H&R 1871 gun shop closing its doors

Move part of Remington’s consolidation; more than 200 local employees affected

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — Remington Arms Co. Inc., the United States’ largest firearms manufacturer, Monday announced a strategic manufacturing consolidation move that will result in the closure of its Gardner plant. The closure, which will affect more than 200 local employees, came as a surprise to Mayor Mark Hawke, who described the company’s short notice of the consolidation as a “travesty.” When asked what the effect would be on the city as a whole, Mr. Hawke said “The closing is going to affect the 200 people who are losing their jobs first, and it will certainly hurt the local economy as well.” Mr. Hawke was particularly upset with the way in which the closing was relayed to both local government officials and the employees of the plant. According to Mr. Hawke, he was notified via e-mail only minutes after it was announced at the plant. “For them to notify area press and government by e-mail, I think is horrendous,” said Mr. Hawke. After hearing of the consolidation, Mr. Hawke called Remington. According to Mr. Hawke, the fact that Remington management officials had not alerted anyone on the city or state level of the closure until the day of was unacceptable. “We could have done something to keep these jobs here, to keep this business in Gardner — in Massachusetts.” According to a Remington press release, Tommy Millner, Remington’s chief executive officer, said that although it was a hard decision to close the Gardner plant, it will benefit the company in the long run. “While it was a difficult decision to close (the plant in) Gardner, we believe that this consolidation will enhance our ability to more efficiently provide quality products at competitive prices in an increasingly demanding global marketplace,” said Mr. Millner, “We are always looking for ways to strengthen and optimize our business in order to stay competitive, while also creating additional opportunities for our employees and better products for customers.” According to Al Russo, director of marketing for Remington, the time frame for the closure is still being formulated. “We know we will be closed before the end of the year,” said Mr. Russo. “When we start is still to be determined at this point.” Asked what the immediate benefits to the company would be Mr. Russo said, “It’s financial; it will help in the consolidation of our shipping, all of our factories are doing business with the same customers, so if we consolidate, that’s just one less plant that we will have to deal with.” The clear benefit of this consolidation will result in centralizing their sales, and streamlining their operations, according to Mr. Russo. He had no comment regarding the short notice to city officials of the company’s consolidation, but when asked why Gardner and not one of the other plants was consolidated, he said, “Gardner is one of our smaller locations.” According to the release from Remington, a number of employees will transition from Gardner to other capacities within the company. For those who are not transferred, the company will be offering severance, outplacement, and referral services in order to assist in this difficult transition. Remington, headquartered in Madison, N.C., designs, produces and sells sporting goods products for the hunting and shooting sports markets under a family of brands including Remington, Marlin, HR 1871, LLC, New England Firearms, LC Smith and Parker as well as weapons to the military, government and law enforcement markets. Founded in 1816 in upstate New York, the company is one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating manufacturers and is the only U.S. manufacturer of both firearms and ammunition products. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 4/8/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 84)