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About Us
The New Millennium | Pre-Millennium | Company History | Employment OpportunitiesThe New Millennium
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In 2003, LGS celebrated its 50th year in the fabrication business, and this milestone provided for a convenient time to reflect on our long history, and what made the company successful. The success of LGS can be attributed to many factors, including: its loyal customer ranks; the breadth of the regional industrial base; the decisions and risks taken by our company owners and mangers, the manufacturing skills of our production workforce; and, the indomitable spirit of our sales department.
LGS entered the new millennium as a completely changed company. An unprecedented amount of money was invested in new production equipment, new ERP software was installed, the company name was changed to better reflect our increased capabilities and evolving customer base, ISO registration was obtained, and a brand new 153,000 sq. ft. facility was completed.
Pre-Millennium
The seeds of change were sown in the early 90’s when new projects that included establishing a formal finished goods inventory, improving employee training programs, and the addition of new equipment including: CNC Mills, Laser Machines, Rotary Die Cutters, Water Jet cutter, PRO/Engineering Software, and a CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) was launched.
In the early 1990’s the concept of OEMs outsourcing “non-essential” operations began to take hold and LGS benefited by becoming the preferred supplier to new contract manufacturing organizations. LGS shared in this business because of very broad capabilities to fabricate metal and non-metal items, expertise in adhesives and quick response to customers’ demands for parts and assemblies.
A Brief Company History follows…….
The early years
Longhorn Gasket & Supply Company was originally founded in a 3500-sq. ft. building near downtown Dallas in 1953. A vital part, in the beginning stages of business was production of leather transmission belts, some of which were 1/2’’ to 5/8’’ thick and 24’’ to 36’’ wide. That’s a lot of cowhide! Later, nylon reinforced belts for grain elevators, flour mills and the textile mills made a brief appearance until machinery replaced much of this business in the post World-War II years. In the early days, the business was a family-run operation along with a few friends.
The Texas oil boom
As a “wild cat” explorations began with on-and-off shore oil rigs, the standard product line grew to become gaskets made of cork, rubber and metal. Adding the Armstrong Cork line of materials affected a major impact on the bottom line profits. Early rubber suppliers were Acme Hamilton, B.F. Goodrich, and later in 1968 West American Rubber. Longhorn added sheet metal processing to support the fabrication of metal gaskets, shim sets and other parts required by the oil and heavy equipment industries. Development of in-house steel rule dies and Class A metal tooling was a necessity in order to enhance delivery times.
Defense, and finally the Cold War
In, the early sixties, during the Vietnam War years, a metal stamping operation and a 45-ton press were added. To support the war effort, Longhorn supplied military specification raw materials, various bomb parts and cushions for hand grenades. Defense business was on the increase. Furon CHR Industries’ silicone and the tape rounded out the product line in 1968. Automatic feeds for presses were installed to increase productivity. Pressure sensitive adhesives were introduced into the marketplace and Longhorn became a 3M Industrial converter.
Electronics and related industries
In 1980, Longhorn moved to a new 65,000 sq. ft. building at 2425 W. Longhorn Dr., in Lancaster, Texas (15 miles South of Dallas) served the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and four state area including Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Acreage in Longhorn Business Park left plenty of room for expansion. Because of an extensive raw materials inventory, and Longhorn’s growing reputation as a “one stop fabrication shop” the company grew at a 10-30% annual pace. To improve efficiency, a new computer system was installed. Business was, once again changing. Oil and defense industries made space for the new guys on the block….electronics, telecommunications and computers. Longhorn Gasket & Supply added a Longhorn Specialty Company division to alert our customers to the fact that Longhorn had capabilities other than gaskets. During the 1980’s and the early 1990’s Longhorn became an approved fabricator for Rogers Corp. PORON along with Monsanto’s Flectron product line. Customer orders for formed metal, plastic & fibre parts, a variety of EMI/RFI laminations, and integral gasket-to- metal busbars and door enclosures added to Longhorn’s value. At the end of this period, Longhorn sales exceeded $10 Million.
As the outsourcing trend continues to grow, LGS has participated by stepping out into kitting, subassembly, and contract manufacturing for mechanical and electromechanical assemblies. LGS’s FDA certification puts the organization in a very solid position to service assembly needs of the Medical Diagnostic and Point of Care device community.
Customer Awards/Recognition
Through the years, LGS/Longhorn has received many customer and vendor appreciation awards. The most recent awards were form Lockheed-Martin, Abbott Laboratories, Nokia Mobile Phone, and B-Braun McGaw.