– We have such a rich history between all of our sites and some very impressive legacy products, and being able to combine all of these products under one umbrella only strengthens our position. We can now pull common resources and spread common processes within all Nammo’s US companies, which again makes us a much stronger company. With regards to new product development, being able to use best practices from all Nammo US companies will help us produce better products quicker.
– You seem quite optimistic here – how would you describe the strengths of the new company?
– Our strengths definitely lie in our ability to develop and produce products quickly and affordably. We have some very high technological abilities throughout the company, especially with regards to our propellant capabilities.
– We are providing groundbreaking components and systems for the military that will support evolving ammunition needs for the foreseeable future.
Gary is also confident in the skill of the employees of NDS, and takes great pride in his colleagues.
– I would say that our core strength in this new company is 100% the people that work here. Our people are our greatest assets and without them, none of the great things that we are working on happens, and we should never allow ourselves to forget it! As NDS develops, the strength of the new organization will also allow Goodwin to focus on supporting the overall development for Nammo’s operations in the US.
– My role is more of a strategic role and one that sets the tone. I hope to be able to guide the company into a better future and I know that everyone is looking at me for direction. I think my role will definitely change as we get more settled. Right now, I am directly involved in the day-to-day activities to make sure that everything is moving in the right direction.
– I believe that in the near future I will step back and take a more strategic and hands-off approach because the people here are definitely more than capable of doing their job.
– In what respects will customers notice any changes from the creation of NDS?
– The customer should see a more focused and enhanced company. In 2019 Nammo had eight different entities reaching into the customer pool. We are now moving towards having only two, one for defense and one commercial. The customer, particularly at a higher level, should begin noticing a difference in terms of moving towards single points of contact and quicker response times. The customer at a more technical level should really see no difference as they will still be interacting with the same people as they did in 2019, and receiving equal, or hopefully even better levels of service.
M72 production in Nammo Mesa, Arizona.
And while Gary is optimistic about the outlook for Nammo Defense Systems, he acknowledges that there are challenges. At the time of writing, the Coronavirus is still having serious consequences for businesses in a lot of countries, including the US. The NDS President accordingly sees external factors as as the greatest risks to his organization.
– Of course I have worries. I think if you ever come across a president or any leader and they tell you that they have no worries, they are either lying to you or they are oblivious to the world around them. But my main fears are external – there are many things that are out of our control. My main concern these days is the COVID-19 pandemic. We are living in strange times and are in uncharted waters. Still, I have complete confidence in the people within NDS and from what I have witnessed in the last few months, I have good reason to be optimistic!
