Smith & Wesson is closing the Thompson/Center Arms factory in Rochester, NH and moving operations to the S&W plant in Springfield, Mass. Fosters.com reports …

Pluff said there will be meetings with employees to discuss severance issues and the possible relocation of some local workers to Springfield. Employees have also been told the company was continuing to look for a buyer for the foundry at the Rochester facility.

The relocation is scheduled to commence in January 2011 and conclude by November 2011.

“We needed to streamline in order to make our company more efficient and profitable,” Pluff said, noting the size of the Springfield facility as part of the reason for relocation. “We are not going to bring the foundry operation to Springfield. We’ll try to sell that to another company.”

“We continue to be 100 percent behind the Thompson/Center brand,” said Mark Smith, Smith & Wesson’s vice president of operations.

I feel very sad for the Thompson/Center Arms employees.

[ Many thanks to Tipper for emailing me the link. ]