Showing posts with label FN Herstal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FN Herstal. Show all posts
Thursday, November 09, 2006
"World Policy Group" profile of FN
FN Manufacturing Inc./FN Herstal
The Herstal Group
Company History and Products
The Herstal Group is comprised of the parent company Herstal, and its two main subsidiaries: FN Herstal and Browning and US Repeating Arms Company. The Herstal Group has offices in Liège, Belgium, as well as in nine other European countries, North America, and Asia. Each subsidiary has its own research, development and manufacturing components, and its own global distribution networks. FN Herstal's products are used by the Armed Forces of more than 100 countries.
Browning of Morgan, Utah produces shotguns, rifles, handguns and the Browning M1919 A4, A6. US Repeating Arms Company, located in New Haven, CT, specializes in Winchester rifles and shotguns.
It is no coincidence that FN Manufacturing, the company's main US facility, is in South Carolina, the home state of former Senate Armed Services Chairman, Strom Thurmond, and current House Armed Services Chairman, Floyd Spence. FN Manufacturing produces small caliber weapons and machine guns such as M16, M240, M249, SAW, and the 49 pistol for military and law enforcement markets. FN Manufacturing is one of the US Army's prime contractors of small arms.
FN Herstal produces:
M16A2 5.56mm assault rifle (NATO standard) (also produced by Colt Manufacturing)
M249 Minimi 5.56mm machine gun
FN MAG (NATO standard machine gun)
M240 7.62 x 51mm armor machine gun
5.56 Special Purpose Weapon (SPW) - a light weight machine gun
FN FAL automatic rifle - manufactured under licensed production agreements in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Israel, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Venezuela
P90 submachine gun
FiveseveN pistol - FN's latest design of a semi-automatic pistol
5.7x28mm ammunition
Sales/Proposed Sales
In both 1999 and 1998, FN Manufacturing of South Carolina received approximately $32 million in contracts from the US Department of Defense for the purchase of M249s, M60s and M16s. As well, FN Herstal's 5.56 Special Purpose weapon has been selected by the US Special Operations Command as their new light weight machine gun. The US ordered 425 of the weapons with a potential for up to 2,500.
Through years of US arms sales and military aid, the M16 rifle has ended up in the arsenals of more than 50 countries, including Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, Sri Lanka, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The M16 has also been produced in Singapore, South Korea, and the Philippines.
In addition to FN Herstal's facilities in Europe, North America, and Asia, FN assault rifles are manufactured under license in Indonesia. While the US has a long history of supplying weapons to the Indonesian military, reports from the scene have documented the use of M16 rifles by the anti-independence death squads (set up by the Indonesian military) against the people of East Timor. FN Herstal also assisted in building Eldoret, an ammunition factory in Kenya. The factory produces 20 million 7.62 NATO-standard rounds of ammunition a year which is used throughout war-torn Central Africa and the Great Lakes region.
Furthermore, the Belgian government was recently in the middle of controversy over the shipment of 500 P-90 machine guns and 500,000 rounds of ammunition destined for a private firm in Mexico. The P-90 was designed for the use of NATO military forces, governments and law enforcement and, because of its 'lethality', the Belgian government made assurances that it would never be exported to any private institutions or companies. IANSA reported that the "super weapons" have the ability to penetrate 48 layers of the anti-ballistic material used in bullet-proof vests, weigh only three kilograms when loaded, and can store up to 50 bullets. To date, the Belgian Foreign Minister has temporarily suspended the transfer, but has defended the sale saying that the P-90s were actually destined for the Mexican police. The end user certificate, however, did not mention the police, only the private company which is a representative of FN in Mexico.
The Herstal Group
Company History and Products
The Herstal Group is comprised of the parent company Herstal, and its two main subsidiaries: FN Herstal and Browning and US Repeating Arms Company. The Herstal Group has offices in Liège, Belgium, as well as in nine other European countries, North America, and Asia. Each subsidiary has its own research, development and manufacturing components, and its own global distribution networks. FN Herstal's products are used by the Armed Forces of more than 100 countries.
Browning of Morgan, Utah produces shotguns, rifles, handguns and the Browning M1919 A4, A6. US Repeating Arms Company, located in New Haven, CT, specializes in Winchester rifles and shotguns.
It is no coincidence that FN Manufacturing, the company's main US facility, is in South Carolina, the home state of former Senate Armed Services Chairman, Strom Thurmond, and current House Armed Services Chairman, Floyd Spence. FN Manufacturing produces small caliber weapons and machine guns such as M16, M240, M249, SAW, and the 49 pistol for military and law enforcement markets. FN Manufacturing is one of the US Army's prime contractors of small arms.
FN Herstal produces:
M16A2 5.56mm assault rifle (NATO standard) (also produced by Colt Manufacturing)
M249 Minimi 5.56mm machine gun
FN MAG (NATO standard machine gun)
M240 7.62 x 51mm armor machine gun
5.56 Special Purpose Weapon (SPW) - a light weight machine gun
FN FAL automatic rifle - manufactured under licensed production agreements in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Israel, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Venezuela
P90 submachine gun
FiveseveN pistol - FN's latest design of a semi-automatic pistol
5.7x28mm ammunition
Sales/Proposed Sales
In both 1999 and 1998, FN Manufacturing of South Carolina received approximately $32 million in contracts from the US Department of Defense for the purchase of M249s, M60s and M16s. As well, FN Herstal's 5.56 Special Purpose weapon has been selected by the US Special Operations Command as their new light weight machine gun. The US ordered 425 of the weapons with a potential for up to 2,500.
