Thompson/Center Arms to close Rochester plant

[Phineas Bluster]

Deleted

[HeavyMetal]

This is how it starts:
A company purchases a competitor

a few years later they bring them in house, losing experienced employees along the way

Then the name starts to fade as the parent company is really trying to abolish the orignal company name

Products start being deleted from the line as "unprofitable"

eventually only one or two products survive, usually with some type of "face lift", bearing the new company name

I love this part: now everything costs more because they had to fix something that wasn't broken to recoop costs spent to do all of the above.

Corperate America at it's stupid best! and one more reason I don't buy Smith & Wesson!

[Geraldo]

HeavyMetal, the real money is made on selling the company and the new owner dumping everything they can to squeeze cash from purchase.

[dale2242]

Unless I read the link wrong, nothing was sold. S&W is moving it`s TC Division to Springfield Ma....dale

[Rocky Raab]

Yup. The REAL question is why any gun company would stay in Massachusetts, much less move other assets there. There ARE states both gun- and business-friendly, you know.

[AZ-Stew]

Yup. The REAL question is why any gun company would stay in Massachusetts, much less move other assets there. There ARE states both gun- and business-friendly, you know.

Which is why Ruger moved a lot of its handgun manufacturing to Prescott, AZ a number of years ago. It may be that the bean counters say the cost of relocation would take too long to recoup. I'd sure like to see some of the old New England gun foundries move out here. It would provide local jobs and it would bring some manufacturing skills here that I feel to be lacking in the state. They might have some issues bringing some of the workers here, though. AZ is a right-to-work state, and as such the manufacturing would likely be run without a union umbrella. Good for the customers, but I'd guess many of the experienced workers would not chose to relocate because of it.

My $0.02.

Regards,

Stew

[Rafe Covington]

Not a real big surprise, figured that was comin when they closed the Custom Shop. I have never liked Smith and Wesson, wouldn't have one of there guns in my house. I have shot TC's for about 40 years, was fun while it lasted.

buffalohunter

[RayinNH]

My son works there. The moved will go from February to November ish. Different sections will go at different times. His section is first to go. He's done February 8th unless he wants to relocate to Springfield. He's not too keen on that idea but the pay package offered was quite attractive. He has to consider it and weigh all the pros and cons. I sure hope it works out for him...Ray

[Houndog]

The part I can't figure out is if they were going to move, almost all of TC's investment cast parts were/are forged by Investment Castings in Piney Flats TN. There is around 900 acres still left in that industrial park and the state would buy the land and install the infrastructure for such a manufacturer. We have TVA power, (about 1/3 the cost of anywhere else) a right to work state, mild climate NO STATE INCOME TAX and FAR less enviromental restrictions on manufacturing than lots of other places. The state also trains the workers at no cost to the manufacturer. Since most of their raw parts are manufactured here and a GOOD deal could be had on a facility, WHY would they move to a high tax, high cost of doing business state like Mass and pay increased shipping costs for their raw materials? Wonder who got bought off? FWIW: We have manufacturing sites for Barrett, FN, General Dynamics and UZI already making firearms in our state.

[Geraldo]

Unless I read the link wrong, nothing was sold. S&W is moving it`s TC Division to Springfield Ma....dale

TC was purchased by S&W three years ago. Unless this was unlike other corporate sales, S&W certainly had an idea of what the future of TC would be and where it would take place when the money changed hands.

[KCSO]

From Live fre or die to Give us your guns? Sad to see.