washington Group, and Lear Siegler brand names. EG&G became the Federal Services Division which included Lear Siegler. The brand name of Lear Siegler no longer exist. URS Corp.
URS Corp.
URS Corporation is an engineering design firm and a U.S. federal government contractor. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, URS is a full-service, global organization with offices located in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.-History:...
http://www.urscorp.com/EGG_Division/lsi/index.php