Fiocchi Munizioni
Fiocchi Munizioni (Fiocchi Ammunition) is one of Italy's largest and oldest manufacturers of ammunition. The company's headquarters and main production plant are in Via Santa Barbara in Lecco, Italy.
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Firearms |
| Founded | Lecco, Italy (July 3, 1876) |
| Founder | Giulio Fiocchi |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Ammunition, cartridges |
| Divisions | Fiocchi Snaps |
| Website | http://www.fiocchigfl.it |
History
Fiocchi Munizioni was founded on 3 July 1876 in Lecco, Italy, by accountant Giulio Fiocchi.
In 1876, Giulio Fiocchi took over the ammunition production part of a weapon and ammunition company already based in Lecco, which produced small-caliber ammunition.
At that time a radical change was introduced in firearms: the newly developed breech-loader replaced the traditional muzzle loader. Fiocchi started manufacturing cases with primers suitable for reloading; in the early 1890s production was extended to complete cartridges loaded with bullets or shot. At the same time, Fiocchi gave up the production of black powder, as it was no longer profitable.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Fiocchi diversified and began making snap fasteners using scraps from cartridge production. Fiocchi Snaps was formed in 1903. It assumed an important role to counterbalance the trend of the ammunition market, but at the end of the 1980s Fiocchi made a decision to focus on ammunition as its core business, and the snaps factory was sold.
During its long life, Fiocchi has manufactured all kinds of ammunition from pinfire, shotshells, and cartridges to all kinds of cartridges and cases, both rimfire and centerfire. They are known for manufacturing rarer cartridges for collectors and enthusiasts, for example the .455 Webley.
Crucial dates in the history of the Fiocchi Group
- 1876 Year of foundation
- 1877 Start of ammunition production
- 1903 Product diversification: snaps
- 1930 Beginning of export
- 1940 Development of social policy in the territory of Lecco
- 1945 Bombing of the plant in Lecco
- 1946 Re-building of the plant
- 1970 Attack on the European markets
- 1980 Start of .22 Super Match production
- 1985 New quality inspection unit
- 1985 Start of "leadless" primers production
- 1989 NATO qualification of the cartridge 9 mm Parabellum
- 1990 Impulse to world-market expansion
- 1990 Quality System Certificate in accordance with the stardands NATO AQAP-1
- 1991 Start of production of ammunition with frangible bullets
- 1993 New loading department for .22 cartridges
- 1994 New flexible manufacturing line for centerfire ammunition
- 1994 Automatization line for cases production
- 1995 New line of products: "Official" clay shooting cartridges
- 1996 New line of Spas Mil and Law Enforcement ammunition
- 1999 New line of hunting cartridges
- 1999 NATO qualification of the cartridges 5,56 mm Ball
- 2003 Environment Management System Certificate in accordance with the standards UNI EN ISO 14001: 1996
- 2003 Quality Management System Certificate in accordance with the standards UNI EN ISO 9001: 2000
Recent history
Fiocchi Munizioni makes small gauge ammunition and offers a wide range of products. Its presence and production sites are also in the United States and in Hungary. In 2008 Fiocchi UK was opened in Great Britain.
According to a recent interview with Carlo Fiocchi, the head of Fiocchi America, more than 75% of the ammunition sold by Fiocchi in the United States is also manufactured in the United States at Fiocchi America's production facility in Ozark, Missouri.[1] Specifically, Fiocchi America's composition of U.S. ammo manufacturing and sales according to the interview is as follows:
- 95% of the center-fire rifle ammunition, which accounts for ~15% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales
- 75% of center-fire pistol ammunition, which accounts for ~35% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales
- 100% of shotshells, which accounts for ~35% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales
- 0% of rimfire ammunition, which account for ~15% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales (along with components)
Qualifications and Certifications of prestige attest the level of quality achieved by the company:
- NATO AQAP-110 Certification
- ISO 14001: 1996 Certification of the Environment Management System
- UNI EN ISO 9001: 2000 Certification of the Quality Management System.
Furthermore, Fiocchi shooting cartridges have contributed to several World Cups and Olympic triumphs, as the Games in Athens in 2004 as well as in those in Beijing in 2008.
In 2011 newly developed 12GA shot shells filled with chemical tracer Cyalume in which allows the shooter to see where the shots are going and will greatly help in the training of sporting clays. The tracer shots are non-toxic and biodegradable and packaged in a sealed metal can in Fiocchi's line of Canned Heat ammunition. The Canned Heat line of ammunition allows a greater shelf life and maintaining quality of the ammo throughout shipping, retail shelf, and consumer handling.
Fiocchi Munizioni is still entirely owned by private capital heading to the Fiocchi Family.
Fiocchi of America
In partnership with Smith & Wesson, the Fiocchi family had a factory in Alton, Illinois, in the 1950s. Diverging company interests caused Fiocchi to sell its share to Smith & Wesson and withdraw from the American market. Great grandson Carlo Fiocchi joined the family business in 1980 at the age of 24 and worked as a product manager in charge of the English-speaking market, his assignment no doubt influenced by the fact that his grandmother was British. His responsibilities included overseeing its meager exports to the United States. Carlo traveled to the United States on his honeymoon, with instructions to bring back marketing research for a US facility.
Carlo concluded that opportunities could not be exploited unless Fiocchi had a physical presence. In 1983, a FOA facility was built in Springfield, Missouri, to import ammunition, the location selected because of his father’s existing contacts there and that it offered the most favorable rail and trucking costs. After a year and a half they realized that importing loaded ammunition was not an effective business model. The company couldn’t react fast enough to the needs of the US shooters. Carlo returned to Italy and convinced the president, Paolo, to build a manufacturing plant on a farm he identified in the Ozarks near Springfield. Fiocchi negotiated a purchase with the farmer and loans with the bank. Providing a platform for quality manufacturing jobs, the Fiocchi enterprise was enthusiastically welcomed by the local government.
Nevertheless, in 2005, Pietro, Carlo and Donna Swafford, chief operations manager, boldly attempted to revitalize the company in April 2005. Due in large measure to their acumen, since then FOA sales have increased 500%. The US subsidiary imports empty primed hulls from Fiocchi Munizioni and wads from Italy, produced mainly by Baschieri & Pellagri and Gualandi in Bologna, a world capital of machine shop engineering, home to Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ducati - and the ancestral home of the Fiocchi family.
Products
Fiocchi's product range includes:
- Clay Target
- Hunting
- Centrefire
- .22
- Blank and Flobert
- Special Law Enforcement
- Ammunition for vintage or antique firearms
- Canned Heat ammunition packaged in a sealed metal cans.
See also
- List of Italian companies