Lake City Ammunition Plant offers layoffs (Missouri)

kmbc ^ | Mar 07, 2013

[JoeProBono]

The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence is offering its hourly workers voluntary layoffs, with the possibility of involuntary layoffs to follow.

A spokesman for Alliant Techsystems, which operates the U.S. Army plant in Independence, said modernization at the plant is the main reason for the job reductions.

Spokesman Bryan Kidder said the number of expected job cuts and their timing is not known. He said it's likely involuntary layoffs will follow the voluntary departures, in an effort to reduce the workforce of about 2,600.

The Kansas City Star reported that the plant has undergone $400 million in renovations to increase the efficiency of producing ammunition for the Army.

Kidder also attributed the cutbacks to recent reductions in U.S. military actions.

[JoeProBono]

Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) is a 3,935-acre (15.92 km2) U.S. government-owned, contractor-operated facility in northeastern Independence, Missouri that was established by Remington Arms in 1941 to manufacture and test small caliber ammunition for the U.S. Army. The facility has remained in continuous operation except for one 5-year period following World War II.[1][2] As of July 2007, the plant produced nearly 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition per year.[3] In addition, Lake City performs small caliber ammunition stockpile reliability testing and has ammunition and weapon testing responsibilities as the NATO National and Regional Test Center.

Remington Arms operated the plant from its inception until 1985, when operations were taken over by Olin Corporation.[2] Since April 2001, it has been operated by Alliant Techsystems (ATK). LCAAP is the single largest producer of small arms ammunition for the United States military.

[freedumb2003]

Do, they are like “fired?”

[ChildOfThe60s]

Privatize it. Sell to private citizens. Production would have to double to meet demand.

[KC_Lion]

WHAT!?

How about you crank up Lake City, Federal Government instead of buying up all of Winchester's stock!?

Oh, I am sorry, I forgot it's not about Lake City or the Government needing more/less bullets.

It's about waging a Proxy Cold War against it's own people.

G-d Help Us!

[Texas Fossil]

Wonder if we could purchase the old line, and move it to Texas. Brass is very very short.

Instant and recurrent civilian demand.

[servo1969]

This is only possible if it is being orchestrated by the current administration. It is not possible for any ammunition manufacturer to be lacking business right now. With the exception of WWII, demand for ammunition has never been higher in the US. If you can make it, you can sell it. If they sell directly to the civilian market they would immediately have 1-2 years worth of orders. They could literally run 24/7 and not catch up. 500-1000 round boxes of Lake City 5.56 green tips are out of stock at Cheaper Than Dirt. When they come in they are gone instantly.

This has to be market manipulation.

[nomad]

Simple solution, start selling to the civilian market! They`d be profit making and running 24/7 with mandatory overtime enforced.

[Sender]

How ironic; one of the most valuable, sought-after commodities in America right now is in desperately short supply, and the factory is laying off workers. Only in Obama’s America.

[Gaffer]

If Army Ammunition Plants are like the Air Force Plants for plane production, the plants and facilities belong to the government and the vendor only ‘operates’ the plant. It is true here in Georgia with LM (formerly Lockheed, Bell,etc.) in Marietta - it is Air Force Plant No. 6. Likewise for the facility in DFW.....elsewhere the same.

I’m guessing they can’t sell to private sales unless they are marginal ‘firsts’ - seconds that the government has either surplussed or QC’d out. I know I always bought up scads of its SS109s when they hit the market....(I’m good now with my 5.56s...)

