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NIOA Group has celebrated the start of construction on Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc’s new $117 million, 69-hectare advanced soldier fired weapon system facility in Tennessee, US.
A ceremony was recently held to begin construction of the Barrett Manufacturing & Technology Campus (BMTC). NIOA Group acquired Barrett in January 2023.
Construction of the BMTC is expected to be completed by February 2027 with operations to begin soon after.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and senator for Tennessee Marsha Blackburn joined company executives and staff during the ceremony at NIOA’s North American headquarters.
The new facility, described as a ‘“factory of the future”, will focus on producing the next generation of advanced soldier fired weapon systems.
NIOA Group executive chairman and chairman of the Barrett board Rob Nioa said the new facility would serve as the company’s global firearms manufacturing centre of excellence at a time of significant importance for mobilising industry to support allied defence capability.
“With global security and deterrence more critical than at any time in the past 80 years, we’re very focused on working with Australia’s Five Eyes and AUKUS partner nations to build sovereign defence industrial capability,” Nioa said.
“We are excited to be building the factory of the future here in Tennessee that will have far-reaching local benefits and international impact.
“It adds the next chapter to Barrett’s history of innovation, precision and excellence that has benefited nations across the globe, creates new jobs that stay in the area while giving us the scale, technology and capacity to meet the growing demands of our customers and defence partners worldwide.”
The $117 million project is on a 69-hectare greenfield site, not far from Barrett’s original headquarters in Murfreesboro.
Stage one of the BMTC includes corporate headquarters, research and development capabilities, large scale state-of-the-art manufacturing and first floor office area spread over more than 250,000 square feet.
The expansion is expected to double the Barrett workforce over the next five years and enable the company to meet growing worldwide demand for its commercial and defence products.
Barrett CEO Bryan James said the new facility represents a bold step forward and a long-term commitment to the company’s heritage.
“As a locally founded business, we’re proud to invest once again in the place that has shaped our success as a global leader serving both the commercial and military markets,” he said.
“This project not only underscores our commitment to the region, supporting hundreds of local jobs, but it’s a significant investment in our people, our customers and our capabilities.”
James thanked the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and the wider community for their strong support of the project, recognising its potential to create skilled jobs for the region.
