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FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS MAY 21, 2014 | 17

Remington to Close Montana Rileman Facility in Kalispell

Firearms company conirms why we’re investing now.”
“2013 was an outstanding year during which we
consolidating operations across U.S.
grew by every key measure,” Kollitides continued in
the February statement. “We are capitalizing on this
momentum by strengthening our positions across the

By BEACON STAFF
board. With demand for our products at an historic
high and more new product launches planned for 2014
Remington Outdoor Company is closing Montana than ever before in our 200-year history, we are invest-
Rileman in Kalispell in order to move production to ing in the future.”
Alabama, a company spokesperson conirmed last In 1990, Brian Sipe founded Montana Rileman as a
week.
small business that specialized in ixing hunting riles.
According to Teddy Novin, the company’s director The company expanded within three years into cus-

of public afairs, the closure is part of a consolidation at tom barrel manufacturing.
Remington.
Montana Rileman produced 143,000 rile bar-
“(On May 15), we announced the consolidation of rels and pistol barrels in 2011. In 2012, production ex-
multiple company plants into our Huntsville, Ala., fa- ceeded 312,000 barrels with a workforce of 160 to 170
cility,” Novin wrote in a statement to the Beacon. “This people. Remington purchased Montana Rileman in
was a strategic business decision to concentrate our March 2013.
resources into fewer locations and improve manufac- Remington, headquartered in Madison, North Car-
turing eiciency and quality. We are working hard to olina, has facilities in 19 states. Its largest plant is in Il-

retain as many people from the afected facilities as ion, New York, where the company has had a presence
possible.”
since 1816.
Novin would not respond to questions about how
many workers in the Flathead the closure will afect.
According to Remington, the new Alabama facility will “THIS WAS A STRATEGIC BUSINESS DECISION TO
be housed in the former Chrysler building in Hunts- CONCENTRATE OUR RESOURCES INTO FEWER
ville, and should create about 2,000 jobs in the next 10
LOCATIONS AND IMPROVE MANUFACTURING
years.
“This additional capacity is essential to fulill de- EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY. WE ARE WORKING
mand and introduce new products,” George Kollitides, HARD TO RETAIN AS MANY PEOPLE FROM THE
chairman and CEO of Remington Outdoor Company,
said in a February statement about the Alabama facil- AFFECTED FACILITIES AS POSSIBLE.”
ity. “Having watched our company grow from 2,400
employees in 2008 to 4,200 employees by the end of Teddy Novin, Remington director of public afairs
2013, a ive year, 75 percent increase, it is easy to see
BEACON FILE PHOTO

2845 Hwy. 93 South
Kalispell, MT

406-755-6060
www.kalispelltoyota.com