Glad to see that Homeland Security went with the Sig Sauer instead of the Brazilian made Beretta that the military is stuck with. The Sig 220 is arguably the best 45 auto in the world.
SiGARMS automatics vault it into big leagues
By JERRY MILLER
Union Leader Correspondent
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EXETER — A five year, $23.7 million contract, which will provide up to 65,000 pistols for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is expected to put SiGARMS, the local gun manufacturer, on the world map of gun makers.
With $60 million in sales last year, the contract represents a significant addition to the bottom line.
The selection process pitted the company against some of the biggest gun manufacturers in the world. The competition began with Uncle Sam issuing a 74-page document, which outlined the government's requirements and expectations.
Chris Letourneau, above, a full-time SiGARMS shooter, blasts away on the company's firing range, testing weapons as they come off the assembly line. SiGARMS fired each of 46 test weapons a minimum of 10,000 times to win a government supply contract for Sig Sauer P-series automatics, left, which come in 9mm and .40-caliber. (JERRY MILLER PHOTOS)
Pete Kujawski, SiGARMS' vice president for government and military sales, said his company, after an initial screening by Homeland Security personnel, was pitted against Beretta, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, Heckler & Koch and Glock.
In the end, the selection process involved running a gauntlet of testing, dealing with reams of bureaucratic paperwork, going through dozens of separate evaluations — and firing off more than three million round of ammunition, using 46 competitive gun models. Each weapon was required to shoot a minimum of 10,000 rounds and each pistol was eventually measured against 50 criteria. The selection process took more than four months to complete.
A program of "durability and reliability" testing was designed to "push the limits of the guns," according to Kujawski. "But our guns held up extremely well."
The guns were tested in all environments, including high and low temperatures, as well as sand and salt water, to assure durability and operability.
"They did what they could to break the weapons," Kujawski said.
The winners
Pete Kujawski, SiGARMS' vice president, with crates loaded with handguns, says winning a Homeland Security contract proves the Exeter manufacturer "can make the best ... We're a New Hampshire success story." (JERRY MILLER)
The winners were three models of Sig Sauer pistols, the P229, P226 and the P239. The P226 and P229 are equipped with a newly designed DAK trigger system, developed by JP Sauer & Sohn, a German-based 200-year-old sister company.
The final Homeland Security order includes sub-compact, compact and full-sized pistols, in two calibers, 9mm and .40-caliber.
Kujawski said the different sizes give the government more flexibility. "They can be used by different agents, including big guys with monster hands, and tiny women."
Prior to being selected for use by the Homeland Security, these weapons were already being used by the U.S. Secret Service, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) personnel, State Department diplomatic security agents, the U.S. Army Military Police and the National Criminal Investigation Service.
The clients
The pistols will be used by all divisions within the Homeland Security, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard; and the Federal Protective Service.
And, while no other federal agency can purchase weapons under this contract, winning the Homeland Security work makes it more likely SiGARMS will be successful in bidding on other federal law enforcement work.
"It's given us the impetus to go into other federal agencies," Kujawski said.
SiGARMS has already been invited by the Special Operations Command, of the U.S. Department of Defense to compete for combat pistol work and for a future U.S. Army handgun contract.
A $4.2 million U.S. Coast Guard contract means the USCG will replace its service pistols with locally made guns, while a $1.7 million Army contract will provide 5,000 pistols for use by the Iraqi National Police.
"Homeland Security officials had to be certain that the people who use these guns have the very best that is available, because their job is to protect the homeland," Kujawski said.
"They've got to go bang, every single time," he said. "Reliability is of the utmost concern, when you're protecting the President of the United States."
"These guns are utterly reliable. That's what we've built these pistols to be," said Paul Erhardt, SiGARMS' director of marketing.
Impact of contract
The Homeland Security contract is welcome news to SiGARMS management, since the company's last multimillion-dollar federal contract, for a U.S. Army military combat pistol, was awarded in 1988.
"This contract reestablishes our pistols as the premiere and most reliable pistols on the market," Erhardt contends. "They outperformed the best pistols from several very good companies."
"Winning this contract becomes a cornerstone for our production capacity for the next five-years," Kujawski said. "It proves to the world that this relatively small company can manufacture pistols of superior quality, pistols that are as good or better than those manufactured in Germany, Austria, Italy and elsewhere in the United States."
New Hampshire jobs
Kujawski said, "The jobs we've created in New Hampshire will stay in New Hampshire, rather than going overseas. The large components of the pistol will be manufactured and assembled here, using state-of-the-art equipment."
In anticipation of winning the contract, SiGARMS last year added 30 people to its payroll, which now tops 155 employees.
The company also purchased and installed $3 million worth of new computer-controlled production equipment and increased the production capability of its facility by 25 percent.
"A lot of this was done in anticipation of aggressively pursuing the Homeland Security contract," Erhardt said.
Kujawski said the newly added equipment and personnel would help SiGARMS land future business and add workers.
According to Kujawski, the nation's focus on protecting the homeland is a boon for SiGARMS, the state's economy and other gun makers.
"When you have this kind of focus, there is a big pot of money that flows with it. The people in charge of these agencies are looking to outfit first-line defenders with the best equipment they can get. That puts it right in our alley."
SiGARMS already supplies pistols to the New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island state police, as well as the Manchester, San Francisco and Memphis police departments. The Homeland Security contract is expected to expand the list of state and local law enforcement agencies interested in buying pistols from the company.
Kujawski said the Homeland Security contract gives SiGARMS "prestige and credibility," as well as "leverage with purchasing personnel," adding, "We've proven we can make the best."
"We've proven that we can be competitive with worldwide manufacturers, from a New Hampshire location.
"We're a New Hampshire success story." |
