Since its foundation by Alfred Nobel in 1872, RIO's parent company, MAXAM, has become a global organization composed of five business units with 6,500 employees on five continents, industrial facilities in more than 45 countries, and sales in over 100. Strongly positioned as a major international player in a modern-day global market, MAXAM's sport shooting and hunting ammunition division MAXAM Outdoors produces more than 500 million shells annually.