Steyr Arms’ investment of $2.9 million to expand its Bessemer, AL, manufacturing facility is reaping economic benefits in the Birmingham region, with job interviews already being conducted, despite the fact improvements aren’t scheduled for completion until June 2018. Production should start later in the year. The company’s U.S. distribution and assembly center has been headquartered in the Birmingham suburb since 2013.
“We are extremely excited to bring Steyr manufacturing the to the United States,” said Scott O’Brien, Steyr Arms CEO. “We are at the point that we need to begin interviewing potential team members to make our new facility operational.”
When the company announced the move last June, Birmingham Business Alliance Project Manager Jeff Traywick said, “We are excited to see this prominent company, with a history going back more than 150 years, continuing their investment in Bessemer…This project is a prime example of growing foreign investment in the Birmingham region.”
All the company’s products destined for U.S. sales will be produced at the plant—according to a report in MadeinAlabama.com. Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce,. stated: “Steyr Arms’ decision to add a manufacturing component to its operation in Bessemer shows that Alabama provides and ideal environment for firearms makers, along with many other manufacturing businesses.”
“Steyr is renowned for building some of the world’s finest and most accurate firearms, and we are looking for candidates with skill sets that will help us carry on the company’s tradition of excellence in the U.S.,” O’Brien said. Management, operation and entry-level positions are open for the Bessemer-based employment. Resumes can be e-mailed to [email protected].
Earlier this year, Kimber announced it will be opening a plant in Troy, AL sometime in 2019, where 366 people are expected to be employed. Remington’s Huntsville, AL, plant has been fully operational for several years.
