Remington Reloaded: The Revival Of An Ammunition Giant

Remington’s 205-year-old Lonoke, Arkansas ammunition plant almost collapsed before Vista Outdoor – owner of Federal Ammunition, CCI and Speer – won a 2020 auction of Remington’s assets, restoring the plant to its former glory.

Established in 1969 by DuPoint, Lonoke became Remington’s sole manufacturing site – with exceptional standards set by DuPont’s experts. The plant was an American manufacturing success story until its sale in the early 2000s to sequential investors whose poor leadership caused heavy profit and staff losses. In July 2020, Remington Ammunition filed for bankruptcy. Remington Outdoor folded that September.

The decline

“We saw a lot of changes when DuPont sold Remington,” explained Sandra Strickland, Product Services Manager. “People weren’t enthusiastic about work – they left.” Dwindling funds made obtaining materials increasingly difficult. “We were trying to make ends meet, hand to mouth,” said Senior Engineer John Langenfeld. Staff inspiration declined as consumer dissatisfaction increased. “You never knew if the next call would be someone leaving,” said Product Affairs Director Kris Carson.

“They’re ammo people. That’s all they do.”

A true ammunition specialist, Vista fully understood Remington. While Remington hadn’t released new ranges in years, the plant was still fully operational, with most of the machinery in excellent condition. Buying it was “A once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Vista President of Ammunition Jason Vanderbrink. Vista put product safety, innovation and quality ahead of profits. “Vista believes ammo should be good – or it shouldn’t be on the shelf,” said Ballistics Engineer Jimmy Lawrence.

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Restarting Big Green

Vista gradually restarted machines, regained production standards and rehired furloughed staff. 1,500 employees joined within 18 months. “The people we met got me excited about joining this team,” said Adam White, Operational Director. Supported by Vista’s supply network, manufacturing began again in earnest. “I can tell you that Big Green is roaring,” enthused Vanderbrink. “Remington is part of our family: I grew up shooting Remington and worked for them out of college – we’ve come full circle.” Vista supported employees’ ideas, enabling fresh growth and collaboration. “Being an ammo facility owned by ammo manufacturers has been wonderful,” smiled Evans. Centerfire ammo production increased over 40%, and shotshell output rose 15%. “Millions” of new primers were brought to market. “Finally, it feels like we work for people, all the way to the top, that understand and want to make good ammunition,” Lawrence continued.

Positive outlook

Remington’s significance to its employees prevented them jumping ship even when the chips were down. “The workforce and State are behind us 100% – Vista’s really excited for what’ll come out of Lonoke, Arkansas,” Vanderbrink stated. A Remington employee of 26 years, Rimfire Loading Technician Anthony Terry expressed gratitude: able to support his family, he plans to stay until retirement. Strickland said she was “learning new things alongside great people.” When Vista acquired Remington, output was low. Now, processes and production improve daily. Supervisor Charles Carter summarised, “We’ll take Remington even further, as a family and team. When I retire I can say, ‘I worked there’.”