http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2004/09/06/daily27.html

East Alton's Winchester Ammunition to move line to Mississippi

Winchester Ammunition, a division of East Alton, Ill.-based Olin Corp., will move a manufacturing operation from East Alton to Oxford, Miss., taking about 150 jobs with a payroll of $3.5 million.

The plant, to be located in the former Emerson Electric building in Oxford, will manufacture, package and ship .22-caliber rimfire ammunition and industrial power tool loads.

Ann Pipkin, a spokeswoman with Olin in East Alton, said the move would allow the company to reduce its costs and improve efficiencies, including in the new facility, and better use existing technology. "All of those impact profitability in the product line," she said.

Pipkin said the company wasn't sure how many employees would make the move, which is expected to be complete by the end of March 2005.

Winchester officials said last year that Oxford was a candidate for the relocation of part of its East Alton operation. East Alton will continue to produce other Olin products and continue as the company's headquarters.

Through incentives and other financial assistance from the Mississippi Development Authority, Lafayette County will make infrastructure improvements to accommodate the Winchester plant and purchase the Emerson building. It will be leased to the company to house its operation, according to the authority. Winchester will identify the procedure for applying for employment in a later announcement.

East Alton, Ill.-based Olin Corp.'s (NYSE: OLN) Winchester unit supplies sporting ammunition, canister powder and reloading components to recreational shooters and to military and law enforcement agencies. The East Alton facility employs about 3,500 workers, Pipkin said.

© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

Well, at least they are not moving the production line to some shitty third world country. Like so many other companies in this country have done to increase profits.

I hate that people in Illinois will be losing their jobs, but I agree it's better than losing them to another country. I happen to work in Oxford, so it would be cool if they needed someone to test all of their ammo.

They need to move the whole shooting match (sorry, couldn't resist!) out of the Peepoles Demokratik Paradise of Illinoise.

Them ASSHATS don't deserve one cent of tax revenue from the gun community.

However, I will admit that the problem is Chicago, not the rest of the state.  

Yeah!  I'll never get why so many gun manuf's reside in that corrupt muther fucking sewer!

Quoted: They need to move the whole shooting match (sorry, couldn't resist!) out of the Peepoles Demokratik Paradise of Illinoise. Them ASSHATS don't deserve one cent of tax revenue from the gun community. However, I will admit that the problem is Chicago, not the rest of the state.

Amen brother.

My area has a new industrial plant with several suitable buildings for this purpose that remain unoccupied at this time. Local area goverment and an economic development group have also offered many incentives for companies wishing to locate there. I'd love to have Winchester with a plant in my hometown!

Either way, Mississippi is a pretty poor area with tons of good, honest and hard working individuals. I'd rather they be the ones to profit from Winchester than a rabid anti-gun John Kerry/Al Gore voting state. At least in MS, the people support the objects that make the ammo go bang.

-CH

Easy boys, not everyone in IL lives in Chicago area.  Not everyone in IL votes anti-gun either.  I was born and raised in IL, have made a good living/supported my family in IL.  Like a lot of folks, I hate it because Richard Daily runs the state.  We keep voting, we keep trying, hopefully we will get rid of the anti-gun/Daily machine someday.

Cheers from IL

Quoted: Easy boys, not everyone in IL lives in Chicago area.  Not everyone in IL votes anti-gun either.  I was born and raised in IL, have made a good living/supported my family in IL.  Like a lot of folks, I hate it because Richard Daily runs the state.  We keep voting, we keep trying, hopefully we will get rid of the anti-gun/Daily machine someday. Cheers from IL

No overdriv, you are never gonna hear us call for the ouster of Illinois from the Union (IL being such a Union workers paradise... sorry ).  But I wouldn't shed a tear if there were all of a sudden Federal Felony Indictments levelled against King Richard and Blago the baloney hearted!

Hell, downstate people are just plain nice!  An IL is the only state that has the "Guns save lives" type of signs.  I'm all over the country, and IL is it!

I guess I get a bit touchy when someone makes a blanket statement about IL.  Happens a lot.  Like California, not everyone there is anti-gun.

In Missouri, they passed a CC law.  The leaders in St.louis are doing all they can to prevent it's implementation.  Every state has it's problems.

The main reason Olin is moving part of it's manufacturing to Mississippi is the low wages and lack of unions there.  I am very surprised they are not locating to Mexico or a third world country.

Markm, your mouth is the only sewer around here.

they thought it was a good idea to move one of their factories in 1964...it was never quite the same. i wonder if their .22 will change for the better or worse.