Through years of US arms sales and military aid, the M16 rifle has ended up in the arsenals of more than 50 countries, including Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, Sri Lanka, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The M16 has also been produced in Singapore, South Korea, and the Philippines.
In addition to FN Herstal's facilities in Europe, North America, and Asia, FN assault rifles are manufactured under license in Indonesia. While the US has a long history of supplying weapons to the Indonesian military, reports from the scene have documented the use of M16 rifles by the anti-independence death squads (set up by the Indonesian military) against the people of East Timor. FN Herstal also assisted in building Eldoret, an ammunition factory in Kenya. The factory produces 20 million 7.62 NATO-standard rounds of ammunition a year which is used throughout war-torn Central Africa and the Great Lakes region.
Furthermore, the Belgian government was recently in the middle of controversy over the shipment of 500 P-90 machine guns and 500,000 rounds of ammunition destined for a private firm in Mexico. The P-90 was designed for the use of NATO military forces, governments and law enforcement and, because of its 'lethality', the Belgian government made assurances that it would never be exported to any private institutions or companies. IANSA reported that the "super weapons" have the ability to penetrate 48 layers of the anti-ballistic material used in bullet-proof vests, weigh only three kilograms when loaded, and can store up to 50 bullets. To date, the Belgian Foreign Minister has temporarily suspended the transfer, but has defended the sale saying that the P-90s were actually destined for the Mexican police. The end user certificate, however, did not mention the police, only the private company which is a representative of FN in Mexico.
Herstal Group backgrounder
Groupe Herstal S.A.
Address:
Voie de Liège 33
B-4040 Herstal
Belgium
Telephone: (32) 4 240 81 11
Fax: (32) 4 240 88 99
http://www.herstalgroup.com
Statistics:
Private Company
Incorporated: 1889
Employees: 3,000
Sales: $584.8 million (2001)
NAIC: 332992 Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing; 332993 Ammunition (Except Small Arms) Manufac- turing; 332994 Small Arms Manufacturing; 332995 Other Ordnance and Accessories Manufacturing; 339920 Sporting and Athletic Good Manufacturing
Company Perspectives:
Herstal is committed to be a reliable source for small arms for the military and Law Enforcement markets. We are committed to maintaining operational excellence through continuous improvement and the pursuit of world class manufacturing.
Key Dates:
1886: An association of Liège-based arms manufacturers, Les Fabricants d'Armes Réunis (FAR), is founded.
1888: FAR sets up Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre in order to produce 150,000 Mauser rifles for the Belgian military; following completion of that order, Mauser takes over the company.
1918: FAR is taken over by Société Générale de Belgique after World War I.
1899: Production of John Moses Browning-designed automatic pistol begins.
1936: Production of anti-aircraft cannons begins.
1977: Browning company is acquired.
1987: US Repeating Arms Co. and the Winchester brand are acquired.
1990: Société Générale sells company to GIAT for $100 million.
1997: The Walloon government buys the company from GIAT and renames it Groupe Herstal.
2002: Herstal develops a "smart gun" prototype.
Company History:
Groupe Herstal S.A. is one of the world's leading makers of small-caliber firearms, ammunition, and accessories for the military, law enforcement, marksmanship, hunting, and sports markets. Based in the village of Herstal, Belgium, near Liège, the company operates through two primary subsidiaries: Fabrique Nationale Herstal--which produces side arms, rifles, mounted weapon systems, training systems, and military engineering for the defense and law-enforcement sectors--and Browning/US Repeating Arms Co., which produces sporting rifles and hand guns under the famous Browning and Winchester names. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe, as well as in the United States and Japan. Herstal has been owned by the regional Walloon government since the mid-1990s; however, the government has been seeking to sell off the company, most likely to a group of private investors. In 2001, the latest year for which figures are available, Herstal posted revenues of nearly $585 million.
Forging Firearms History in the 1880s
Weapons manufacturing in the Belgian city of Liège began as early as the 16th century. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the city featured a number of prominent arms manufacturers. In 1886, a group of manufacturers, including Ancion, Dumoulin Frères, Dresse-Laloux & Cie., J. Hanssen, and Pirlot-Frésart joined together to form an association, Les Fabricants d'Armes Réunis (United Arms Manufacturers).
An order from the Belgian Army in 1887 for 150,000 repeating rifles encouraged Les Fabricants d'Armes Réunis to begin planning a new, large scale factory, and in 1888 the group created a new company, Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre. The new factory was built in Herstal, and in 1889 the company launched production of the Belgian army order, producing Mauser-designed rifles under license. Mauser, based in Germany, then bought up the company from its founders.
At the completion of that contract, the Belgian army returned to the company, later to become known as FN Herstal, with an order for 30 million rounds for the Mauser rifles. FN Herstal promptly set up a dedicated munitions factory next to its rifle production site in 1891.
FN Herstal soon expanded its production to include civilian arms, especially hunting rifles. By the mid-1890s, the company began seeking other production areas, and in 1896 the company launched production of its own line of bicycles, including its own "acatene," or chainless, shaft-driven bicycle designs. The company would remain a popular producer of bicycles for some 30 years.
From bicycles, FN Herstal entered the young automotive market, producing its first car in 1900 and its first motorcycle two years later. While the company stopped producing cars in 1937, it continued to build motorcycles into the 1960s. In addition, FN Herstal became a prominent truck manufacturer, with production running from 1930 to 1966, and also built trolleys between 1932 and 1955. Closer to its core weapons production was the manufacturing of military vehicles, and activity in this area continued until the early 1980s. Its diversified product line notwithstanding, FN Herstal achieved its greatest renown as a maker of small arms.
