Solar Atmospheres of San Diego announced the appointment of Karla Clement as Quality Manager. President Derek Dennis praised her extensive quality management background and dedication to excellence. Clement will oversee quality management systems and ensure compliance with industry standards.

Edge Technologies Regional Sales Manager Greg Haering's territory has expanded to include Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, in addition to his existing northeastern states. Haering, who joined Edge Technologies in 2023, brings 15 years of machining and manufacturing industry experience.

Solar Atmospheres announced the addition of Ava Conolly to its Research & Development team as a Metallurgical / R&D Engineer. Conolly earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University with a concentration in materials science and metallurgy.

Continuum Powders announced the appointment of Winthrop Sheldon as Chief Revenue Officer to lead global commercial strategy and revenue growth. Sheldon brings over two decades of experience in additive manufacturing, aerospace, and advanced technologies, previously holding leadership roles at SLM Solutions, Velo3D, and Beehive Industries.

The Briefing is a three-day FFL Compliance Summit in Dallas featuring ATF leadership including Director Rob Cekada and Chief Counsel Robert Leider, alongside FBI officials and industry experts. The event covers regulatory changes, Form 4473 revisions, and NFA requirements with direct Q&A access to government speakers.

The Briefing FFL Compliance Summit, taking place September 23–25, 2026 at the W Hotel Dallas, has confirmed ATF Director Rob Cekada, Chief Counsel Robert Leider, and other top federal officials as speakers. The inaugural conference addresses 34 pending ATF rule changes affecting the country's 70,000-plus active FFLs, with early bird registration at $399 through July 31.

The NSSF-adjusted NICS figure for June 2026 reached 1,123,006, an 11.7 percent increase compared to June 2025's 1,004,986. The National Shooting Sports Foundation introduced monthly NFA checks tracking, with Texas, Virginia, and Florida leading in NFA checks during the month.

Payroc, an official NSSF Affinity Partner, offers complimentary payment-processing reviews to NSSF members. The reviews assess existing processing programs, costs, and acceptance methods to identify cost-saving opportunities and efficiency improvements. Interested members can contact Payroc NSSF representative Laura Morgan to schedule a consultation.

PİKSAN CNC, a Turkish manufacturer of high-precision CNC machining and carbide cutting tools, is expanding across Europe and seeking distribution partners for its TOOLEX® brand. The company offers precision turning and milling services with ISO 9001:2015 and IATF 16949 certifications, plus a portfolio of solid carbide cutting tools ranging from 0.2 mm to 200 mm diameters.

Nosler, Inc. announced a partnership with Virginia-based Raven Rocks Precision to serve as its OEM Master Distributor. The collaboration aims to expand Nosler's distribution network and make premium bullets and cartridge cases more accessible to smaller American ammunition manufacturers through improved sourcing and transparency.

Wilson Arms offers precision-crafted OEM rifle barrels for manufacturers, featuring strict quality control, consistent bore dimensions, and flexible production capabilities. The company is also hiring an Assistant General Manager for their American manufacturing operations.

Mass Finishing, Inc. highlights its HZ-85 Centrifugal Barrel Finishing Machine for high-volume deburring and polishing of precision metal components used in firearms and ammunition manufacturing. The machine features 33.5-inch wide barrels with 14 divider slots, enabling up to 60 separate compartments per cycle for consistent, repeatable surface finishes.

Engineered Lubricants introduces the ENSTAMP RDWS family of metalworking fluids designed for ammunition manufacturers. The product line offers leaner dilutions, corrosion resistance, and extended tool life without chlorine, sulfur, or phosphorus additives.

Eastex Products announced the launch of PER Flex Slip-Not Mesh, a high-performance, breathable non-slip mesh made from 100% Polyester Elastomer Resin. The PVC-free material offers enhanced flexibility, durability, and sustainability for healthcare, seating, marine, and tactical applications.

Reinforce3D's patented Continuous Fiber Injection Process (CFIP) strengthens 3D-printed parts by injecting continuous fiber bundles through internal channels. Impac Systems Engineering, Reinforce3D's North American distributor, helps manufacturers implement this technology to reduce weight and improve strength without replacing existing equipment.

