Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. X X I V R oadside stands of potatoes and signs for log home builders — staples of e County — line the route leading to an industrial park a stone's throw away from the Canadian border in Houlton. At the destination, a plain, fl at- roofed building belies the high-tech machinery and manufacturing buzzing inside until one reads the sign at the entrance: Smith & Wesson, Houlton, Me. It is here that the Springfi eld, Mass.-based fi re- arms and restraints maker, founded in 1852, set up the Houlton factory in 1966. e Houlton facility bought its most recent location in 1980 and expanded it to its current 36,000 square feet in 1994. Its 120 employees have made millions of handcuff s, leg irons and other restraints in 15 diff erent models, plus a large but undis- closed number of handgun slides. "We are one of the larger employers in the area," says plant manager Scott Allen, who has worked at the plant since 1995. Larger employers in the area include Walmart. e rise of the plant in the far reaches of Maine is no Houdini act. While the factory did have a glitch in November 2013, when it eliminated 37 jobs as it shifted its focus to making lighter weight, polymer-frame handguns instead of full metal ones, it has continued to grow its handcuff and gun slide businesses. About a year ago it made another change from assembling guns to just making slides for them. Production of handcuff s and other restraints hit 6.5 million cumulatively in 2010 and is about 8 million now, Allen says. He would not disclose the number of gun slides made, but said the factory makes more slides than handcuff s. "Two-thirds of the factory's workforce makes slides and the other one-third make handcuff s," he says. e handcuff s are made on two, eight-hour shifts fi ve days a week. e slides are made on state-of-the P H O T O / DAV E C L O U G H Smith & Wesson 19 Aviation Drive, Houlton Plant Manager: Scott Allen Plant opened: 1966 Employees: 120 Smith & Wesson total net sales (FY2015 ended April 30): $552 million Services: Manufacturing handcuffs, gun slides Contact: 1-800-331-0852 (Springfield, Mass., headquarters) www.smith-wesson.com O C T O B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 16 Scott Allen, plant manager at Smith & Wesson in Houlton, where 19 computer numerical control machines make handgun slides. No act Smith & Wesson's growth has given new life to Houlton B y L o r i V a l i g r a Houdini

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