It was during the late 1890s that the company came into contact with one of the most important personalities in gun manufacturing history: John Moses Browning. Browning, the son of a gunsmith, built his first rifle when just a boy. By the age of 23, he had already received his first patent, for a single-shot rifle. Browning and brother Matt decided to set up their own workshop to produce the rifle in 1880. Browning's invention quickly caught the attention of Winchester, another famous name in U.S. rifles, which bought out the patent.
Browning proved to be a prolific inventor, introducing in 1884 a lever-action repeating rifle, which became famous as the Winchester Model 86. The New York-based company remained a steady customer for Browning, buying up some 20 of his patents before the end of that decade. In the meantime, Browning had begun work on a new, groundbreaking design--the automatic machine gun, patented in 1890.
By then, the relationship with Winchester had begun to sour, and Browning had begun to seek other manufacturers for future patents. In 1894, Browning turned his attention to adapting his automatic firing system to handguns. By 1896, Browning had perfected the mechanism for the world's first automatic pistol.
The following year brought Browning into contact with FN Herstal, when a representative of the Belgian company, traveling in the United States in search of new bicycle designs, came across the Browning automatic. FN Herstal agreed to begin producing the design and by 1899 had launched the world's first commercially available automatic handgun. The new side arm became a huge success for the Belgian company.
Browning now turned his attention to developing an automatic repeating function for shotguns. By 1900, Browning had perfected the new design, a five-shot fully automatic shotgun. However, U.S. manufacturers were unwilling to produce the new weapon, believing it to be too far ahead of its time. In 1902, Browning traveled to Belgium, where he found ready acceptance for the shotgun from FN Herstal.
Browning and FN Herstal now began to work closely together, with FN Herstal producing an initial order of 10,000 shotguns. These were sold by Browning within a year, leading Remington to pick up on the design as well. Nevertheless, Browning's closest ties where with FN Herstal, and by 1907 Browning had agreed to allow the Belgian company to manufacture arms using his name. Among the arms produced by the FN Herstal-Browning team in this period were a 9mm military semi-automatic pistol in 1903; a pocket-sized .25 caliber semi-automatic in 1905, and a semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle in 1914. In that year, Browning received the Order of the Knighthood from the Belgian throne in recognition of his contribution to the Belgian company's growing worldwide reputation. The company received more dubious distinction as the maker of the automatic handgun used in the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, setting off World War I.
FN Herstal shut down its operations during the German wartime occupation of Belgium; some of the company's staff fled to France, setting up a new company, Manufacture d'Armes de Paris. Following the war, FN Herstal resumed operations. The company was now stripped from Mauser and taken over by Sociéteé Générale de Belgique.
Browning had continued developing weapons during the war years, including .30 caliber and .50 machine guns and the famed Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, the world's first light machine gun. Browning brought these new designs to FN Herstal following the war, and by 1920 Herstal had begun production of the BAR. While Browning himself returned to the United States, his son Val Browning remained at FN Herstal, further strengthening the family's close association with the manufacturer. Browning continued to make frequent visits to FN Herstal, where he had his own office, and ultimately died in Liège in 1926.
The following year, the Browning family founded its own manufacturing works, the Browning Arms Company, in Odgen, Utah. That company, which focused on producing hunting and sports rifles and shotguns, later parlayed the famed Browning name into a variety of sporting goods items.
Diversification Disaster in the 1980s
Following the war, FN Herstal's business had been boosted by the adoption of its 9mm pistol design as standard issue by police forces across Europe--and later around the world. FN Herstal had also continued to diversify its manufacturing basis, as already noted. In 1928, the company began construction of a new factory for its automobile production. Two years later, FN Herstal added a new production site, in Bruges, transferring its munitions production there.
By 1936, FN Herstal had begun to produce 40mm anti-aircraft cannons. Two years later, the company was once again taken over by German occupying forces, which used the arms manufacturer's production to support its own war effort. FN Herstal escaped bombing by the Allies; however, after the liberation of Belgium in 1944, the company's factories became the target of Nazi bombing raids.
Following the war, FN Herstal began a new expansion of its defense manufacturing operations. In 1948, the company launched production of jet airplane engines, using the Gloster Meteor design. Over the next decades, FN Herstal was involved in the production of a number of important aircraft designs, such as the Hunter, the F104-G, the MirageV, and the Boeing Airbus. At the same time, as it wound down its automotive and motorcycle operations, FN Herstal turned instead to producing agricultural machinery.
The 1970s marked a new period of growth for the company, as the intensification of the Cold War and tensions in the Middle East brought about a sharp increase in worldwide defense spending. Yet even as defense manufacture took on a major role in FN Herstal's revenues, the company sought to extend its civilian-based businesses.
In 1977, the company acquired long-time partner Browning. Browning's presence in the sporting goods market encouraged Herstal to step up its own operations in that sector. In 1979, Herstal acquired France's Lerc, a maker of fishing equipment, as well as that company's distributor. It also began producing such diverse sporting goods equipment as tennis rackets and surfboards. Meanwhile, the company had formed a manufacturing agreement with Japan's Miroku, which in turn took a 25 percent stake in Herstal. By 1980, the company employed more than 10,000 workers.
FN Herstal stumbled in the 1980s amid a slumping defense market. In addition, the company had invested heavily in building up its aircraft motors and sporting goods wings, which failed to take off and left Herstal overburdened by debt. By the middle of the 1980s, the company's interest payments accounted for some 10 percent of its sales.
