Remington has met two major milestones in its agreement with Madison County, Alabama regarding its new facility in Huntsville. The new location will become the central production facility for Remington Arms, with only the original Ilion, NY plant remaining open. Remington’s development agreement with the city and State of Alabama required them to create 280 full time jobs meeting an hourly wage of $19.50/hr by February 28th, which they have well exceeded. According to Guns.com:

A recent Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce report indicates that as of the end of August, Remington had 324 employees with an hourly pay rate almost $10 higher than was required by the company’s development agreement with the City of Huntsville and the State of Alabama, the AL.com reported.

…

“Remington is doing more than promised and is well ahead of schedule,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle told the newspaper.

The employment figures, requested by the Huntsville Industrial Development Board, were certified by Mercer & Associations, and the company plans to increase its hiring over the next several years.

If all goes according to plan, Remington would like to have:

• 680 employees by the end of 2016;
• 1,018 by 2017;
• 1,258 by 2018;
• 1,498 by 2019;
• 1,698 by 2020;
• and 1,868 by 2021.

And Remington is continuing to recruit production workers through AIDT — whose mission is to “provide quality workforce development for Alabama’s new and expanding businesses” — for positions offering insurance benefits, a 401(k) and tuition reimbursement, with pay based on skill and experience.

Remington was “recruited” to Alabama through a joint effort by local governments and the State of Alabama in February 2014. The city, local counties and the state all pitched in on an extensive incentive package to help Remington open the $110 million plant in the old Chrysler facility near the Huntsville International Airport, where they manufacture AR15s, handguns, H&R shotguns and AAC silencers.

Remington’s move to Huntsville was precipitated by the passage of the NY SAFE Act, which increased restrictions on firearms in the state of New York. The new Huntsville location will take up production of Bushmaster, Para-USA, H&R, and AAC products. Critically, production of the R51 handgun, which abortively began at Para-USA’s Charlotte/Pineville, NC plant, is transitioning to the new Huntsville location for re-launch, as of January 2015. The Pineville Plant has reportedly been closed.

In December, Remington Arms Co.’s credit rating was downgraded by Moody’s Investor Services in November, due to failed product launches, several recalls, and the moving of production to Huntsville, which resulted in declining profits for the Company. However, the successful move to Huntsville should in theory help reverse the trend, as a more consolidated and streamlined production process could mean more competitive products.