Orchid announced the "FFL Compliance Countdown" summer program offering firearm retailers, distributors, and manufacturers up to 25% off software packages including Orchid Retail Suite, Orchid eState, and Orchid eBound ERP through July 31.

SHOT University has issued a call for presentations for its 2027 NSSF SHOT Show educational sessions in Las Vegas, January 19-21. Proposals must fit within 45 minutes and are due by August 3, 2026. Topics include marketing, AI, revenue diversification, inventory management, and shooting range operations.

Looking back over his family and their company’s 500-year history doesn’t occupy a lot of Pietro Gussalli Beretta’s time. When he does look back, it isn’t for guidance, it’s as a reminder  that his work today should honor the thousands of people who built the Beretta name and reputation over five centuries. Beretta’s 500th anniversary was, he explained, “meant to recognize the workers, craftsmen, managers and employees who contributed to Beretta’s development across generations.

His concerns are the immediate and future for the more than twenty companies under Beretta Holding’s rather large umbrella. And Beretta Holdings has a decidedly wider focus than many who think they “know” the Beretta name might imagine.

Most Americans  think shotguns or the M92 pistols carried by tens of thousands of U.S. troops before the military’s latest small arms change when they hear “Beretta.”

That Beretta is only a portion of Beretta Holdings, the Luxembourg based holding group formed - by Pietro Gussalli Beretta - in 1995.

Beretta Holdings, with its portfolio of firearms, ammunition, optics, defense technologies, clothing and accessories, is, in fact,  the world’s largest firearms company, with 2025 revenues of $1.90 billion dollars and an EBITDA of $287 million (15.1%)

Those worldwide holdings are divided roughly 60/40 between commercial and military properties, respectively. Europe remained its primary revenue growth engine for 2025, accounting for 55% of revenue. North America contributed approximately 32%, with the rest of the world accounting for 12%.

In our discussion, he told me that military sales had historically represented about twenty percent of the business. Today, he said, the defense opportunity was much larger, primarily due to increased defense spending across many regions. That growth, he told me, was driven by historical circumstances, not strategic changes.  Circumstances, he said, that present both challenges and market opportunities for the industry.

Beretta Holdings growth has come, primarily via acquisition, not historical circumstance.

How, I asked, does the Beretta family (Holdings remains a family-owned business) decide when a company was worth acquiring? Is the decision based on history, production or performance expectations?

“We’ve acquired quite a few companies,” he explained, “always with different reasons, mostly related to the product. When we made the Beretta holding, the desire was to be with a wider range of product to satisfy our customers, whether they were hunter, the shooters, the policeman or the military. The strategy was always to try to see some complementary product.”

“One of first,” he recounted, “was SAKO in Finland. This was easy to decide, because for many years we had tried to make rifles inside our doors…with not a lot of success. We needed to go in the rifle business because it was absolutely complimentary with us. And Nokia, the owner at the time, wanted to sell SAKO, so I tried to buy the company, and we did.”

Other companies, he explained were acquired for geographic reasons, helping to expand Beretta Holdings into different geographic areas. One company, Holland and Holland, was for more than just their product.  Holland and Holland, he said simply, was different.

“They have a fantastic product, even in their clothing,” he explained, “it’s very elegant, very British. Different from what we do in Italy or elsewhere.”

“They have concentrated for many, many years, always on the same products. Always on the same finishments- every detail must be finished. They polish by hand, the accuracy of the barrels, and they make very small numbers of guns and every part and piece of their products are made in-house. They take a long time.”

How long? “To celebrate the acquisition,” he said, “I wanted a pair of double barrel rifles to remember the acquisition. It was for myself, you understand?”

He got  his pair of double guns. But explained, “they took more than two years…but the quality is amazing.”

The opportunity to have a conversation wasn’t one I took lightly, so I felt it proper to ask one final question: what would he want our readers to know about Beretta Holdings?

“I should like them to have a picture of Beretta Holdings,” he said, “with Italian roots, but an international approach…a company looking for the future worldwide.”

The conversation with Pietro Gussalli Beretta can be read in its entirety in today’s QA Outdoors. If you’re not a subscriber, you’ll miss out (here’s a link to our subscription page.)

As always, we’ll keep you posted.

— Jim Shepherd

At some point, nearly every growing manufacturer has the same conversation.

"We should probably start doing that ourselves."

