The New England warehouse and distribution center that Smith & Wesson occupies will be shut down and moved to Columbia, Missouri.
Boston Business Journal reports the closing of Smith & Wesson's Springfield, Massachusetts distribution center and warehouse after American Outdoor Brands Corp. (AOBC), parent company of the firearm company, made the announcement.
Operations will be moved to a new 600,000-square-foot, $75 million warehouse near Columbia, Missouri, later this year. Approximately 20 to 30 employees will be moved to other jobs in Springfield, according to AOBC executives.
The objective is to ship all American Outdoor Brands products—including firearms from Smith & Wesson and Thompson Center as well as knives, tools, and outdoor equipment from other American Outdoor Brands—through the new warehouse.
Several nationwide distribution centers will be rolled into the new Missouri facility, leading to what AOBC executives see as eventual cost saving and logistic efficiency.
The move, according to the latest AOBC Quarterly Report, is "facilitating our growth, enhancing our efficiencies, and allowing us to better serve customers across our entire organization. This is an important strategic initiative supporting our objective to be the leading provider of quality products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast," according to President and CEO James Debney.
The Missouri distribution center has 175 employees, and AOBC plans to add 154 more.
The Springfield facility houses the company's principal research, development, engineering, design sales, marketing, finance, and management functions, according to its most recent report to stockholders. There are no indications of moving those portions of the company.
NEXT: VIDEO: HOW MANY BULLETS DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A CAR ENGINE STOP RUNNING?
WATCH
