Austria-based Steyr Arms is spending $2.9 million to expand their operation in Bremmer, Alabama. Currently, the Alabama location imports, distributes and assembles firearms. Instead of building the firearms in Austria and importing them, Steyr Arms plans on permanently relocating their U.S. operation to Birmingham.

“This expansion represents a great deal of trust in our operations in Bessemer, on behalf of our parent company,” Scott O’Brien, president of Steyr Arms, told the Birmingham Business Journal. “Our operations and workforce here are world class, and we are proud to be able to serve our U.S. customers in a new and efficient way.”

Economic organizations around the state are excited about the firearms manufacturer expanding in Alabama. The company spent $1.7 million in 2013 its Birmingham operations from Trussville to Bessemer.

“Steyr Arms’ decision to add a manufacturing component to its operation in Bessemer shows that Alabama provides an ideal environment for firearms makers, along with many other manufacturing businesses,” Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, told Made in Alabama.

Currently, the company has 15 employees at its Alabama location.

The expansion is expected to be completed by summer of 2019, but manufacturing is scheduled to start on-site by the end of the year.