Despite the fact that the company had succeeded in reducing its reliance on defense contracts, FN Herstal was forced to abandon its diversification strategy. The company began shedding most of its non-core operations, shutting down most of its sporting goods businesses, except for its hunting rifles and fishing equipment lines. In 1988, FN Herstal sold off its aircraft motors subsidiary--renamed as Techspace Aero. Nonetheless, FN Herstal had not completely given up on external growth. In 1987, it acquired US Repeating Arms Co. which had been formed in 1981 to take over the manufacture of Winchester guns.
Meanwhile, Société Générale's attempts to restructure the company proved fruitless, and, after pumping a further $400 million into the company in mid-1990, finally sold FN Herstal to French defense giant GIAT for about $100 million. The government-controlled company acquired 92 percent of FN Herstal, soon to be renamed Herstal SA, while the Belgian government retained 8 percent and an important veto right.
New Owners in a New Century?
Under GIAT, Herstal restructured again, reducing its focus back to a core production, on the one hand, of light arms and munitions for the military and sporting guns and sporting goods under the Browning name, and, on the other, of anti-aircraft cannons and armament systems for helicopters and other aircraft. The restructuring of the company cut deeply into its workforce, which shrunk back to just 1,300 employees by 1992.
GIAT itself began bleeding badly in the 1990s as the worldwide defense market collapsed with the end of the Cold War. As its own fortunes dwindled, GIAT finally was unable to continue to invest in keeping Herstal afloat, and by 1996 had announced its willingness to sell the Belgian company.
GIAT appeared to have found a buyer in Colt Manufacturing, the U.S.-based company and Herstal's chief rival in the worldwide small arms market. Colt and GIAT began negotiations in 1997 and were close to reaching an agreement when the Walloon regional government vetoed a potential deal. Fearful that Colt sought to buy Herstal only to shut it down, and thereby increase its own share of the market, the Walloon government itself decided to buy Herstal.
The company now became Groupe Herstal S.A., with FN Herstal and Browning/US Repeating placed as its primary subsidiaries. Groupe Herstal's restructuring continued, including the loss of more than 500 new jobs. This time, however, the company's efforts paid off, and by 1999 Groupe Herstal was once again posting profits.
The Walloon government announced its intention to sell off Groupe Herstal again in 2000. In the meantime, Herstal fortunes began to rise again in the new century as it released a number of new products, including a polymer frame handgun in the United States, and, under a contract with the U.S. government, a prototype "smart gun" designed to be fired only by its owner. Herstal's military sales received another boost in 2003 when the British government choose to supply its armed forces with the company's newest Minimi series of light machine guns. As the Walloon government continued to search for new owners for the company, the Groupe Herstal was poised to continue making small arms history into the next century.
Principal Subsidiaries: Browning International; Browning North America; Fabrique Nationale Herstal S.A; FNH USA, Inc.; FN Manufacturing USA; US Repeating Arms Co.; Herstal Group.
Principal Competitors: Pentair Inc.; MKEK-Makine ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu Genel Mudurlugu; Rheinmetall DeTec AG; Tula Ammunition Plant Joint Stock Company; Olin Corporation; SNPE; Poongsan Corporation; CIC International Ltd.; RUAG Holding; Denel Proprietory Ltd.; Blount International Inc.; Israel Military Industries Ltd.
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Further Reading:
"Britain To Buy FN Herstal Light Machine Guns For $12.3 Million," Defense Daily International, May 30, 2003.
Chamberlain, W.H.J., and A.W.F. Taylerson, "An FN Centenary: the First 50 Years," American Rifleman, December 1989, p. 36.
------, "An FN Centenary: the Second 50 Years," American Rifleman, February 1990, p. 34.
"France's GIAT to sell FN Herstal to Local Belgian Government," Defense Daily, October 24, 1997, p. 2.
"Smart Gun Developed in Belgium," Xinhua News Agency, June 4, 2002.
Thurman, Ross, "FN Herstal Refocuses US Efforts," Shooting Industry, August 2002, p. 38.
Tran, Pierre, "Belgium Guns Down Colt's Bid for Herstal," Reuters, October 8, 1997.
Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 58. St. James Press, 2004.
Address:
Voie de Liège 33
B-4040 Herstal
Belgium
Telephone: (32) 4 240 81 11
Fax: (32) 4 240 88 99
http://www.herstalgroup.com
Statistics:
Private Company
Incorporated: 1889
Employees: 3,000
Sales: $584.8 million (2001)
NAIC: 332992 Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing; 332993 Ammunition (Except Small Arms) Manufac- turing; 332994 Small Arms Manufacturing; 332995 Other Ordnance and Accessories Manufacturing; 339920 Sporting and Athletic Good Manufacturing
Company Perspectives:
Herstal is committed to be a reliable source for small arms for the military and Law Enforcement markets. We are committed to maintaining operational excellence through continuous improvement and the pursuit of world class manufacturing.
Key Dates:
1886: An association of Liège-based arms manufacturers, Les Fabricants d'Armes Réunis (FAR), is founded.
1888: FAR sets up Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre in order to produce 150,000 Mauser rifles for the Belgian military; following completion of that order, Mauser takes over the company.
1918: FAR is taken over by Société Générale de Belgique after World War I.
1899: Production of John Moses Browning-designed automatic pistol begins.
1936: Production of anti-aircraft cannons begins.
1977: Browning company is acquired.
1987: US Repeating Arms Co. and the Winchester brand are acquired.
1990: Société Générale sells company to GIAT for $100 million.
1997: The Walloon government buys the company from GIAT and renames it Groupe Herstal.
2002: Herstal develops a "smart gun" prototype.
