‘Give me 2-3 years and we will be making some of the best firearms in the world.’

Meredyth Grant talks to John Bright from Highland Outdoors about his adventures building a Webley gun factory in India.

Welcome to industry insights, this month we are talking to John Bright from Highland Outdoors and it’s all about his adventures building a Webley gun factory in India.

Why did you choose India as the new home for Webley manufacturing?

We’re pushing forward and as a business have a lot of things going on at the moment. We’ve established a factory with a business partner in the State of Uttar Pradesh based in Lucknow and we’re starting to get some revolvers finally, rolling off the production line. This new facility is focusing on the Indian domestic market and we are still as a company remaining focused on manufacturing in other markets, however the opportunity for the Indian Domestic market is something we wanted to invest in.

What made you choose Lucknow?

With Webley and Scott we’ve been looking at ways to promote and develop the iconic brand and the Indian market caught our attention, it has been a closed market since the 1980’s meaning you cannot import fire arms into India unless it is for sporting use. We were approached by our now partner based over in India who has a long history in the gun industry and from there we established a relationship. The first time I went to India I had no desire to go there, I booked a flight and I was there for a total of 14 hours.

The reason why Lucknow was chosen is because that is where Maninder, our business partner is based. Maninder showed us the land where the factory would be built and I left thinking it was a good opportunity. There is a small demand for locally produced air guns, firearms, shotguns, rifles, pistols, but you cannot import them. The only way it can be done is through the ‘Make in India’ initiative that the government has put forward. We reached an agreement and finalised the deal where we formed a joint collaboration between Webley & Scott and Sial Manufacturing. COVID has slowed things down a lot but there’s also a drastically different way of doing business in India in comparison to the way that Brits and Aussies do business.

How is business done differently?

There has been a strong grassroots manufacturing base for locally made firearms in the Indian continent, but these are primarily based on small gunsmith operations. Since the market has been closed since the 80’s there has not been new product coming in so the quality has been substandard for many years. From the start, we’ve held quality as key and maintaining the original British standard is vital for the brand.

India has a rich heritage when it comes to guns. The majority of personally owned revolvers in the country are ex- Webley Birmingham made,  shipped from here to Singapore, which then ended up in the Indian market. There is a big second hand market & because there has been such a low supply the price has kept on increasing. Our ambition is to make good quality products in keeping with the original Webley standard and sell them at a fair price. It is a completely new avenue to move into and we have a good business partnership with good people, good backing, good designs and good planning.

There are many challenges we have faced and will continue to face, for example, there are still a lot of bureaucratic process to wade through. Being a British citizen, it would be very difficult for me to establish my own factory, so contacts and a local network are vitally important.

We had our soft launch last year in February pre-COVID with the goal of rolling out product as quickly as possible. We invited 20 key dealers & did a presentation on the products that we had planned and people couldn’t wait to sign up. We walked away feeling full of energy, but then COVID hit.

Early on in the business we agreed a no compromise approach where we weren’t going to release any products that we weren’t happy with. We had to scrap some batches and improve our  in-house production facilities. That’s where we are at as of today. I was in India about 6 weeks ago – when I arrived things had improved massively and when I left, we were moving up to the next level. We’ve got some pretty clear targets that need to be hit. 

What is the factory like?

When I first went to India and saw the land that was going to be bought and developed on it was in a very rural setting, about 30 minutes out of Lucknow. We couldn’t put the factory in a city setting due to its heavy-duty industrial requirements. The location is in an industrial area, on a transit route with a Pepsi factory down the road. There has been a lot of investment in that area, so we agreed on the location and started building the factory.

How did you recruit people?

Our partner Maninder and his family have had a lot of experience in the firearms industry and have found the right engineers, the production managers, the factory managers, the machine operators, the CAD designers, the accountants and the admin people. The Webley name has a big following in the Indian market, so people want to work for us. Every time I’m in India I get featured in numerous newspaper articles, in the Hindustan Times or the Times of India, which is refreshing.

Maninder has done an excellent job seeking out the right people; there is a huge pool of talent to call upon; with the average age being mid-twenties, people are university educated, qualified and very passionate about what they do, it is part of the Indian culture. There is a stigma or perception that Made in India is in inferior or poor, but in my experience and from what I have seen, it is completely the opposite, if they are given the right information, they will follow it. The quality coming out of India will be world-class, give us 2-3 years’ time and we will be making some of the best weapons in the world that we will offer to the international market in due course.

What are the first weapons you will be bringing out?

