Maybe
@Laurie would know?
I don't understand what
@209jones is suggesting. It seems to be that nitrocellulose is manufactured in one big plant and supplied to powder manufacturers. It's not - they make their own as part of the process.
As I understand it. the US only has two powder manufacturing facilities these days. General Dynamics St. Marks (former Olin Corporation) and Radford VA (US govt owned but running it contracted out to the private sector on a least cost basis as per the neighbouring Lake City ammunition plant). Both plants use ball powder technology originally developed by the Olin Corporation. Because much of the process involves non-inflammable/explosive slurries, it is much safer inherently than making single-based extruded and even more so double-based / high-energy types that involve nitroglycerine. An American powder company executive told me around 20 years ago, that US EPS health & safety regs are so onerous that no manufacturer can afford to make extruded (stick/tubular) types in the USA - they're not banned, just too expensive to make in a way to meet EPS safety regs. Hence why both US plants use the other type. (Also, the US Army decided c. 1955 that 7.62 other than specialised grades such as match/sniper would be loaded with ball powders only, a policy that continues to the present day with 5.56.) AFAIK, Radford only supplies US government needs, ie Lake City mainly, in the smallarms propellants field. St. Marks sells a great deal to military ammo and factory sporting ammo suppliers, and its powders are seen in Winchester, Hodgdon, and some Accurate ball type products (or 'Spherical' as Hodgdon calls them for trademark reasons) in handloading canister grades.
Europe has a least five propellant plants that I know of, and there may be more. Eurenco has two - Sweden and Belgium one making stick types, the other ball - (and two more specialist explosives manufactures). Nitrochemie in Switzerland (half owned by the large Swiss/German RUAG group). Nammo Vihtavuori in Finland. Explosia a.s. in the Czech Republic. All are involved in the recreational shooting and handloading market to a greater or lesser extent. We see them in Alliant, Norma, Reload Swiss, Ramshot, Lovex/Shooters World, and Vihtavuori brands. There are also French Vectan brand powders, but I can't see who makes them.
General Dynamics has a second plant at Valleyfield, Quebec province in Canada (IMR and some Accurate brand powders). Thales / ADI has the former Australian government Mulwala plant in New South Wales, Australia (Hodgdon 'Extreme Extruded' grades and under its own ADI brand name in its 'local' Aussie/New Zealand markets).
Radford aside, all are privately owned and receive no governmental subsidies or payments to provide essential additional wartime capacity. Their outputs are therefore geared to normal levels of demand based on peacetime military use plus recreational shooting demand of which the USA provides by far the largest slice. Health & safety requirements and public / political opposition to dangerous products / potentially polluting activities create HUGE barriers to the normal capitalist society process of supply shortages being eventually met by increased supply from existing suppliers and/or new entrants. It is also a very expensive business to invest in. This is a very bad situation to be in should a major war start at short notice.
