The U.S. Army has selected Olin Corporation’s ammunition division, Olin Winchester—Winchester—to take over the operation and management of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, MO. Following a one-year transition period, the company will assume full operational control of the facility on Oct. 1, 2020. The contract has an initial term of seven years and the U.S. Army has the option of extending it for up to three additional years.
“Winchester is honored to have been selected by the Army to operate, maintain and modernize this unique, strategic asset of the U.S. Government’s munitions industrial base,” said Brett Flaugher, president of Winchester. “Our team is fully prepared and 100% committed to the safe, reliable, and responsible operation of Lake City, in the best interest of and service to the U.S. Military.”
The Lake City Ammunition Plant includes more than 450 buildings on 3,935 acres. The facility was established in 1940 as the Lake City Arsenal. In 1941—under the management of Remington—testing and production of small arms munitions for the U.S. Army began. Today it is the largest manufacturer of ammunition for the U.S. Military and employs nearly 2,000 civilians.
The facility produces 5.56 NATO, 7.62 NATO, .50 BMG and 20 mm ammunition. The facility also conducts performance testing, as well as disposal and demilitarization of some cartridges.
The St. Louis Business Journal reports the new contract with Winchester is valued at $28 million. Orbital ATK, which Northrop Grumman acquired in 2018, was the previous management/operations company of record.
Winchester is in its 153rd year of operation and 89th year as part of Olin, Winchester. The company has been providing ammunition to the U.S. Military since World War I and is currently the U.S. Army’s largest producer of small-caliber ammunition outside of the Lake City plant.
