No More German Sigs? Sig Sauer Eckernförde Closing Down

By Chris Eger

While Sig Sauer is doing great in the U.S., the sister company in Germany is slated to close its factory later this year. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The German-based Sig Sauer branch is reportedly on the ropes due to a variety of reasons and is set to close by the end of the year.
Multiple German media sources have carried the news of Sig Sauer’s demise in that country in the past week.
Based in Eckernförde near the city of Kiel since 1951 when J. P. Sauer und Sohn GmbH relocated from Suhl in then Soviet-occupied East Germany, the firm was purchased by Swiss firearms giant SIG in 1976, forming Sig Sauer– largely to have an outlet to fulfill overseas orders for guns like the P220 without having to cut through layers of Swiss red tape.
However, since then, Sig Sauer has established extensive operations in the U.S., first in Virginia and then in New Hampshire. The American operations expanded from importing German-made guns to assembling guns with a mix of U.S. and German-made components, then finally switched to all-American production. The U.S. operation boomed and by 2007 had largely separated from its German sister company and has been responsible for much of the company’s R&D.

Source: Guns.com