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Sig Sauer history
Sig Sauer company history timeline
It was initially developed by SIG and produced and distributed by J.P. Sauer & Sohn, but in 1976 SIG bought J.P. Sauer & Sohn and the resultant company was called SIG Sauer GmbH, based in Germany.
The SIG small arms division was growing rapidly, and in the 1980’s the company turned its attention to the United States, as it saw the proverbial land of opportunity as a way to increase its share of the global market, and as a chance to supply Americans with high-quality firearms.
SIGARMS moved to a larger location in Herndon, Virginia in 1987 and introduced the P225 in 9mm followed by the P226® and P228 in 9mm.
The company also sells to the American military; the US SEAL special forces teams have been armed with Sig Sauer handguns since 1989.
In the year 1990, the company’s headquarters moved to New Hampshire, and there began the production of the P229, chambered in .40 S&W.
Looking to increase market share and begin manufacturing, SIGARMS moved to its present location in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1990.
They also developed their own pistol cartridge: the 357 SIG, which was produced in cooperation with Federal Premium of Minnesota and introduced to the market in 1994.
1998 — SIGARMS brought in the first shotgun line designed specifically for SIGARMS by B. Rizzini of Italy.
SIG's firearms subsidiaries in Germany and the United States and its firearms subdivision in Switzerland were all sold to Michael Lüke and Thomas Ortmeier's L&O Holding in October 2000.
In 2001, SIGARMS, Inc. continued to expand its role in the firearms market with new contracts in the law enforcement market as well as new products for the civilian market.
By 2004 SIG Sauer existed as five separate entities scattered across Germany, Switzerland and America.
In 2004, according to CEO Ron Cohen, the company was near failure with just 130 employees.
In 2007, SIGARMS changed its name to SIG Sauer, Inc., sometimes called SIG Sauer USA. All new SIG Sauer Inc offerings were designed in the United States.
Also in 2014, the German company was raided, following allegations of illegally shipping handguns to Kazakhstan.
The US military has produced a requirement for a new handgun to replace the current M9 model (Beretta 92FS). In February 2016, bids were submitted by 12 companies to compete for this contract which was expected to result in purchases of more than 500,000 pieces.
By 2016, it had over 1,000 employees and was selling more than 43,000 firearms a year.
On 19 January 2017, SIG Sauer was awarded the contract for the P320.
In a press event on July 25, 2018, SIG Sauer announced that its airgun division was renamed to SIG Air, and introduced its Precision Line air rifles, starting with the ASP20 break-barrel gas piston air rifle.
In late 2019, Swiss Arms was renamed SIG Sauer AG.
On June 4, 2020, SIG Sauer GmbH announced it intended to close its factory at Eckernförde by year's end, resulting in losses of about 125 jobs as well as plans to fulfill purchase orders.
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Sig Sauer competitors
| Company Name | Founded Date | Revenue | Employee Size | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browning | 1878 | $61.2M | 20 | 6 |
| Titan Tool | 1974 | $780,000 | 25 | - |
| Bowtech | 1999 | $60.0M | 101 | - |
| Vermont Castings | 1993 | $1.3M | 13 | - |
| Smith & Wesson | 1852 | $479.2M | 2,240 | 16 |
| Furniture By Thurston | 1980 | $2.3M | 30 | - |
| Ruger | 1949 | $595.8M | 2,120 | 31 |
| Palmer Promotional Products | - | $370,000 | 10 | - |
| Lee's Manufacturing | 1890 | $1.6M | 30 | - |
| ModuForm | 1976 | $21.2M | 50 | - |
Sig Sauer history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Sig Sauer, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Sig Sauer. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Sig Sauer. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Sig Sauer. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Sig Sauer and its employees or that of Zippia.
Sig Sauer may also be known as or be related to SIG SAUER, SIG SAUER Inc, SIG Sauer, Inc., Sig Sauer, Sig Sauer Inc, Sig Sauer Inc. and Sig Sauer, Inc.