plant relocation

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Hello, LaGrange; Goodbye, Ilion

December 2, 2023 by 2 Comments

After 217 years, Remington is leaving Ilion, New York. RemArms LLC, the post-bankruptcy successor to Remington Arms, announced yesterday that they will be closing down the plant in Ilion and moving all operations to their new location in LaGrange, Georgia. The Ilion plant will close in March 2024.

From the Utica Observer-Dispatch:

“I am writing to inform you that RemArms, LLC (“the Company”) has decided to close its entire operations at 14 Hoefler Avenue, Ilion, NY 13357 (the “Ilion Facility”),” begins the letter ending two centuries of history. “The Company expects that operations at the Ilion Facility will conclude on or about March 4, 2024. The Company did not arrive at this decision lightly.” 

The layoffs should take place between March 4 and March 18, wrote Brian Wheatley, director of benefits and compensation for the firm in Kernersville, North Carolina, to officials with the United Mine Workers of America. 

The 270 workers at the plant are represented by the United Mine Workers of America. After saying the union had worked tirelessly with the company, the workers, and local officials to keep the plant open, they are calling this move a “slap in the face”.

The union contends that:

“The simple fact is that RemArms will never be able to match the experience and dedication of the workers in Central New York, who for generations worked in this plant and kept this company alive.

“We urge RemArms LLC to reconsider this decision and explore alternative solutions that would allow the Ilion plant to remain operational. The extensive cleanup for abandoning this plant could potentially cost the town of Ilion and the state of New York a massive amount of money.

Last November, Georgia officials including Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) welcomed the news that Remington was moving their global headquarters to LaGrange as well as building an “advanced manufacturing operation” there. Remington also planned to put a R&D center in LaGrange as well.

Village of Ilion Mayor John Stephens told the Albany Times-Union that he was not surprised by the news.

Stephens said the pending move became clear over the last few years as more and more models of firearms production were pulled out of Ilion and moved to LaGrange, Georgia.

Currently, he said, the company still makes its popular 700-model hunting rifles and shotguns in Ilion. Previously, the factory also made firearms for police and military use.

Ilion is hoping to find another tenant for the historic Remington plant given the need to warehouse space in the region.

Remington posted a video announcement by CEO Ken D’Arcy of the decision to consolidate in LaGrange. In his announcement, D’Arcy made note that Georgia has been welcoming to the firearms industry. He said keeping the old plant going was becoming cost prohibitive and that legislative environment in New York was a major concern.

I don’t think any observer of the firearms industry is surprised by the news. Perhaps the real surprise was that they actually restarted the Ilion plant after the bankruptcy given its age and the toxic nature of New York politics. Losing a major employer always hurts and it especially hurts in such a small town as Ilion.

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Stag Arms Leaving Connecticut

June 8, 2019 by 1 Comment

The Stag Arms’ Board of Directors announced that they plan to relocate the company out of New Britain, CT. The new location has not been finalized yet.

The full text of the announcement was posted on Facebook:

Today, Stag Arms announced that its Board of Directors has decided to relocate the company from its current facility in New Britain, CT, as part of its strategic initiative to significantly improve the overall customer experience. The location of Stag’s new headquarters has not been finalized but the Board has narrowed down the options to a short list of vibrant communities where there is significant support for the firearms industry.

Stag Arms President, Anthony Ash, stated: “Not since the founding of our Company in 2003 have there been so many great things happening at once. We began our journey with a commitment to bring customers innovative products with uncompromising quality through 100% American Made components. We pioneered the left-handed Modern Sporting Rifle and from Day 1 we have backed all of our rifles with Infinite Shot Barrel and Lifetime Transferable Warranties. Our recent release of our newest product line of PXCs, Stag’s innovative multiple pistol caliber AR, continues the tradition.”

Mr. Ash further stated, “Stag is creating a seamless, integrated value chain that will incorporate best practices from design and engineering, to manufacturing, omni-channel customer engagement, fulfillment, and service. The pieces are in place and we are ready to transition production and fulfillment operations immediately from a narrow facility-based approach in New Britain to a distributed eco-system.”

The Board expects to finalize the location of the headquarters in the next few months and the company then will begin the process of relocating sales and remaining back office functions to the new headquarters location.

Back in 2013 Stag almost moved to either Houston or Myrtle Beach, SC. Then company CEO Mark Malkowski made the decision to remain in Connecticut due to expense involved with the move. You may also remember that PTR Industries left the same area of Connecticut about that time for Aynor, SC.

Ownership of Stag Arms changed hands in 2016 due to running afoul of BATFE regulations. Malkowski and Stag pleaded guilty to charges involving unregistered machine guns. As part of the plea deal, Malkowski was forced to sell the company and was banned from the industry. White Wolf Capital bought Stag Arms and added it to their portfolio which also included Ballistic Advantage, VG6 Precision, and Aero-Precision.

New Britain town officials were not surprised by the announcement.

New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said the announcement “comes as no surprise.”

“We have known for many years that Stag has been courted by other states following the passage of more stringent gun laws here in Connecticut,” she said in an emailed statement. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised it took this long.”

While none of the potential locations have been named, I’m going out on a limb here and saying it won’t be Tacoma, Washington which is the home of Aero-Precision given the recent changes in Washington State gun laws. More likely, is a relocation nearer to Ballistic Advantage which is in a suburb of Orlando, FL.

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I Missed This Story About Taurus From Earlier This Year

January 17, 2019 by 2 Comments

I’m not sure how I missed this as I like to keep up with the relocation of manufacturing within the firearms industry but I did. What clued me in was a posting on The Shooting Wire that this move won an award from the Georgia Economic Developers Association.

Taurus USA announced in April that they were building a manufacturing facility in Bainbridge, Georgia.

Taurus Holdings, Inc. (“Taurus USA”) announces plans to establish a manufacturing facility in Bainbridge, Georgia, part of Decatur County, creating over 300 new jobs with a combined investment of over $22.5MM in infrastructure and operations. Taurus USA, through its subsidiaries, manufactures or distributes the popular Taurus®, Rossi®, and Heritage™ Manufacturing product lines….



David Blenker, President & CEO of Taurus USA comments, “The decision to relocate stems from our desire to expand our facility, keeping all operations in one location. All involved have welcomed Taurus, from the Governor’s office to the Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to establishing a solid workforce and giving back to a great community,” continued Blenker. Ground breaking ceremonies will take place mid-summer 2018.

Not being too terribly conversant with Georgia geography, I had to look up Bainbridge. It is in southwest Georgia near the Florida state line west of Thomasville. Perhaps more importantly, it is less than an hour’s drive to Tallahassee, Florida. It has is the home to Bainbridge State College which has partnered with industry on many occasions.

The award announcement on the facility:

In December 2019, Taurus will complete its move to a new 200,000 square foot facility in Bainbridge. This new state-of-the-art facility will help expand the company’s U.S. engineering and production capabilities, host the new corporate headquarters, and further strengthen core manufacturing efforts to better meet consumer expectations in firearm innovation and quality performance. For the Bainbridge and Decatur County area, this move will add 300 jobs and insert more than $22.5 million into the economy.

I’m not sure what was the impetus to this move from their Miami Lakes location in Florida. It could be cost of living, cost of labor, politics, or merely the desire to be a big fish in a small pond. I’ll be sure to visit the Taurus booth this coming week at the SHOT Show and ask.

By the way, I know it is convenient to hate on Taurus. I have a couple of their firearms – a Tracker 627 revolver and a PT1911 – which have worked fine for me. I got them used at a good price and I’m OK with them. They aren’t Smith or Colt respectively but I didn’t intend them to be.