Reinford Group

The Reinford Group (ＲＦグループ) is the largest heavy industry corporation in Erebonia, responsible for the production and development of e.g. artillery, weapons, vehicles, aircrafts and tactical orbments.

In terms of total assets, it is second only to the IBC (International Bank of Crossbell), and in terms of size it is perhaps the largest corporate group on the continent. Despite its current scope, the Reinford Group was once a humble weapons manufacturer located in Roer, and was responsible for building gunpowder-based cannons.

Background
Reinford originated as a weapon workshop during the Middle Ages and continued to supply the Imperial Army with weaponry. After the Orbal Revolution, Reinford expanded their expertise to domestic devices all the way up to tanks and aircraft. The advent of the Orbal Revolution, however, led to significant changes in the military, and this process of modernisation was all the more pronounced in Erebonia as a military nation. Demands for orbal weaponry exploded, and the Reinford Group met those demands single-handedly.

In addition, the Reinford Group began to handle public infrastructure, including the expansion of the country's railway network, in order to meet the needs of an increasing population. As a result, the company eventually went from being a mere weapons manufacturer to the international company that it is today. Most recently, their line-up of products moved into the territory of tactical orbments, which so far has been monopolised by the Epstein Foundation.

Division
In order to better manage the exponential increase in size of the company, chairman Gwyn Reinford decided to divide the Reinford Group into four huge divisions: the 1st Factory, the 2nd Factory, the 3rd Factory and the 4th Development Division.

The current chairman, Irina Reinford, built onto her father's legacy by introducing a new self-supporting accounting system that made each of the four divisions even more profitable.

Finances
It is no coincidence that the highest-ranking member of the group, a group which has more assets than the nation's richest nobles, is not part of the aristocracy. Even the Noble Faction is aware of the potential consequences if an international corporation like Reinford was to be led by a noble in a nation such as Erebonia, with its chaotic mix of old and new powers.

If Marquis Rogner, lord of the Nortia Province in which the Reinford Group has its corporate headquarters, were to assert ownership of the group, it would cause a massive upset in the balance of power between the nobility. On the other hand, if the Reinford family were to use their financial position to attempt to secure a peerage, opposition from both nobles and reformists alike would be inevitable. As a result, the group appears to have decided to focus on financial success rather than gaining a higher social rank.

The result is a company which exists as a mix of old and new, tradition and reform, province and capital. In a sense, the group is a representation of the complex structure of the Erebonian Empire, and perhaps even tasked with foretelling how the nation will change in the future.

Particularly worthy of note is that the chairman of the Reinford Group is not a member of Erebonia's so-called nobility. This is true of both the former chairman, Gwyn Reinford, and his daughter, Irina Reinford, who is the current chairman.

1st Factory
Reinford's 1st Factory (第一製作所, dai-isseisaku-sho), run by the Noble Faction, is one of Reinford's main divisions and handles the bulk of the company's iron and steel processing, among other things. The orbal generators that define Roer's cityscape were produced by the 1st Factory.

2nd Factory
Reinford's 2nd Factory (第二製作所, dai-niseisaku-sho), supported by the Reformist Faction, is chiefly responsible for the development and production of firearms. The Imperial Army's main battle tank, the Achtzehn, was developed by the 2nd Factory.

3rd Factory
Reinford's 3rd Factory (第三製作所, dai-sanseisaku-sho), politically neutral, is tasked with the development and production of orbal cars and aircrafts. They are best known for the luxurious Lusitania aircraft and Regalia, the flagship limousine range.

4th Development Division
Reinford's 4th Development Division (第四開発部, dai-yon kaitsbu-bu) is specialised in orbal communications and battle orbments. They also supervised the development of the orbal staff.

5th Development Division
The 5th Development Division (第五開発部, dai-go kaitsbu-bu) is an unofficial sister branch of the 1st Factory. As staunch supporters of the Noble Alliance, they developed and produced the Divine Knight inspired Panzer Soldats that would be used during the Erebonian Civil War. Later, they would become the premiere manufacturer of Zauber Soldat s for the Great War.

The Fifth Development Division operates differently to the the other four, in secret and off the books. In truth, it is not a single entity but comprised of individuals in lots of other groups moving behind the scenes and liaising with groups like the Black Workshop. These suspicious employees were later identified by Alisa Reinford, who found them to be mostly disgruntled employees, or those who had been bribed or faced workplace failures. After Alisa's proposal, contingencies were put in place to prevent suspicious elements from distorting the actions of the entire group and the company was brought back onto the right path.

Trivia

 * The word "rein" stands for pure in German.