New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer is expanding their operations and adding a bunch of local jobs in the process.
The company is set to acquire a large 35-acre campus in Rochester with 210,000 sq/ft. of space which will allow it to shift its smaller operations in nearby Dover, roughly 11 miles away. The company told local media the expansion, spurred by the need for additional manufacturing space, will not only be the home of the 130 or so employees currently working in Dover but will add 170 new jobs as well.
“This partnership with Sig Sauer provides an exciting opportunity for the City of Rochester and will bring in 300 new, high-quality jobs to the city,” said James Key-Wallace, executive director of the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority. “We were pleased to work closely with the state of New Hampshire and the city of Rochester to make this happen."
While the German-based Sig Sauer branch in Eckernförde is reportedly on the ropes due to a variety of reasons and is set to close by the end of the year, the American spin-off is doing great.
Sig Sauer's extensive U.S. operations, first in Virginia and then in New Hampshire, started in the 1980s with importing German-made guns, then assembling guns with a mix of U.S. and German-made components, and finally evolving to all-American production. The U.S. operation boomed and by 2007 had largely separated from its German sister company and has been responsible for much of the company’s R&D. Today, Sig Sauer employs more than 2,300 in the U.S.
"The expansion of Sig Sauer’s New Hampshire operation is exciting and welcome news as our economy continues to grow,” said state Governor Chris Sununu, a pro-gun Republican with a record of scuttling anti-gun bills. "We pride ourselves on working hand-in-hand with our partners in the private sector to expand economic opportunity for working families across the Granite State – and this partnership between the State of New Hampshire, City of Rochester, and Sig Sauer does just that."
According to public-facing statistics by federal regulators for the most recent year available, Sig Sauer produced 626,155 handguns in New Hampshire in 2018 alongside 41,775 rifles. Of these, 167,851 pistols and 2,254 rifles were exported overseas. Besides the hungry consumer market and pulling down massive U.S. military contracts, the company has also scored a tender to provide the Indian Army with SIG716 rifles. Further, Sig Sauer is a prime contender for the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon, a showcase military small arms program that could be the largest in 50 years.
SEE DEALS ON SIG SAUER
