ILION, N.Y. — The Remington Firearms facility in Ilion will close next spring, a move that puts more than 300 people out of a job while the company consolidates operations in a state that’s more welcoming to the firearms industry, according to a video posted by the company.
According to a notice, sent to Ilion Mayor John P. Stephens from company owner RemArms LLC, the plant at 14 Hoefler Avenue will close on or about March 4, 2024. Stephens shared the notice with The Business Journal.
“The company anticipates that terminations at the Ilion facility will begin on or about March 4, 2024, or within 14 days after that date, will all separations accomplished on or about March 18, 2024,” the notice read.
The plant employs 309 people in a range of positions including 143 production operators and 75 production specialists. Other roles include engineers, managers, human resources, and supervisors.
The company notified employees on November 30 – the same date of the notice it sent to Stephens. RemArms noted that some of the affected employees are represented by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).
RemArms and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced in November 2021 the company would locate its global headquarters and open a new advanced manufacturing facility in LaGrange, Ga. At the time, RemArms noted it would invest $100 million in the project and create 856 jobs over a five-year period.
In a video posted on the company’s Facebook page, CEO Ken D’Arcy says the move will consolidate all of the company’s firearms manufacturing in one location in a state that “welcomes the firearms industry.”
“We are deeply saddened by the closing of the historic facility in Ilion,” he said in the video. “We have a dedicated workforce at the Ilion facility but maintaining and operating those very old buildings is cost prohibitive, and New York state’s legislative environment remains a major concern for our industry.”
D’Arcy stated the company will work with employees in the coming months on “transition issues.”
Founded in Ilion in 1816 by Eliphalet Remingtin, Remington Firearms is one of the oldest gunmakers in the country.
From 1933 to 1993, DuPont owned Remington Arms, as it was then known. In more recent years, the company has changed ownership and names a number of times. Remington Arms filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and 2020.
Roundhill Group LLC acquired the Remington gun-making brand, including facilities in Ilion and Tennessee, in 2020 and operates it through its RemArms LLC holding company.