When Steel Tank Brewing (contract) brewed its first batch of beer in January 2017, it marked the first time recorded history that Oconomowoc had two breweries operating simultaneously.

MÜLHEIM, Germany—Threatened with a shortage of the hardened steel used to make parts of its tanks, one arms company went on the offensive: It bought a 200-year-old steel foundry to ensure supply.

Currently a 1,000-gallon steel tank is about $1,720 and a 1,250-gallon tank about $1,980. The changes increase the cost of a steel tank an additional $1,500.

Once that door is expanded, the company will start making 16-foot-diameter steel tanks that hold 42,000 gallons, said Nate Batson, general manager of the company’s metal products division.