Maybe it's machining. Maybe injection molding. Maybe anodizing, laser engraving, packaging, fulfillment, or any number of other manufacturing processes. The thinking is understandable. If we own the equipment, we'll control the quality, save money, and stop depending on someone else.

Sometimes that's exactly the right decision.

A lot of times, it is not.

One of the biggest mistakes small manufacturers make is assuming growth requires adding more machines, more employees, and more square footage. That's certainly one way to grow. It's also one of the most expensive, because it grows debt before it ever grows revenue.

The better question isn't whether you can bring another process in-house. It's whether you should.

There's an old saying in business that you should do what you do best and hire the rest. While that's a bit of an oversimplification, there's a lot of truth there.

Think about why customers buy your products.

Is it because you own another CNC machine? No.

Do they choose your rifle because you run your own powder coating line? No.

Did they buy your optic because you package it in your own warehouse? Still no.

They buy because your engineers designed something innovative. Your products perform. Your customer service answers the phone. Your marketing tells your story. Your salespeople build relationships. Your brand has earned their trust.

And hopefully what you make solves a problem, or addresses a key need, for your customers. Combined, those are your competitive advantages.

Everything else is simply part of getting the product out the door.

That distinction matters.

Buying another machine is easy, but owning it is expensive.

The purchase price—for some it may be the leasing cost—is only the admission ticket. After that comes tooling, maintenance, programming, utilities, quality control, insurance, operators, training, replacement parts, and eventually replacing the machine itself.

Before long, you've hired another employee to support the employee you hired to run the machine you bought to save money.

That wasn't exactly the business plan.

Meanwhile, there are companies whose entire existence revolves around doing that one manufacturing process better than almost anyone else.

That's where suppliers enter the chat.

Walk through the SHOT Week Supplier Showcase and you'll meet companies that have invested decades—and millions of dollars—perfecting precision machining, injection molding, castings, forgings, coatings, polymers, springs, packaging, logistics, fulfillment, and countless other manufacturing specialties.

They've already made the capital investment. They've already climbed the learning curve. And they've already made the expensive mistakes.

The smartest manufacturers leverage that experience instead of recreating it.

Good suppliers do far more than produce parts. The best ones become another engineering department—something many small manufacturers lack altogether.

Because they work with dozens—sometimes hundreds—of manufacturers, they see problems repeatedly. More importantly, they see solutions repeatedly.

They may recommend a different material that lowers costs. They may identify a manufacturing process that improves consistency. They may spot a design feature that reduces machining time or simplifies assembly.

Those conversations can save far more money than negotiating another penny off the unit price. Which is why the best supplier relationships begin before the first purchase order is ever written.

Bring suppliers into product development early. Of course, do it under an NDA, but do it.

Ask how they'd manufacture your design, and listen when they suggest changes.

More often than not they'll help you build a better product for less money—not because they're trying to redesign your product, but because they understand their process better than anyone. And they know what you don’t know.

There's another benefit that's easy to overlook—flexibility.

Markets change. Demand changes. Forecasts change. And, as we’ve learned, tariffs change.

If the past few years have taught manufacturers anything, it's that business plans don't survive first contact with reality.

Outside suppliers give you options.

When demand spikes, many suppliers can increase production faster than you can purchase equipment, hire operators, and get everyone trained.

When business slows, you're not staring at idle machinery and wondering how you're going to keep another department busy.

That flexibility has real value, especially for smaller companies where every capital expenditure has a significant impact on cash flow.

None of this is an argument against investing in your own capabilities. Every manufacturer should own the processes that truly define its products and distinguish it from the competition.

The mistake is believing you have to own every process. You don't.

In fact, trying to do everything yourself often prevents you from becoming exceptional at the things that actually matter.

The companies that consistently outperform their size know exactly where they create value—and where someone else can create it more efficiently.

That's not outsourcing. That's management.

Smart manufacturers don't view suppliers as vendors. They view them as extensions of their own operation.

That's a subtle difference, but an important one.

Because in today's market, competitive advantage isn't measured by how many people are on your payroll or how many machines are on your shop floor.

It's measured by how effectively you combine your own expertise with that of trusted partners.

The manufacturers that understand that lesson usually discover something interesting.

They grow faster…without growing their payroll nearly as much.

– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network