CZ-USA’s new headquarters and manufacturing plant will be in Little Rock, AR and will open more than 500 new jobs.
CZ-USA and the city of Little Rock, Arkansas have announced a new firearms manufacturing plant and North American headquarters to be built at the Little Rock Port. Construction will begin in the Spring of 2020 and the new plant will offer 565 jobs, including:
- Assemblers
- Test firers (yes, please!)
- Machine operators
- Packers and loaders
- Warehouse workers
- Skilled laborers
- Engineers
- Production supervisors
- Office & administration
Currently, CZ-USA has offices and warehouses in Kansas City, Missouri where 70 employees distribute North American sales and perform small assembly. We saw the new optics-ready P-10 pistols at SHOT Show this year, which are already made in America. We will be interested to see what other models will now be offered with Made-In-The-USA versions. Production facilities in the USA should make more government contracts available to CZ-USA.
CZ’s optics ready P10s are made in Kansas City, MO.
Little Rock has worked hard to get CZ-USA to bring production to their town. CZ-USA will build brand new facilities and Little Rock is offering significant tax incentives to help them. Many of these incentives are predicated on the future jobs offered at the plant. It sounds like Little Rock is even giving CZ-USA the land to build on. (See the full announcement here.)
CZ-USA distributes guns for CZ Firearms, a Czech company. They make shotguns, rifles, suppressors and handguns, including the venerable CZ 75 family of pistols.
CZ has been looking for the right spot for more than a year. They finally met with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and economic development leaders for breakfast at SHOT.
“It was at that breakfast that we got things moving. We really saw eye to eye, and I think they understood then the interest that Arkansas had, the commitment that we have, the relationship that you can have with our state,” Hutchinson said. “From that meeting grew some very intense negotiations and competition and discussions, but through all of that and through many personal visits to our state, CZ-USA chose Arkansas.”
After visiting Arkansas, they were impressed.
SEE ALSO: CZ-USA P-10 F OR Unboxed at the Gun Counter
CZ-USA Chairman, Bogdan Heczko said, “After the first visit here, we were really astonished. We were met with a warm welcome. The big team was really closely cooperating. The big team was really dedicated and involved in the process. We were very surprised. This visit changed our mind.”
An artist’s rendering of the new facility at Little Rock Port on the Arkansas River.
Little Rock is likely interested in the jobs and revenue CZ-USA will bring over the long term. There are two phases to the project:
Phase 1
- 357 jobs plus a total capital investment of $60 million
- $11 million loan
- $4 million infrastructure grant
- $1.25 million for training assistance
- Create Rebate
- Tax Back
Phase 2
- 208 jobs plus a total capital investment of $30 million
- $7 million loan
- $750,000 for training assistance
- Create Rebate
- Tax Back
- They report that these jobs will start at $22 per hour. Click here for more information about the jobs coming available next Spring.
A stack of handguns is forged in CZ’s Czech facility.
It’s exciting to have a new firearms plant opening in America. It sounds like good things coming for Little Rock, and hopefully for all of us interested in owning CZ firearms (I own two, and so do my brothers). I wonder if it’s a good time to buy real estate in Little Rock…
Here’s the complete announcement:
I was just wanting to know where you guys located and are y ‘all hiring?
I want to know the same. I can’t find any contact info on the Little Rock factory.
I guess john doe didn’t notice that American cars and trucks suck!
I’m Proud to see this happen. I Wish Remington could of moved to Arkansas also, CZ could of had a great Partnership with a Ammo manufacturing Plant that close to them. I don’t understand why Arkansans couldn’t
Build a good of quality as anyone in the World unless they weren’t given the right Tools and Steel. I think Texarkana Arkansas would of been a better place, We have a lot of good working People that would take pride in their workmanship. Prayers for everything to go right!
I’ve posted this around and I’ve emailed CZ. I really hope CZ doesn’t make their bolt action rifles or CZ 75 series in the US. The quality will plummet and greatly diminish the brand. They can make all the plastic and tactical pieces in the States, but please keep manufacturing the bolt action rifles and CZ 75 series in the Czech Republic to maintain the quality. Otherwise they’re going to junk up their product line royally.
True!Americans just don\’t have the skills to manufacture anything other than — cars, ships, aircraft, revolvers, electronics, textiles, steel, shoes, candles, kitchen mixers, crayons, footballs, guitars, razors, baseball bats, BBQ\’s, hand tools, cigarette lighters, flashlights, BB guns, sunglasses, staplers, coffee cups, batteries, medical devices, etc., etc.
How could any American be trusted to build a pistol or bolt action rifle to match the quality of a Czech worker.