Company History:
Groupe Herstal S.A. is one of the world's leading makers of small-caliber firearms, ammunition, and accessories for the military, law enforcement, marksmanship, hunting, and sports markets. Based in the village of Herstal, Belgium, near Liège, the company operates through two primary subsidiaries: Fabrique Nationale Herstal--which produces side arms, rifles, mounted weapon systems, training systems, and military engineering for the defense and law-enforcement sectors--and Browning/US Repeating Arms Co., which produces sporting rifles and hand guns under the famous Browning and Winchester names. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe, as well as in the United States and Japan. Herstal has been owned by the regional Walloon government since the mid-1990s; however, the government has been seeking to sell off the company, most likely to a group of private investors. In 2001, the latest year for which figures are available, Herstal posted revenues of nearly $585 million.
Forging Firearms History in the 1880s
Weapons manufacturing in the Belgian city of Liège began as early as the 16th century. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the city featured a number of prominent arms manufacturers. In 1886, a group of manufacturers, including Ancion, Dumoulin Frères, Dresse-Laloux & Cie., J. Hanssen, and Pirlot-Frésart joined together to form an association, Les Fabricants d'Armes Réunis (United Arms Manufacturers).
An order from the Belgian Army in 1887 for 150,000 repeating rifles encouraged Les Fabricants d'Armes Réunis to begin planning a new, large scale factory, and in 1888 the group created a new company, Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre. The new factory was built in Herstal, and in 1889 the company launched production of the Belgian army order, producing Mauser-designed rifles under license. Mauser, based in Germany, then bought up the company from its founders.
At the completion of that contract, the Belgian army returned to the company, later to become known as FN Herstal, with an order for 30 million rounds for the Mauser rifles. FN Herstal promptly set up a dedicated munitions factory next to its rifle production site in 1891.
FN Herstal soon expanded its production to include civilian arms, especially hunting rifles. By the mid-1890s, the company began seeking other production areas, and in 1896 the company launched production of its own line of bicycles, including its own "acatene," or chainless, shaft-driven bicycle designs. The company would remain a popular producer of bicycles for some 30 years.
From bicycles, FN Herstal entered the young automotive market, producing its first car in 1900 and its first motorcycle two years later. While the company stopped producing cars in 1937, it continued to build motorcycles into the 1960s. In addition, FN Herstal became a prominent truck manufacturer, with production running from 1930 to 1966, and also built trolleys between 1932 and 1955. Closer to its core weapons production was the manufacturing of military vehicles, and activity in this area continued until the early 1980s. Its diversified product line notwithstanding, FN Herstal achieved its greatest renown as a maker of small arms.
It was during the late 1890s that the company came into contact with one of the most important personalities in gun manufacturing history: John Moses Browning. Browning, the son of a gunsmith, built his first rifle when just a boy. By the age of 23, he had already received his first patent, for a single-shot rifle. Browning and brother Matt decided to set up their own workshop to produce the rifle in 1880. Browning's invention quickly caught the attention of Winchester, another famous name in U.S. rifles, which bought out the patent.
Browning proved to be a prolific inventor, introducing in 1884 a lever-action repeating rifle, which became famous as the Winchester Model 86. The New York-based company remained a steady customer for Browning, buying up some 20 of his patents before the end of that decade. In the meantime, Browning had begun work on a new, groundbreaking design--the automatic machine gun, patented in 1890.
By then, the relationship with Winchester had begun to sour, and Browning had begun to seek other manufacturers for future patents. In 1894, Browning turned his attention to adapting his automatic firing system to handguns. By 1896, Browning had perfected the mechanism for the world's first automatic pistol.
The following year brought Browning into contact with FN Herstal, when a representative of the Belgian company, traveling in the United States in search of new bicycle designs, came across the Browning automatic. FN Herstal agreed to begin producing the design and by 1899 had launched the world's first commercially available automatic handgun. The new side arm became a huge success for the Belgian company.
Browning now turned his attention to developing an automatic repeating function for shotguns. By 1900, Browning had perfected the new design, a five-shot fully automatic shotgun. However, U.S. manufacturers were unwilling to produce the new weapon, believing it to be too far ahead of its time. In 1902, Browning traveled to Belgium, where he found ready acceptance for the shotgun from FN Herstal.
Browning and FN Herstal now began to work closely together, with FN Herstal producing an initial order of 10,000 shotguns. These were sold by Browning within a year, leading Remington to pick up on the design as well. Nevertheless, Browning's closest ties where with FN Herstal, and by 1907 Browning had agreed to allow the Belgian company to manufacture arms using his name. Among the arms produced by the FN Herstal-Browning team in this period were a 9mm military semi-automatic pistol in 1903; a pocket-sized .25 caliber semi-automatic in 1905, and a semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle in 1914. In that year, Browning received the Order of the Knighthood from the Belgian throne in recognition of his contribution to the Belgian company's growing worldwide reputation. The company received more dubious distinction as the maker of the automatic handgun used in the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, setting off World War I.
FN Herstal shut down its operations during the German wartime occupation of Belgium; some of the company's staff fled to France, setting up a new company, Manufacture d'Armes de Paris. Following the war, FN Herstal resumed operations. The company was now stripped from Mauser and taken over by Sociéteé Générale de Belgique.
Browning had continued developing weapons during the war years, including .30 caliber and .50 machine guns and the famed Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, the world's first light machine gun. Browning brought these new designs to FN Herstal following the war, and by 1920 Herstal had begun production of the BAR. While Browning himself returned to the United States, his son Val Browning remained at FN Herstal, further strengthening the family's close association with the manufacturer. Browning continued to make frequent visits to FN Herstal, where he had his own office, and ultimately died in Liège in 1926.
