Facilities Report - LB Steel

Dennis, G., & Brasher, D. (2009). Facilities Report - LB Steel.

Abstract

In response to a request from Navistar Defense Management, Dewel Brasher and Glenn Dennis visited the LB Steel Manufacturing Plant in Harvey, Illinois. The purpose of the visit was to make a preliminary evaluation of the equipment, facilities and manufacturing skill levels of LB Steel to manufacture miscellaneous armor components for MRAP vehicles. LB Steel is a 450,000 square foot plant with a broad line of fabrication processes including a machine shop, oxy-fuel, plasma and laser cutting, manual and robotic welders, press brakes and painting equipment. See attached brochure on page 3 of this report. This plant is a job shop producing mostly large, low volume components used in the mining industry, but when questioned, they have capabilities and capacity to run production volumes of component parts (1000/month as an example). The report will focus on the plant operations in Harvey, Illinois, but LB Steel also has manufacturing operations at Topeka Metal Specialties Division in Topeka, Kansas where they make miscellaneous OEM products; Miner Enterprises in Geneva, Illinois where they make heavy duty unloading systems for covered hoppers, open top hoppers, coal cars or ballast cars and Peterson Manufacturing Company in Plainfield, Illinois where they make metal fabrications, steel ducts, tanks, heavy equipment components, stamping and steel structures.