From humble beginnings and a commitment to achieving a vision often comes great success. Such was the case with Taurus Armas, S.A.—the parent company of Taurus firearms in the U.S. What started as a small pre-WWII machining operation founded as Forjas Taurus Ltda. (Taurus Forge) in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has now become one of the top five handgun manufacturers in the U.S. and one of the three largest small arms manufacturers in the world.
In 1982 Seeking to grow prominence in the American firearm market, Taurus creates an affiliate company based in Miami, Florida, to better meet U.S. gun owners’ needs and to establish a formative distributor network to put Taurus pistols in the hands of U.S. consumers. At this time, Taurus also took the challenge of developing one of the most cost-efficient manufacturing processes: Metal Injection Molding for in-house use.
After a few years of developing the MIM house in the USA, a new line of product was developed by offering MIM components to the firearms industry market . The evolution of the line towards new machinery acquisition allowed Taurus to incorporate new customers on other sectors of the industry, including medical and general consumer goods.
With a continual focus on the future and new ways to bring better products to consumers at competitive prices, Taurus announced in 2018 that it would relocate its U.S. manufacturing and business operations from Miami, Florida. This move to a new 200,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in Bainbridge, Georgia was completed in 2019. It has provided the company with much-needed engineering and production expansion and further strengthened Taurus’ core manufacturing capabilities to meet ever-refining consumer expectations.
Bootstrap companies that successfully survive their early years tend to be the exceptions even in the best of circumstances. Those whose leaders and valued employees commit to a thoughtful, long view based on quality work and a consumer-first perspective are the ones with longevity counted not in years, but in generations. As Taurus moves toward its ninth decade of manufacturing excellence and innovation, the road ahead looks brighter than ever.