The State of marlin Firearms - article in Rifle Magazine

[Damcowboy]

I may be late on the news but there is an article written in the current Rifle Magazine (Jan 2012, No. 260) by Brian Pierce regarding Marlin (page 12). The article includes his thoughts on the move from New Haven to Ilion (he was in the old factory just before they moved) and what Marlin has told him regarding the current status when he called them up. Not sure it tells up much except they are switching to CNC machines and are aware of their QC issues.

The article is here:
http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazin...60partial1.pdf

[Damcowboy]

Sorry, page 12 in the physical magazine, page 4 on the web pdf.

[domct203]

Wow, I had to put my waiders on to read that load of BS. It reads like it was written by Remington/FGI themselves.

"Some of the experienced employees chose to retire". While this is true, there were 265 employees at the time of the announced closing and if there were 25 who chose to retire there were 220 who were not offered relocation. Trust me, they did not care to absorb our knowledge.

"Programs and blueprints had to be rewritten, as many of the drawings dated back 60-plus years and were not suitable for CNC tooling" WHAT?!?! Unless the SAE inch standard changed this year that is utter BS. A blueprint is a blueprint, and most of our drawings were already re-drawn in AutoCAD anyway. Still, the paper drawings did not have an expiration date ya know.

"In visiting the Marlin New Haven plant not long before the move, I was amazed by the old-world tooling, some literally being a centry old" I guess his GPS was broken on his trip to Marlin, because we were in North Haven, not New Haven. Also, none of our tooling was a century old.

"Unfortunately, manufacturing methods were labor intensive and thus expensive" OK, no argument there, but Marlin was turning a profit every year. Methods were labor intensive because we were craftsmen, not "button pushers".

"Some of the equipment and tooling was in the process of being updated at that time by the relatively new owner, Freedom Group" Again, total BS. Any of the process improvements and updates being done were being done by Marlin Employees. We were always updating and improving, something that had been ongoing since the Kenna family ownership.

"but I would submit that a large-scale change was inevitable, or the company would have eventually become bankrupt, or at least not profitable" Again, Marlin was "in the black" year after year. We were getting regular pay raises, and had the capital to purchase new equipment were needed. I wonder how the profits look now LOL.

All of us (Marlin) were proud of the product we made. We never passed on bad work, and would not put a rifle in a box that we would not buy ourselves. Sure, it was not a perfect world, and we had our day to day issues. Sometimes we lost hours of production due to a bad run of parts that were not caught until later downstream in the plant. But the bottom line is that sub-standard work NEVER left the plant. Bad work was either scraped or repaired. We would have rather missed quota for the week and have to use overtime to make it up than to blindly pass the bad parts on to our customer.

If FGI and Remington did not come into the picture I'm sure I would still be working there today, and until my retirement. When Frank Kenna sold Marlin it was with the best intentions. We were all promised that nothing would change and that all our jobs were secure. I guess they passed around the BS then too.

Sorry for the rant.

Dom

[Gordy]

Pierce stated that he thinks Marlins Quality will be back ! I think so also, and am looking forward to it.

[domct203]

Pierce stated that he thinks Marlins Quality will be back ! I think so also, and am looking forward to it.

I hope so too. It would really stink for all our hard work building the Marlin reputation to go "down the drain".

Dom

[hemi1011]

This stinks of propaganda! I wonder how much FG paid that magazine to publish that article? I think it was the second sentence that I smelled BS. Here I thought that this would be an unbiased report. I'm about to write them a letter.

[neptune]

Dom,

You have every reason to "rant". Nobody would blame you for the truckloads of horse chit FGI/Remington fed to Marlin employees while knowing full well of the consolidation that was to come. I made the mistake of purchasing a rifle made by Lemonton but thankfully I learn from my mistakes and will only make that mistake once.

The whole situation is a crying shame. And now another great American company, its tradition of quality and their dedicated employees are no more.

[Tomray]

Wow, I had to put my waiders on to read that load of BS. It reads like it was written by Remington/FGI themselves.

"Some of the experienced employees chose to retire". While this is true, there were 265 employees at the time of the announced closing and if there were 25 who chose to retire there were 220 who were not offered relocation. Trust me, they did not care to absorb our knowledge.

"Programs and blueprints had to be rewritten, as many of the drawings dated back 60-plus years and were not suitable for CNC tooling" WHAT?!?! Unless the SAE inch standard changed this year that is utter BS. A blueprint is a blueprint, and most of our drawings were already re-drawn in AutoCAD anyway. Still, the paper drawings did not have an expiration date ya know.

"In visiting the Marlin New Haven plant not long before the move, I was amazed by the old-world tooling, some literally being a centry old" I guess his GPS was broken on his trip to Marlin, because we were in North Haven, not New Haven. Also, none of our tooling was a century old.

"Unfortunately, manufacturing methods were labor intensive and thus expensive" OK, no argument there, but Marlin was turning a profit every year. Methods were labor intensive because we were craftsmen, not "button pushers".

"Some of the equipment and tooling was in the process of being updated at that time by the relatively new owner, Freedom Group" Again, total BS. Any of the process improvements and updates being done were being done by Marlin Employees. We were always updating and improving, something that had been ongoing since the Kenna family ownership.

"but I would submit that a large-scale change was inevitable, or the company would have eventually become bankrupt, or at least not profitable" Again, Marlin was "in the black" year after year. We were getting regular pay raises, and had the capital to purchase new equipment were needed. I wonder how the profits look now LOL.

All of us (Marlin) were proud of the product we made. We never passed on bad work, and would not put a rifle in a box that we would not buy ourselves. Sure, it was not a perfect world, and we had our day to day issues. Sometimes we lost hours of production due to a bad run of parts that were not caught until later downstream in the plant. But the bottom line is that sub-standard work NEVER left the plant. Bad work was either scraped or repaired. We would have rather missed quota for the week and have to use overtime to make it up than to blindly pass the bad parts on to our customer.

If FGI and Remington did not come into the picture I'm sure I would still be working there today, and until my retirement. When Frank Kenna sold Marlin it was with the best intentions. We were all promised that nothing would change and that all our jobs were secure. I guess they passed around the BS then too.

Sorry for the rant.

Dom

Hey, Dom!.............

WELL STATED, Thanks, and I'll support EVERYTHING you have written............

I haven't read Pierce's entire article, but I do remember him coming thru the plant...........I think he was there for an hour or two, and he was spoon fed at the time........

After reading his quoted statements.............I won't waste my time reading any more of his work.........

Pierce's written perception of what Marlin in North Haven was, at the time is completely WRONG.....It was NOT a dying manufacturing plant.........It was a plant that was being raped and slaughtered!....

He has proven himself to me, to be encapable of even his own research, apparently he doesn't not recognize Machine tools, and Mfg or Assembly processes either.

He has only "REWORDED' what his "Handlers" at FGI and remington have spoonfed him..............And in doing so, Has given others in his profession a bad name, and cause for scrutiny.

At this point in time, FGI and Remington will offer up any "Media Spin" they think will help them look better.............
I would venture to say, a large number of present FGI and remington guys weren't even "ON Board" during the last days of the real Marlin............It's somewhat common knowledge that turnover within FGI and Remington has been really brisk..............but the whippings will probably continue.

Nice responce, Dom

Regards,

Tom

[Ranch Dog]

All of us (Marlin) were proud of the product we made... ...Sorry for the rant.

Don't be sorry at all. I was a customer and I appreciated all the good work you fellows did over the course of my lifetime. The youngsters will grow up not knowing the difference but I will always know the difference. I won't get over it either.

The column is BS.

[Breadman03]

I'm just glad I got one of the guns you guys built.