[robowombat]

This is the up and down in the workforce numbers that is a way of life at ammo plants. What is not noted is that this is the sole production site for a number of heavily used small arms munitions items. The Army GOCO (Government owned contractor operated) munitions base is now very very flat indeed. There are only single production points for most munitions and explosive items. In any significant protracted high intensity military operation significant shortages in basic load ammo items would appear in a matter of a few weeks. The Wizards of Smart at RAND and Brookings and inside the beltway have convinced themselves that there never will be another protracted high intensity combat operation and that SOF, drones and robots can handle any contingency that arises on the ground. Before Korea it was said that ‘air power’ would assure us that nothing like a land war would occur so the Army could be reduced to little more than a constabulary to police occupied former enemy nations. While i am not an enthusiast for MacArthur,his insistence that the 8th Army HQ remain in place and that US forces in Japan would continue to be structured as tactical units and not be turned into a glorified police force, as was done in Germany, at least preserved an operational structure that allowed the US Army to mount a campaign in Korea. US forces in japan were in wretched shape to fight but at least there was an organizational skeleton to base war fighting on. We are doing the same thing today with the structure of Army tactical units with the potential for a very nasty surprise somewhere no one is even thinking about today. ‘No More task Force Smith's’, like hell.

[Uncle Miltie]

They must be forced to keep the old manufacturing methods and the employees. Automation is no excuse for a layoff.

< / economic troglodism >

[ChildOfThe60s]

Oh I know you are right. I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to be sarcastic.

OTOH, does Lake City mfg a variety of calibers? If so, why isn’t it supplying DHS with all the ammo they are so interested in acquiring?

Right now I’d like to get my mitts on a truck load of 22LR. I could use that like the coin of the realm.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“Right now I’d like to get my mitts on a truck load of 22LR. I could use that like the coin of the realm.”

Interesting that 22LR is in such short supply. Easier to understand 5.56 or 7.62 and the various pistol ammos other than 22LR...

I do have a high regard for 22LR...versatile and lethal. I’m looking for some too.

[BlueMondaySkipper]

They must be forced to keep the old manufacturing methods and the employees. Automation is no excuse for a layoff.

Automation will indeed cause layoff, as you need less employees. Taken by itself it all appears reasonable, until you catch them deceiving you through the spokespuppet:

Kidder also attributed the cutbacks to recent reductions in U.S. military actions.

While this on the face is possibly true, the demand certainly remains, as evidenced by the tight ammo market. I own a bunch of Lake City M855 (5.56), but haven't seen any in the stores in months. That means the spokespuppet was trying to deceive by insinuating that demand is down. Since this line is obvious B.S., perhaps the whole part about this coming from automation is as well.

Only an idiot or a fellow traveler would assume the automation part is true when the slowdown part not.

[SgtHooper]

If that every happens, ppl will counterfeit em by filling em with sand.

[backwoods-engineer]

Another Obamatron scheme to reduce the availability of ammo. That plant ought to be sold to private interests.

[Gaffer]

Right now I’d like to get my mitts on a truck load of 22LR. I could use that like the coin of the realm.

That stuff, my FRiend, is like gold. You cannot find it anywhere save one box a gun seller is willing to sell you when you buy a gun. Walmart gets it in, I've seen it hit twice in the last month. Each time, the employees buy it up before you ever see it. You can buy it online if you can use ELEY ammo and pay about 20 Cents each bullet... As far as what LC manufactures, I've only bought SS109 from there and that was when it was a steal...

[bgill]

IOW, if the army can’t make their own ammo, el dictator can take over private ammo companies thus cutting off ammo sales to citizens. Hey, if you can’t ban guns fast enough, you go after the ammo. What’s next, food, utilites and fuel? The only jobs left will be the engineer running the cattle cars to FEMA camps.

[Charles Martel]

Alliant is also the parent corporation of Federal and CCI, some of which I believe is manufactured for the commercial market at the Lake City facility. There are probably contract provisions which stipulate what percentage of the facility's output can be used for non-government orders.

As for lower military demand, I think that's true. We're no longer pushing through Afghanistan or Iraq, and it's important not to confuse civilian government purchasing with DOD.

Sure, the timing is suspicious - but so is everything else about this administration.

[saleman]

It’s my understanding that the Lake City plants only produce ammo for the army. I could be wrong. The ammo purchased by civilians is ammo that couldn’t pass inspection. Also, and again I could the wrong, the only plants that produce 5.56 are Us army contract plants. Why that is, I have no idea. And there is a difference in 5.56 vs .223