Taurus (manufacturer)
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| Sociedade Anônima | |
| Traded as | BM&F Bovespa: FJTA3, FJTA4 |
| Industry | Defense |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Headquarters | Porto Alegre, Brazil |
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Key people
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Dennis Braz Gonçalves, (CEO) Luis Fernando Costa Estima, (Chairman) |
| Products | Firearms, |
| Revenue |
 US$342.1 million (2012) |
 US$20.4 million (2012) |
|
|
Number of employees
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3,150 |
| Subsidiaries | Amadeo Rossi |
| Website |
taurusarmas taurususa |
Forjas Taurus is a manufacturing conglomerate based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Founded as a tool and die manufacturer, the company now consists of divisions focusing on firearms, metals manufacturing, plastics, body armor, helmets, and civil construction.
Taurus produced its first revolver, the Model 38101SO, in 1941. Beginning in 1968, it exported revolvers to the U.S. market through a series of importers.
In 1971, the Bangor Punta Corporation, then the parent company of Smith & Wesson, purchased 54 percent of Forjas Taurus, allowing the two firearms manufacturers to easily share information regarding design and manufacturing. In 1977, Taurus was purchased from Bangor Punta by its current owners, and its ties to Smith & Wesson were severed.
In 1980, after Italian arms manufacturer Beretta had completed its contracts to produce firearms for Brazil's military, Taurus purchased Beretta's São Paulo manufacturing plant along with the tooling, technical drawings, and work force necessary to produce several different pistol designs.
In order to more effectively tap the U.S. market, the company created a subsidiary, Taurus International Manufacturing Incorporated, also known as Taurus USA, in 1984.
In 1997 Forjas Taurus purchased the rights & equipment to manufacture Rossi brand revolvers. They currently manufacture three .38 Special models and four .357 Magnum models under the Rossi name, manufactured in São Leopoldo, Brazil.
The current product line includes steel-frame pistols, polymer-frame pistols, revolvers, and law enforcement weapons (submachine guns and rifles), the latter intended for the domestic Brazilian market. The company manufactures and sells its firearms for generally less than other manufacturers due to low labor costs, as well as having the facilities available to build virtually every part themselves.
One writer said in 2010 that the "[q]uality of Taurus handguns in the modern era is second to none". In 2015, Taurus settled a lawsuit for $39 million and recalled nearly one million handguns produced between 1997 and 2013 due to "safety defects".
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Wikipedia