Colt is heading to Florida

[willbird]

There is only one part that is regulated and that is the receiver. A few machining centers and in house heat treatment, (one process would not be that complicated) and in house anodize and you're ready. Every other part can be out sourced and no FFL required for your venders.

That is not exactly true, the ATF has determined that some work is "mfg" as have the people who administer ITAR. The ITAR is actually more of an issue than the ATF in many cases.

 

[sandman2234]

So if Colt wanted to manufacture 45's in Florida, with a technology currently available everywhere, on a gun available almost everywhere, ITAR would be a problem? I thought ITAR was for technology that was currently not available to people outside the US, in order to control it's spread to non-friendly (current or future) people. What about if they were building 45's for sale ONLY in the USA, where would that put it, since ITAR is for the exportation of technology?
If Colt were to use the new facility to build anti-satelite weapons, or something like that, then i could understand the ITAR problem, but to just build weapons for use in the USA, or for the USA government, what is the problem, other than the normal headache of manufacturing paperwork. Heck, they probably had to do the same paperwork for each and every supplier in the CT area that builds or handles parts. Nothing new about that sort of paperwork.
Some people "MIGHT" think that since Florida is so close to Cuba or Mexico and has a large amount of hispanic people, that maybe that might be the problem, but last time I went to N.J., I arrived at 2am and there was NOBODY on the property that spoke English language. My appointment time was 6am, which is the time the English interpeter came to work. This problem is spreading thru out the USA, not just Florida.
David from jax

 

[orlando cracker]

I dunno- I have been to Florida many times, and I think it would be a lousy place to manufacture. There is basically NO industrial infrastructure- hardly any suppliers, hardly any heat treaters or polishing shops or galvanizers or machine shops for subcontracting.
Everything would need to be either done in house, or shipped for a couple of days each way.
Most any material beyond simple A36 round bar would need to be special ordered.

Employees would be cheap, sure, but in experienced- very few machine shops, or manufacturers, not good community colleges with machining or manufacturing programs.

If you needed a big industrial circuit breaker, or a CNC machine repairman, or a part for your huge parts washer, or a certain grit wheel for your surface grinder- forget it- mail order only, usually.

So any minor breakdown could mean days of lost work time.

Versus CT- with a couple of hundred years accumulation of industry, everything you need is a few hours away at most.

I personally have found that hiring cheap employees is usually not a savings, but a cost- if you dont have good guys, who know what they are doing, it costs a lot more to make things. And Florida is the drain of the USA- all the hairballs, grit, debris and toenail clippings are circling around.

Not to say I dont like Florida- I do- but I sure wouldnt move a factory there...

Tell me what you need and we will built if they will come. A manufacturer just moved here last week. But you are right we are missing what you need. I could put a big Forge in my garage if Iron Pants will let me.

 

[orlando cracker]

Colt has long had a history more directed to military supply where other arms makers in the USA have used the sporting end as their backbone. As war has changed, the role of the foot soldier has declined a lot as with the types of armament they carry. A lot of which is now made off USA soil due to the shrinking planet. I don't know that the unions are entirely responsible for Colts suffering. Unions have always been a thorn in the side of corporations and are an obvious money drain. For every person you hire, you also are hiring 1/10th to 1/4 of a highly paid adviser for that person. Who, for all intent and purpose are simply dead weight to the company. The biggest drain we have seen in Canada with unions is that the unionized companies often become welfare dumps. People get into the system who turn out to be dead weight and it is simply impossible to get rid of them. Also, in a lot of cases workers are paid top salaries for work that could easily be preformed by a 6 year old child. Over time the situation worsens and gets to a point where the company is no longer solvent and begins to be subsidized by the taxpayers. The common laws of business that state that non productive units should be brushed aside to allow productive units to operate better and more productively no longer applies in our plastic society. China has long held a centralized labor system that has been more directed towards the well being of its corporations than directly to its workers. Much like the old labor unions that once existed in the USA. Everyone gets a little, enough to get by on, but no one gets a lot, and protecting the goose that lays the golden eggs is the prime consideration. This has down sides too. If individuals can not get ahead there is no money or incentive to start new business which eventually leads to foreign corporate investment. Their position in the world market reflects this attitude right now, and china is very much where the USA was at the beginning of its industrial revolution. Their labor laws are in a state of flux now since the introduction of the ACFTU reorganization. It would be interesting to see where this leads to and if China's position in the world market falls as it has in other countries as labor laws shift. The time may come when Colt, like a lot of other arms companies may have to be absorbed by shakedown companies like the Freedom group and face some massive restructuring if they wish to keep the name alive. The world trend toward disarmament is growing exponentially at almost every level. What we take for granted today may be just a line in a history book in 100 years for now. We can pretend it isn't there. But in 100 years we wont be there either so change will come regardless of how loudly we scream. I guess seeing these once great corporations struggling is really just a part of changing times.

Said in a nut shell.