Winchester Takes Control of Lake City Ammunition Plant

Olin Corporation, a manufacturer of chemical products and ammunition based in Clayton, Mo., announced that its ammunition division, Olin Winchester LLC, assumed full control and management of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Mo effective Oct. 1, 2020. Winchester was selected by the U.S. Army to operate the Lake City plant back in September 2019. The contract has a term of seven years, which could be extended for an additional three years.

“Winchester employees have built a reputation with the U.S. Army that is unrivaled, and for the past year, we have been preparing for this significant transition," said Brett Flaugher, president of Winchester. "We were selected to manage the Lake City plant because of our industry-leading capabilities and track record. For decades, we have successfully demonstrated those capabilities in quality, innovation and on-time delivery as well as through our partnership with the U.S. Army in developing solutions that service the U.S. Warfighter. Our team is fully prepared and 100-percent committed to the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the Lake City plant.”

The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant has provided various small-caliber ammunition varieties for the U.S. military since it was established by Remington in 1941, except for a five-year period after World War II. The plant produces nearly 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition a year on average, taking up 3,935 acres of land for its facilities. The ammunition produced for the military is used for both training and combat purposes.

Aside from ammunition production, Lake City also serves as a testing center for ammunition and weapons performance. Winchester had previously managed Lake City from 1985 to 2000. After this period, the Lake City plant was under the management of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.

Winchester itself has been in operation for 154 years, with 90 years as a part of Olin. Winchester has been providing small arms ammunition for military since World War I, and is the largest supplier of ammunition to the U.S. military second only to the Lake City plant. With the new acquisition of management, Olin Winchester, LLC is now the largest supplier of military small arms ammunition in the United States.