How does the country's only weapons factory

The only arms factory in the country is located in Ramos Mejía. Founded 60 years ago, Bersa employs 110 people and is expected to charge $ 345 million in 2018. According to the company, every five minutes somewhere in the world, a gun manufactured in this factory is sold. Between these walls, 90,000 weapons are produced each year; the process for making an application, on average, 28 minutes. 70% of the production is exported to 36 countries and the United States is the main buyer. Of the remaining 30%, the majority is for national security forces. "Of the 120,000 weapons used by the police in Buenos Aires, about 80,000 are Bersa", as evidenced by the company. A smaller number are sold in armories for Argentine civilians, who may even choose different colored firearms. Prices for the public vary: they cost $ 10,000, a template. 22, up to $ 24,000, in the case of a 9 mm for sports use.

In front of a machine, one of the worker records on each one manages the serial number of the weapon. It's a task that only takes a few seconds. In another room, three men study the monitors while a robot arm performs measurements on different parts. The manufacturing process of the slide (which is polished in a large machine so that it has no imperfections) is also implemented, as well as the steel body. The rest of the nearly 60 pieces that make up the guns (depending on the type) are supplied by external suppliers.

Operators perform the badembly task manually by placing each piece or spring in its place. Once the weapon is ready, one of the employees makes sure everything is working properly: for three minutes, test each mechanism, remove and place the charger and check that the insurance is working properly.

Then it's time to check the operation in a shooting range. Located in a kind of soundproof booth, it is the only place on the entire floor where firearms and ammunition are "badembled". Two are in charge of corroborating the fact that the cannons fire with precision: they empty a magazine against a target and the floor of his "office" is filled with casquillos. In the packaging, the guns are cleaned, labeled and their existence is reported online at ANMAC (National Agency for Controlled Substances).

History

The company was born in 1958 and was founded by three Italian immigrants. Benso Bonadimani is one of them and continues to visit the factory regularly. "When we started this project, I had never imagined that we would end up in what it is today, I was just thinking of working," said the 80-year-old who, along with Savino Caselli and Ercole Montini, founded Bersa in a rented shed, which also served as a nightclub for chickens. The company ensures that over the past two years, more than $ 18 million has been invested in the acquisition of machinery and technology, in addition to "training and process modification consulting". They also plan to spend an additional $ 800,000 to develop new products for the next few years.