Steyr Arms announced today it will invest $2.9 million to add a manufacturing component to its Alabama facility, a key assembly and distribution hub for the firearms maker. The project will create up to 10 jobs, according to the Birmingham Business Alliance.
The company’s Jefferson County location is its only U.S. subsidiary that imports, distributes and assembles Steyr firearms, as well as some firearms from Merkel. Steyr plans to relocate the manufacturing of its products for U.S. sales from Austria to the Bessemer facility.
“This expansion represents a great deal of trust in our operations in Bessemer, on behalf of our parent company,” said Scott O’Brien, president of Steyr Arms.
“Our operations and workforce here are world-class, and we are proud to be able to serve our U.S. customers in a new and efficient way,” he added.
The investment will mainly include the purchase of new equipment to process components used in the production of firearms and final assembly. The project is expected to be fully completed in June 2019, though manufacturing is expected to start on-site by the end of this year.
‘VOTE OF CONFIDENCE’
“This project is a prime example of growing foreign investment in the Birmingham region.”
Steyr Arms is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious firearms manufacturers. It produces comprehensive lines of premium hunting rifles and precision sporting and tactical firearms.In 2013, the company invested $1.7 million to move its local operations from Trussville to Bessemer and has since doubled its workforce. It currently employs 15 people in Bessemer.
Read more at madeinalabama.com
Photo courtesy of Steyr Arms