The following year, the Browning family founded its own manufacturing works, the Browning Arms Company, in Odgen, Utah. That company, which focused on producing hunting and sports rifles and shotguns, later parlayed the famed Browning name into a variety of sporting goods items.
Diversification Disaster in the 1980s
Following the war, FN Herstal's business had been boosted by the adoption of its 9mm pistol design as standard issue by police forces across Europe--and later around the world. FN Herstal had also continued to diversify its manufacturing basis, as already noted. In 1928, the company began construction of a new factory for its automobile production. Two years later, FN Herstal added a new production site, in Bruges, transferring its munitions production there.
By 1936, FN Herstal had begun to produce 40mm anti-aircraft cannons. Two years later, the company was once again taken over by German occupying forces, which used the arms manufacturer's production to support its own war effort. FN Herstal escaped bombing by the Allies; however, after the liberation of Belgium in 1944, the company's factories became the target of Nazi bombing raids.
Following the war, FN Herstal began a new expansion of its defense manufacturing operations. In 1948, the company launched production of jet airplane engines, using the Gloster Meteor design. Over the next decades, FN Herstal was involved in the production of a number of important aircraft designs, such as the Hunter, the F104-G, the MirageV, and the Boeing Airbus. At the same time, as it wound down its automotive and motorcycle operations, FN Herstal turned instead to producing agricultural machinery.
The 1970s marked a new period of growth for the company, as the intensification of the Cold War and tensions in the Middle East brought about a sharp increase in worldwide defense spending. Yet even as defense manufacture took on a major role in FN Herstal's revenues, the company sought to extend its civilian-based businesses.
In 1977, the company acquired long-time partner Browning. Browning's presence in the sporting goods market encouraged Herstal to step up its own operations in that sector. In 1979, Herstal acquired France's Lerc, a maker of fishing equipment, as well as that company's distributor. It also began producing such diverse sporting goods equipment as tennis rackets and surfboards. Meanwhile, the company had formed a manufacturing agreement with Japan's Miroku, which in turn took a 25 percent stake in Herstal. By 1980, the company employed more than 10,000 workers.
FN Herstal stumbled in the 1980s amid a slumping defense market. In addition, the company had invested heavily in building up its aircraft motors and sporting goods wings, which failed to take off and left Herstal overburdened by debt. By the middle of the 1980s, the company's interest payments accounted for some 10 percent of its sales.
Despite the fact that the company had succeeded in reducing its reliance on defense contracts, FN Herstal was forced to abandon its diversification strategy. The company began shedding most of its non-core operations, shutting down most of its sporting goods businesses, except for its hunting rifles and fishing equipment lines. In 1988, FN Herstal sold off its aircraft motors subsidiary--renamed as Techspace Aero. Nonetheless, FN Herstal had not completely given up on external growth. In 1987, it acquired US Repeating Arms Co. which had been formed in 1981 to take over the manufacture of Winchester guns.
Meanwhile, Société Générale's attempts to restructure the company proved fruitless, and, after pumping a further $400 million into the company in mid-1990, finally sold FN Herstal to French defense giant GIAT for about $100 million. The government-controlled company acquired 92 percent of FN Herstal, soon to be renamed Herstal SA, while the Belgian government retained 8 percent and an important veto right.
New Owners in a New Century?
Under GIAT, Herstal restructured again, reducing its focus back to a core production, on the one hand, of light arms and munitions for the military and sporting guns and sporting goods under the Browning name, and, on the other, of anti-aircraft cannons and armament systems for helicopters and other aircraft. The restructuring of the company cut deeply into its workforce, which shrunk back to just 1,300 employees by 1992.
GIAT itself began bleeding badly in the 1990s as the worldwide defense market collapsed with the end of the Cold War. As its own fortunes dwindled, GIAT finally was unable to continue to invest in keeping Herstal afloat, and by 1996 had announced its willingness to sell the Belgian company.
GIAT appeared to have found a buyer in Colt Manufacturing, the U.S.-based company and Herstal's chief rival in the worldwide small arms market. Colt and GIAT began negotiations in 1997 and were close to reaching an agreement when the Walloon regional government vetoed a potential deal. Fearful that Colt sought to buy Herstal only to shut it down, and thereby increase its own share of the market, the Walloon government itself decided to buy Herstal.
The company now became Groupe Herstal S.A., with FN Herstal and Browning/US Repeating placed as its primary subsidiaries. Groupe Herstal's restructuring continued, including the loss of more than 500 new jobs. This time, however, the company's efforts paid off, and by 1999 Groupe Herstal was once again posting profits.
The Walloon government announced its intention to sell off Groupe Herstal again in 2000. In the meantime, Herstal fortunes began to rise again in the new century as it released a number of new products, including a polymer frame handgun in the United States, and, under a contract with the U.S. government, a prototype "smart gun" designed to be fired only by its owner. Herstal's military sales received another boost in 2003 when the British government choose to supply its armed forces with the company's newest Minimi series of light machine guns. As the Walloon government continued to search for new owners for the company, the Groupe Herstal was poised to continue making small arms history into the next century.
Principal Subsidiaries: Browning International; Browning North America; Fabrique Nationale Herstal S.A; FNH USA, Inc.; FN Manufacturing USA; US Repeating Arms Co.; Herstal Group.
Principal Competitors: Pentair Inc.; MKEK-Makine ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu Genel Mudurlugu; Rheinmetall DeTec AG; Tula Ammunition Plant Joint Stock Company; Olin Corporation; SNPE; Poongsan Corporation; CIC International Ltd.; RUAG Holding; Denel Proprietory Ltd.; Blount International Inc.; Israel Military Industries Ltd.