We thought that there was no point bringing out the traditional Webley & Scott name and producing a product that people didn’t really associate with the brand. We thought the best way to prove ourselves in the market was to release the Mark IV .32 Revolver which is the original service revolver. From there we have designs for a Polymer framed handgun which will be in a .320 Auto. We’re sticking with a .32 calibre at the moment because there are a lot of restrictions on weapons that the consumer can own. Getting a license in India is extremely hard and the licensing very restrictive on the calibres that you can own. You can’t just own a 44 Magnum or something like that. We have a brand-new designed handgun, the WP 20, which is a polymer frame, .320 auto with double stack magazine and unique features – this will be the first commercially made polymer framed handgun for the Indian domestic market. From there we’re going to be making spring, CO2 & PCP Airguns as well as Pump, Semi & Over & Under Shotguns.

With those initial models you’re rolling out do you see yourself supplying these products to the Indian police or military?

We initially are focused primarily on the commercial market, we saw a void and want to fill it. Now we have a lot of interest from the military, police forces, and the Indian government. We have good relationships with the Indian government and the Uttar Pradesh government so we are working on some inward investment. The British government is also offering some assistance. I was invited on a call by the British High Commission in Delhi in a joint collaboration between the Indian and British government focusing on defence and military. In this call 130 people from various dignitaries joined in and I told them about our ambitions for the next couple of years, there are definitely opportunities.

We have also recognised that whilst we can make some of the best firearms, handguns & revolvers in the world, if you can only use substandard ammunition it doesn’t matter how good the product is it will never perform to its capabilities. So we have decided to build a purpose-built ammunition factory for small arms. This will include calibres such as 9mm, .45, .32 S&W, .320 Auto, 5.56, 7.62 as well as shotgun and other specialist munitions for both commercial and military use.

Will you be living in India?

Originally I said I would be in India one week every 2 months, however with the current Covid issues this is not realistic nor possible. I speak with Maninder almost every day and hopefully will be able to return by July.

How is COVID impacting your business?

Lucknow’s COVID cases weren’t bad before, it was mainly Delhi and Mumbai, but the situation is now very bad.

Why is business mentoring such an important part of your business development process?

Mark, our engineer has been out in the factory working with the team to make improvements and go through all of the processes. Maninder has grown up in the gun industry, his skills include his networking, he knows people, knows quality and knows how to source quality products for the Indian domestic market. That market is a specialised market and it’s very different to running a business where you’re employing 50-60 people, so I have told Maninder that I am here to help him as a partner, to mentor, question and support him. Getting the right people in is very important, Maninder will be focusing on where we want to get the business which means having a good general manager, production manager and financial controller. That’s the one thing that Maninder has taken on board and he is very happy with it, he calls me most days to talk through the definite plans in place. When I was there with Mark we put our expectations in place, the team there have production meetings every week where they go through the plan, and follow it through. 

When you visit the factory in Lucknow, what does a typical business trip look like? 

Last time, I arrived at 10am in Lucknow, Maninder picked me up and we went straight to the factory. We’re always keen to get started but that’s not necessarily the Indian way as they always want to make sure we are fed and relaxed! 

We were there during the Holy festival so we got to relax a little bit and join in the party, but ultimately we were there for business it wasn’t a holiday. Maninder has excellent enthusiasm, knows a lot and knows many people. I would not be able to achieve what we have achieved without him and his knowledge and our success this far has been down to Maninder. It is crucial to have a good partner that knows how to run things if you’re wanting to do business in India. 

I’ve been mentored by my previous bosses who are now my partners and I take a lot of pride in that; if I can pass that along to the team over there that’s fantastic. 

Will you be exporting these guns?

In the long term we are looking at exporting, but at the moment we need to prove ourselves in the Indian market. We haven’t gone into this as a business model where we are producing in India for the US market, the US market is a big beast that is well rounded and supported. In India we can make a product at a lower cost and sell it at a higher cost, but in the US you have to sell the product at close to cost. That is not a business model that we are interested in. We have invested heavily into what we are doing right now, we need to see a return on investment so that we can put it back into the business to build the ammunition, airgun and shotgun factories.

How will you proof the guns?

Our own proof facility should be complete very soon. We have had government approval to proof our firearms in house; we’ve gone through the ISO compliance and have employed the right people who understand the correct procedures.

Will there be a big launch?

We try to go under the radar as much as possible and let the products speak for themselves. We don’t like to make this massive noise about our operation.

What’s next?

India is one of those places where once you go, you want to go again and again. The food is great and the people are extremely generous.

Last time I was in India I was talking with Maninder about our ambitions moving forward; one of our goals being in 10 years-time we need to sponsor and form the Lucknow Legends, IPL cricket team, in 2030 the Webley & Scott will sponsor the Lucknow Legends cricket team. 

For more information visit www.webleyscott.in