U.K. defense company agrees to open manufacturing facility in Palm Coast

A defense manufacturer based in the United Kingdom has agreed to open its first U.S. production facility in the small Northeast Florida coastal town of Palm Coast.

Astor Defence has several operational locations in the U.K. and is a military defense packaging firm that manufactures ammunition containers and other military packaging systems.

The firm announced this month it will operate a facility in Palm Coast along the east coast of Florida in Flagler County. Astor Defence will lease an existing building that has been vacated at the Hargrove Industrial Park in Palm Coast and is projected to have its U.S. operations functional in January.

Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said the small coastal community between St. Augustine and Daytona will reap many benefits from the business that Astor Defence will generate in the city.

“Astor Defence choosing Palm Coast for its first U.S. facility is a testament to our city’s business-friendly environment. This development not only strengthens our local economy by creating new, high-paying jobs but also highlights Palm Coast as an emerging hub for advanced manufacturing,” Alfin said in a prepared statement. “We are proud to welcome Astor Defense USA to our community and look forward to the positive impact they will bring.”

Managing Director of Astor Defence, Henry Turnbull, said the company is looking forward to ramping up U.S. operations quickly.

“We are extremely excited about this latest chapter in our expansion plans. Florida is highly supportive of the defense industry, and many of our existing clients are based here, so it is an obvious choice of location,” Turnbull said. “Everybody in Palm Coast has been very welcoming and friendly from the city government to our new landlord and the utility companies. They have all been so accommodating and helpful. It seems like a great place for us to be based!”

Astor Defence is the only ammunition container contractor for the British Army and supplies military packaging for multiple NATO countries including France, Germany and Italy, among others.

The company has designs on expanding its portfolio with the objective of adding partnerships with military contractors in the U.S.

Dolores Key, Economic Development Manager for Flagler County, said the new Astor Defence facility will have a regional impact beyond the city of Palm City.

“Welcoming Astor Defense USA to Palm Coast is a major achievement for all of us in Flagler County. Their investment in locating a manufacturing facility here provides employment opportunities for our residents, diversifies the tax base, and puts us on the map with the (U.S.) Department of Defense,” Key said.