Winchester Assumes Operational Control of Lake City Ammo Plant

Olin Corporation’s Winchester Division has taken over full management and operational control of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, which is located on 3,935 acres in Independence, MO. The facility produces small arms components and cartridges for military use, including 5.56 NATO, 7.62 NATO, .50 BMG and 20 mm. The government-owned facility is privately managed and also tests and decommissions ammunition used by U.S. armed forces.

“Winchester employees have built a reputation with the U.S. Army that is unrivaled, and for the past year, we have been preparing for this significant transition,” said Brett Flaugher, president of Winchester. “We were selected to manage the Lake City plant because of our industry-leading capabilities and track record. For decades, we have successfully demonstrated those capabilities in quality, innovation and on-time delivery as well as through our partnership with the U.S. Army in developing solutions that service the U.S. Warfighter. Our team is fully prepared and 100-percent committed to the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the Lake City plant.”

The change in management is the first since 2001. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems previously oversaw operations at the facility.

Lake City Army Ammunition Plant was established in 1940, and by 1941 Remington was managing the plant’s production. In 1985 Olin Corporation won the contract to oversee operations. Alliant Technosystems took over in 2001 in an agreement carried through its merger with Northrop Grumman in 2018, which resulted in the corporation’s official name change. Civilian employees constitute the majority of the 2,000 staff members at the facility, which produces nearly 2 billion cartridges annually.

Winchester is currently in its 154th year of operation and 90th year as part of Olin. The company has been providing ammunition to the U.S. military since World War I and is currently the U.S. Army’s largest supplier of small caliber ammunition outside of the Lake City plant.