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Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission

MAC AMMO LLC GAINS STABILITY FROM ACQUISITION BY NORWEGIAN FIRM

March 15, 2019


Hancock County, Mississippi - When Nammo Group, a Norway-based ammunition manufacturer, bought a controlling interest in Hancock County’s MAC Ammo, LLC in 2018, it added a measure of stability to the Port Bienville Industrial Park tenant.


"Mainly, it brought us a more reliable supply of specialty components," said Plant Manager Joe Gibbons, one of MAC's founders.


MAC’s claim to fame is lighter ammunition, which is less expensive to ship to bases and battlefields. The lighter ammo also reduces fatigue for the troops who carry it.

Polymers are an essential part of the bullet casings and what lighten the weight of the ammunition. The ammo is produced under a half-dozen patents the company has been granted since 2015.


Gibbons said the plant has been getting busier.


MAC’s 22 employees manufacture ammunition for the U.S. military and its NATO allies. The acquisition by Nammo Group is expected to increase the amount of ammunition the plant can produce, which was 10 million rounds a year.


South Mississippi’s ties to the military and its strong backing in Congress for defense contractors, particularly on the Senate side, add to the stability, Gibbons said.

“It’s one thing that makes Hancock County such an attractive spot for an ammunition plant. They help make sure the defense budget gets passed.”


Hancock County is within close proximity to the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Polymer Science and Engineering in Hattiesburg, Miss.


“We have a strong supply of employees from USM,” Gibbons said.


About one-third of MAC’s employees are degreed professionals. The other two-thirds are hourly workers who make $18 to $20 an hour. Thanks to the state’s strong community college system, many of them come to MAC with two-year degrees, although that is not a requirement.


 

About HCPHC


As the economic development authority for Hancock County, Mississippi, the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission owns and operates Port Bienville Industrial Park and Stennis International Airport — in addition to fostering business investment for John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA’s premier rocket testing facility. For more information, visit www.portairspace.com.

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