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Further Reading:
"Britain To Buy FN Herstal Light Machine Guns For $12.3 Million," Defense Daily International, May 30, 2003.
Chamberlain, W.H.J., and A.W.F. Taylerson, "An FN Centenary: the First 50 Years," American Rifleman, December 1989, p. 36.
------, "An FN Centenary: the Second 50 Years," American Rifleman, February 1990, p. 34.
"France's GIAT to sell FN Herstal to Local Belgian Government," Defense Daily, October 24, 1997, p. 2.
"Smart Gun Developed in Belgium," Xinhua News Agency, June 4, 2002.
Thurman, Ross, "FN Herstal Refocuses US Efforts," Shooting Industry, August 2002, p. 38.
Tran, Pierre, "Belgium Guns Down Colt's Bid for Herstal," Reuters, October 8, 1997.
Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 58. St. James Press, 2004.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
FNH USA - Paul Evancoe - Special Operations Technology (Interview with Paul Evancoe)
FNH USA - Paul Evancoe - Special Operations Technology: "Interview with Paul Evancoe
Director of Military Operations"
Paul Evancoe is a former Navy SEAL with extensive experience in military special operations (1965-1989). He served as the director Special Operations, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State (1989-1993), and director, Office of Emergency Response at DoE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (1994-2004) where he headed the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) and its nuclear counterterrorism world-wide mission.
With over 37 years of real-world experience in special operations, counter terrorism, international security affairs, political-military strategic planning, countering weapons of mass destruction and emergency response, Evancoe possesses a uniquely qualified background. He joined FNH USA, LLC as director Military Operations, in March 2004.
...
Director of Military Operations"
Paul Evancoe is a former Navy SEAL with extensive experience in military special operations (1965-1989). He served as the director Special Operations, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State (1989-1993), and director, Office of Emergency Response at DoE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (1994-2004) where he headed the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) and its nuclear counterterrorism world-wide mission.
With over 37 years of real-world experience in special operations, counter terrorism, international security affairs, political-military strategic planning, countering weapons of mass destruction and emergency response, Evancoe possesses a uniquely qualified background. He joined FNH USA, LLC as director Military Operations, in March 2004.
...
Friday, October 08, 2004
Global Defence Review (1999) - Man with a Plan
Man with a Plan | ||||||
| The Herstal 2000 Plan is the basis for the Herstal Group's recovery that will ensure it comes out on top in the year 2000. Most have only a broad outline of this plan, so Geoff Farmer talked to Phillipe Tennesson, Chairman and CEO of the Herstal Group, and asked a few leading questions. | |||||
| How did the Herstal 2000 Plan originate? In 1996 and 1997 the Herstal Group lost nearly US$120 million, so the choice was simple: it either recovered or disappeared. The plan refers to the missions and objectives of the group. For which objective? In which structure? What are the priorities of the plan? How will you adapt to the market ? | ||||||
| Adapting capacity and flexibility to the market is an urgent operation. The group had fallen behind on this front so all units are undergoing restructuring. The group will employ 2,300 persons at the end of 1999 and generate a turnover exceeding US$400m. Moreover, it must adapt its corporate culture and certain modes of behaviour to respond, as promptly as possible, to a fluctuating market of reduced visibility. Which products and for which markets? For manufacturing and R&D, the aims of company sectors and the skills in plants throughout the world must be defined with more precision and team working to improve and increase synergies and efficiency. The efforts being made to become more competitive total between 20 and 30 per cent of production costs. The marketing and sales organisation must be global, in line with today's marketplace. Finally, there is one unrelenting priority: quality. The 'made in Belgium' label, the brands of FN Herstal, Browning, Winchester, Miroku, Legia and Delcour translate a century of quality and reliability. This is our heritage, our pride and we must ensure this quality is present in each of our lines of business. What are the key figures for the plan? | |||||
| At the end of 1998, the equity of the group will be US$250m. We do not have any debts. Giat Industries, our former shareholder, had wiped off nearly all the debts when it assigned its shares to the new shareholder. The turnover is stable at about US$400m. During 1998 the group will have reduced its losses sharply. As of 1999, and then in 2000, we will have balanced the books and then will return to profit. At the end of the first quarter of 1998 we were 100 per cent aligned with the plan, an encouraging beginning. The second half of 1998 will break even and 1999 will be profitable with a turnover of $420 and a workforce of 2,300. What about your new shareholder? How can the unity of the group be secured? | |||||
| This challenge will decide our success. We must abide by three group rules. First to understand and to get to know each other, to know the role of every person, their qualities and weaknesses, and to learn to respect and appreciate each other. Second, to capitalise on our differences, to know how to establish synergies that will lead to more successful research, production, marketing, trade and quality. And finally to work together on our common objectives and meet our challenge. One example that illustrates the benefits of these rules is our new semi-automatic hunting rifles. Gold and Super XM2 were designed by a team in Morgan, Utah, and developed and industrialised by teams in Liege, Belgium. Some of their components were manufactured in Liege and some in New Haven, Connecticut. They were assembled in Viana in Portugal, distributed from Arnold in Missouri and from Hauts-Sarts in Belgium, and finally sold and followed up by our subsidiaries and distributors throughout the world. What is your message | |||||
| The Herstal Group has gone through difficult periods but still has considerable winning assets and great potential in a world market. All it has to do is develop and capitalise on them. The group is endeavouring to down-size and to rally all its forces. This approach, already under way, is necessary but not sufficient by itself. Each and every one of us, in every laboratory, office, workshop, and in the field, must contribute in order to provide added value and so help with the on-going construction of the whole. We have to innovate, to question ourselves and to advance in every one of our lines of business. This is the pre-condition to regaining our leading place in the world of small arms |
Friday, September 24, 2004
FN HERSTAL - SMALL ARMS AND WEAPON SYSTEMS
FN HERSTAL - SMALL ARMS AND WEAPON SYSTEMS
Under the brand names FN HERSTAL, Browning and Winchester, the Herstal Group equips virtually the entire world and owes its worldwide recognition to its capacity for invention, its continuing commitment to quality and its thorough understanding of the customers' needs.
