Firearm maker Henry Repeating Arms plans to move all manufacturing operations to Wisconsin after recently expanding its headquarters in Rice Lake.
In a release yesterday, the manufacturer announced its “firm commitment” to the move, which will involve transferring operations from its New Jersey plant to Rice Lake and nearby facilities in Ladysmith. In addition, the company says it’s buying a third location in Ladysmith this summer as it gears up to expand production.
The business currently employs more than 800 people across its existing locations, where it makes various rifles, shotguns and revolvers. Its specialty is lever-action firearms, and the company name references Benjamin Tyler Henry, who invented the Henry lever-action rifle in 1860.
Founder and CEO Anthony Imerato says “putting all of our eggs in one basket, the Wisconsin basket,” will make the company more efficient and productive. He also says the move will enable the company’s design and engineering teams to work together more.
“With about 400,000 square feet of cutting-edge manufacturing operations in four facilities within minutes of each other, Henry Repeating Arms is well positioned for its next chapter,” Imerato said in a statement.
GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany says he’s “thrilled” that the company has decided to move all operations to the state’s Seventh Congressional District, which he represents.The Minocqua Republican says the decision will create more local jobs, promote economic growth and advance the “Made in America” cause.
“Since 1996, Henry Repeating Arms has fought for Americans’ rights to bear arms, becoming one of the top five producers of firearms in the United States while simultaneously contributing to the Wisconsin economy,” Tiffany said in a statement.
The company says plans to introduce new lever-action rifles and move into other market segments, leveraging its expanded production capacity in Wisconsin. By consolidating in the state, Henry Repeating Arms says it will also streamline distribution and improve quality control.
Andrew Wickstrom, the company’s president, says its Wisconsin operations “have been essential to our success for a long time, and now it is the cornerstone of our bright future.”
See the release.
