PSA and the Power of Vertical Integration
Palmetto State Armory’s mission is a simple one, to Maximize Freedom, Not Profits. Their goal is not to make massive amounts of money, or land huge government contracts, it is to get guns into the hands of as many law-abiding Americans as possible.
So how did a veteran selling magazines and ammunition from his garage turn into one of the largest firearm manufacturing powerhouses in America? The answer; smart business decisions, an unwavering commitment to freedom, and the skillful use of vertical integration.
To understand PSA and its capabilities we need to take a step back and look at its parent company, JJE Capital. JJE Capital was founded by PSA Founder Jamin McCallum, and two friends Julian Wilson, a commercial real estate agent, and Edward LaRocque, a construction manager. Jamin, Julian, and Ed, the namesakes for JJE, have used their expertise to build a family of manufacturers to support the mission of arming America.
The manufacturers in the Palmetto State Armory family include: DC Machine in Summerville, SC; Ferrous Engineering in West Columbia, SC; Special Tool Solutions in Jacksonville, FL; Spartan Forging in Lincolnton, NC and Lead Star Arms in West Columbia, SC.
Palmetto State Armory has successfully vertically integrated with these manufacturers allowing them maintain control over every part of the firearm manufacturing process from raw material to finished firearm, and every part in between.
For many Covid was a wakeup call, but for PSA it was an affirmation of their philosophy to control their own destiny. Needing to wait weeks or even months to get the parts necessary to finish the guns that the American people were waiting for was unacceptable. By building their own family of manufacturers, PSA is able to maintain a consistent supply in a market where demand wildly fluctuates, and allows them to shift production quickly when the need arises.
Now, the production of almost all parts, including uppers, lowers, barrels, buffer tubes, bolt carrier groups, stocks, handguards, and even small parts like muzzle extensions and magazine catches, is done internally. Processes like anodizing that used to take weeks and required parts to be shipped across the state are now done in-house. A raw part can arrive on a truck from the machining facility five minutes down the road and be anodized and on its way to the assembly floor in less than an hour. This incredible level of efficiency allows PSA to produce thousands of finished uppers, lowers, and handguards every day, which in turn helps keep prices low, quality high, and enables them to invest in the research and development of new products.
Looking to the future, PSA has no plans of slowing down with new firearm releases happening almost monthly, and usually selling out in just minutes. Despite incredible rapid growth, PSA hasn’t strayed from its core mission, spreading freedom by making affordable American made firearms for American citizens.
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