FN HERSTAL designs, manufactures and distributes a full range of firearms and accessories for defense and law enforcement as well as sells a full range of airborne weapon systems for multi-role helicopters and subsonic aircraft. FN HERSTAL not only supplies the customer with machine gun specially adapted to airborne applications, it also integrates the weaponry into the carrier by providing and installing suspension masts, stores and management systems, electrical cabling and sighting devices
5.7 X 28mm WEAPON SYSTEM
The 5.7 x 28mm Weapon System is based around the SS190 round which can be fired by both the P90® submachine gun and the Five-seveN® pistol. Both weapons are ergonomically designed with no protruding parts and can be field stripped without tools in a very short amount of time.
P90® SUBMACHINE GUN
With a maximum effective range of 200m and a 900rpm firing rate, this 3kg weapon is highly versatile, having both single shot and fully automatic firing modes. The P90® is fitted with an integrated optical sight that allows the user to shoot with both eyes open; this can easily be replaced with other types of sights.
FIVE-SEVEN® TACTICAL PISTOL
The Five-seveN® tactical pistol is a single action pistol with hidden hammer characterised by a short, light trigger pull for fast accurate shooting.
As well as the standard model, FN HERSTAL also produces the P90® Tactical which features a Picatinny rail allowing different types of sights to be mounted.
The Five-seveN® Tactical pistol has extremely low recoil which results in virtually no muzzle jump.
Under the brand names FN HERSTAL, Browning and Winchester, the Herstal Group equips virtually the entire world and owes its worldwide recognition to its capacity for invention, its continuing commitment to quality and its thorough understanding of the customers' needs.
FN HERSTAL designs, manufactures and distributes a full range of firearms and accessories for defense and law enforcement as well as sells a full range of airborne weapon systems for multi-role helicopters and subsonic aircraft. FN HERSTAL not only supplies the customer with machine gun specially adapted to airborne applications, it also integrates the weaponry into the carrier by providing and installing suspension masts, stores and management systems, electrical cabling and sighting devices
5.7 X 28mm WEAPON SYSTEM
The 5.7 x 28mm Weapon System is based around the SS190 round which can be fired by both the P90® submachine gun and the Five-seveN® pistol. Both weapons are ergonomically designed with no protruding parts and can be field stripped without tools in a very short amount of time.
P90® SUBMACHINE GUN
With a maximum effective range of 200m and a 900rpm firing rate, this 3kg weapon is highly versatile, having both single shot and fully automatic firing modes. The P90® is fitted with an integrated optical sight that allows the user to shoot with both eyes open; this can easily be replaced with other types of sights.
FIVE-SEVEN® TACTICAL PISTOL
The Five-seveN® tactical pistol is a single action pistol with hidden hammer characterised by a short, light trigger pull for fast accurate shooting.
As well as the standard model, FN HERSTAL also produces the P90® Tactical which features a Picatinny rail allowing different types of sights to be mounted.
The Five-seveN® Tactical pistol has extremely low recoil which results in virtually no muzzle jump.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
FN Corporate lineage and family tree
The Five-seveN is produced by FN Herstal, SA in Belgium; and marketed in the US by FNH USA. FN Manufacturing USA produces other products. All three subsidiaries (in addition to Browning North America, Browning International, US Repeating Arms, and Winchester Guns) are part of the Herstal Group.
Winchester (part of Olin Corporation) produces ammunition.
http://www.fnmfg.com/
FN Manufacturing, Inc., located in Columbia, SC, is a precision machining manufacturer specializing in the production of small arms. Our products include M16 and M240 machine guns, M249 SAW, and the FNP Polymer 49 pistol for military and law enforcement markets. FNMI provides weapon training as well as subcontract services for computer numerically controlled (CNC) and conventional machining, heat treating, and surface finishing.
Winchester (part of Olin Corporation) produces ammunition.
FNH USA, Inc. COMPANY PROFILE
FNH USA. Inc. is responsible for marketing only the highest quality firearms to those we entrust to keep the peace produced by one of the world's most recognized manufacturers. Established in July, 1998. FNH USA, Inc. is a full subsidiary of Herstal S.A. (law enforcement and military products (www.fnhusa.com), as well as Browning Inc. (sporting and hunting products) (www.browning.com). Since then we've coordinated all business development activities with U.S. Government agencies, and have also headed up business opportunities within the United States. And in 2001, FNH, Inc. was designated the primary FN Herstal office for law enforcement and military commercial activities in the United States.
FNH USA's Military and Law Enforcement products are manufactured in the U.S. by FN Manufacturing Inc. Columbia, SC, and U.S. Repeating Arms Corp. New Haven, CT, plus select products made in Belgium by FN Herstal S.A. This workbook presents FN's product offering for Law Enforcement, Military and Commercial Markets.http://www.fnmfg.com/
FN Manufacturing, Inc., located in Columbia, SC, is a precision machining manufacturer specializing in the production of small arms. Our products include M16 and M240 machine guns, M249 SAW, and the FNP Polymer 49 pistol for military and law enforcement markets. FNMI provides weapon training as well as subcontract services for computer numerically controlled (CNC) and conventional machining, heat treating, and surface finishing.
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