Lindsey Arceci
Opinions Editor
As a company that is internationally known for its firearms, Sig Sauer began with just three men in 1853 from Switzerland who started a sophisticated wagon and rail car factory. According to Sig Sauer’s website, within seven years they were able to enter their business into a competition to make a state-of-the-art machine guns. Eventually, their work was to be adopted by the Swiss Army, launching their business in the direction for manufacturing all types of firearms for the average citizen and the military.
According to Sig Sauer’s website, the trio received 30,000 requests for their prize-winning gun, and it was at this point that they became the Swiss Industrial Company (the Swiss translation would result in the abbreviation, SIG). The website reports that in the 1970s, SIG was responsible for creating legendary pistols for the Swiss army and were expanding throughout Switzerland and into Germany.
In 1985, SIG changed its name to SIGARMS and moved to Virginia where it imported pistols and rifles from their factories overseas. It wasn’t until 1992 when SIGARMS moved to Exeter, N.H. and began manufacturing guns in the state.
In 1998 their first shotgun was introduced and in 2001 they introduced their own training academy in Epping, N.H., which teaches classes for civilians and law enforcement. According to Sig Sauer’s website, the Sig Sauer Academy in Epping offers courses for beginners, intermediate level and advanced level shooters in courses involving handgun safety, defensive shooting, specialty courses like ‘bullets and vehicles,’ skill enhancement seminars, competitive courses and many more.
On Oct. 1, 2007, SIGARMS changed its name to Sig Sauer to reflect the worldwide growth and sales of the company and products, as stated on their website.
Today, Sig Sauer’s online product list for citizens includes 14 pistol models with six different calibers, and nine rifle models with seven different calibers.
Like many other gun manufacturers, Sig Sauer does not make their own bullets.
According to Hoovers.com, Sig Sauer earns a gross profit of $46.8 million a year and the company continues to grow. In March of 2012, Sig Sauer announced its expansion into the Pease International Tradeport facility in Newington, N.H. that would help meet the increasing demand for Sig Sauer products.
The Pease facility is a large business and aviation industrial community, as stated on their website, created for import and export businesses like Sig Sauer.
According to the Director of Marketing Communication for Sig Sauer Amy Pevear, the company’s plan is to manufacture firearms at both facilities.
At this spring 2012 announcement, several media sources reported Sig Sauer was already growing in size and experiencing the need to make more products. Ironically, during the planned expansion, the public’s demand for Sig Sauer products increased because of the Newtown shooting on Dec.14, 2012.
Pevear said this demand was reflected in gun sales as Sig Sauer “saw an immediate and drastic increase in sales on the rifle side and on any of the firearms with what is considered to be high cap[acity] magazines.”
To help meet the increasing demand for firearms, Pevear said Sig Sauer will be able to produce an excess of 2,000
firearms a day with both facilities fully operating.
The Vice President and General Counsel for Sig Sauer, Steve Shawver, is quoted in previous media articles as saying the company estimates about $5.5 million in machinery is in the process of being installed in the Newington facility.
As of April 19, Pevear said that Newington facility is functioning but construction is still on-going. She said manufacturing is going on at Pease, but not the complete production of a firearm from start to finish.
She estimates the Newington facility will be fully operational by late spring or early summer.
“Construction projects are often lengthy and frustrating, especially from an employees’ perspective, but we’re anxious to get over there,” Pevear said.
“This company is growing and pretty rapidly and we’re very excited to have a new facility to help support that mission. It’s going to be a beautiful facility and make our lives a lot easier and the experience of coming to work every day more pleasant.”
Once construction in Newington is complete, the end goal will result in two manufacturing facilities, with Newington housing all of the administration and the business related activities along with a warehouse. The Exeter facility will continue manufacturing and assembly to a certain degree, along with some engineering activities, Pevear said. “We’re definitely excited to be expanding and excited to move to Pease,” she added.
Pevear said Sig Sauer now employs an excess of 700 people between both facilities. Many of the new employees are already in the Pease facility, but as customer service associates, Ray, a Sig Sauer customer service rep who provided just his first name, said. It is expected in a month there will be more renovations for office space and they will be able to bring over more people.
The Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald praised Sig Sauer in an article for being a “good corporate citizen” over the years. The company is even conducting a monthly gun raffle as a marketing ploy in order to, as Pevear said, collect names and demographic information by offering free entries for a Sig Sauer firearm.
The raffle began in December of 2012, the same month as the Newtown shooting in Connecticut.
Currently the gun being raffled off is a SIGM400 Enhanced. This gun is one of the several semi-automatic guns that Sig Sauer manufactures, according to their products webpage. This firearm works with an AR platform, which is very similar to the gun used by Adam Lanza in the Newtown shooting.
According to Pevear of Sig Sauer, there are semi-automatic rifles that may appear similar in nature, but in fact, are not. “That is definitely misinformation that the media and politicians continue to perpetuate,” Pevear added.
Pevear said Sig Sauer has acknowledged that the impact of Newtown has produced different opinions. “…with any sort of unfortunate tragedy there is always a difference of opinions, and we always try to support the first responders and law enforcement, and it’s what we and our products are designed to do.”
Lindsey Arceci can be contacted at larceci@keene-equinox.com