Marlin to Shut Down Connecticut Plant and Lay Off 265 Workers
Marlin Firearms, now owned by Remington Arms (part of Cerberus Capital Management’s Freedom Group), is going to shut down its North Haven, Connecticut manufacturing facility. This marks the end of a legendary period of gun-making in New England. Marlin has produced firearms in Connecticut since 1870, when the company was founded by John M. Marlin.
A Marlin spokesman indicated that the plant will be closed by June, 2011, and all 265 employees will be terminated via phased lay-offs starting in May, 2010. The Marlin plant closure, announced late Thursday (March 24th), came as a surprise to both Marlin employees and North Haven community leaders. Marlin plant workers reported being “blindsided”. One worker told WTNH Channel 8 that: “We never saw this coming… we were told to attend a mandatory meeting at 3:30… And then boom [that was it].” Remington has not yet issued an official statement about the factory closure, but one insider speculated that the plant was closed to “avoid union wage pressure driving retail cost upward and making the product less competitive in the modern firearms market.”
Marlin is currently head-quartered in Madison, North Carolina. There is no indication that the production of Marlin rifles will be halted — production will likely be shifted to Freedom Group factories in other states. The Shooting Wire reports that: “According to Remington Arms sources, the facility is being decommissioned and the manufacturing relocated to Remington’s Ilion, New York facilities; the Marlin lines are not moving offshore.” The production relocation will apply to Marlin products, and, presumably, to the other brands made by Marlin: Harrington & Richardson, New England Firearms, and L.C. Smith.
Marlin’s founder, John M. Marlin, learned his trade during the Civil war, working at the Colt plant in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1870, according to Marlin’s website, Marlin “hung out his sign on State Street in New Haven, manufacturing his own line of revolvers and derringers.” The Marlin enterprise was purchased by Frank Kenna in 1924, and the Kenna family maintained ownership until Remington acquired Marlin in 2008.
Click Arrow Lower Left to Play Report from WTNH-TV Channel 8 in New Haven:
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Thank you Unions.
“…it just costs too much to be in manufacturing IN CONNECTICUT.”
-Micheal Freida.
I agree that it does cost a lot of money to co business in CT. I don’t think this really has much to do with the decline in firearms sales. That rise and decline consisted mostly of AR-15 type rifles. Marlin sales have been strong for at least the past 6 years, they often move really fast at my local gun store. Cerberus probably had this planned long before purchasing Marlin.
Judging by the crap that Remington is putting on the market, I think Cerberus closed the wrong plant…
unions had nothing to do with it.just greed from cerberus
Again, it’s more about the stockholder and not the backbone of their production. Shame on the employees for making a decent wage. Cerberus can keep their junk.
There is usually some consolidation following an acquisition. It’s part of the cost model.
If Connecticut was competitive with North Carolina, the New Haven plant would have had a chance.
It’s a terrible time and location for the workers in New Haven to face a layoff. Best wishes to any that are reading this.
I can’t help but think that if Marlin had a “black” rifle, or some kind of pistol, they might have survived.
120 years ago, a lever-action repeater WAS an assault rifle…
remington has been mostly garbage (except for their russian made shotguns)for several years now …
i would not cry if they went belly up…
the QC at marlin is a joke anymore , the last ‘cowboy’ gun we received was so badly finished that we returned it and have never ordered anything since..
no loss except to the people who worked there…
sad, but thats how things are nowdays…
“unions had nothing to do with it.just greed from cerberus” Well Matt, if it was greed from Cerberus, why close the plant? It costs money to shut down a non profitable manufacturing operation, if it is profitable it is not only very expensive, it would be absurd. Cerberus did not grow that big by doing stupid things.
I am a former Union member and VP of my Police/Fire Union and I can tell you first hand, that the Unions negotiate you out of a job eventually; Especially in today’s economy. Most workers have to adapt to the Economyand take less pay and benefits. Union bosses don’t want any less, they only like negotiating for more. I Feel for the regular worker at Marlin and other Union jobs that gets boned because of their leadership.
unions had nothing to do with it.just greed from cerberus” Well Matt, if it was greed from Cerberus, why close the plant? It costs money to shut down a non profitable manufacturing operation, if it is profitable it is not only very expensive, it would be absurd. Cerberus did not grow that big by doing stupid things
the cheaper labor will pay for the new plant and then some that is why they are doing it! next it will be overseas.
matt
Hey Matt. Unions increase the cost of Labor. It is illegal to unionize in China. The North Carolina plant has cheaper labor, because NC is a Right to Work State, which means NO UNIONS. Get it? What you call greedy business practices, everyone else calls common sense.
marlin has no union..the product line is being moved to illion NY & kentucky the quality problem that was spoke of before is because the remington management team made marlin cut half the employees and switch to cell style work.to them all about numbers..the workers hit those numbers and still wasnt enough..remington is mearly penned above marlin they do not own them..ceribus owns them..the switch to these states was to cut labor rates in half..remington cut a deal with the mohawk valley in ny and took money to make more jobs from the state of Ny.look for remington to reverse engineer and cut corners to make the marlin product..very sad
Moving off-shore… I guess I won’t be buying one then. Sorry to hear this.
I understand that George Soros(Obama’s chief financier!) controls Cerberus. Any truth to this?
Editor: NO. George Soros does NOT own or control Cerberus Capital Management (a holding company that owns the Freedom Group). This has been explained many, many times. See: http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2011/10/nra-debunks-claims-that-george-soros-controls-freedom-group/
Cerberus is currently looking for a buyer for the Freedom Group.