SMP Security Solutions, safe manufacturers with more than 40 years’ experience have completed a site refurbishment.
In 2013 Telford, Shropshire-based SMP became part of the Associated Security Solutions Group, a security product supplier and installer.
Production-Development Director Howard Bailey said “Associated Security have had a long history of working within the security industry and by purchasing SMP Security Solutions has added to their current portfoilo and increased visibility in the market place, the acquisition of SMP can only reinforce the strengths of both companies.”
Much of an investment of around £500,000 has been spent on new equipment; CNC machinery that can be digitally programmed to bend, cut, drill and tap the metal automatically which will decrease time spent on manufacture, and hence increasing output. A new custom built spraying facilitiy includes specialist drying ovens to speed up the painting process.
The factory has been renovated, redesigning the layout and providing new racking, workbenches and area dividers, with a compressed air system and extraction units around the factory. The company has also addressed their carbon footprint and installed new low energy lighting.
The pièce de rèsistance is the showroom, showing the range of safes, from practical safes offering overnight cash protection to various deposit features and bespoke solutions and storyboards which trace the history of the firm with examples of locks, keys and plaques. And new office space includes meeting rooms which gives clients a central venue to meet.
With the refurbishment now completed, it has allowed SMP to increase its staffing which has resulted in five new positions, one an apprentice who has joined from one of the local academies in Telford.
Production Manager, Dave Hoskins said “I started here at SMP in 1982 as a Trainee Safe Engineer learning various skills in what is a very specialised field which includes the press shop where we produce 80pc of all components inhouse, further operations include welding, fabrication, boltwork and door fitting then moving onto our custom built spraying facility and finally onto furnishing the safes which is the finishing and lock fitting process, whilst maintaining an intensive inspection procedure which covers every stage of the safe making process. I have come to realise the importance of training to develop a skilled and efficient workforce, passing these skills onto young inquisitive minds who will eventually become the workforce of the future maintaining the excellent standards that SMP has achieved over the past 40 years. It is very important for us to continue a training and development programme to secure the future of safe engineers.”
Looking ahead to 2015, SMP will be re-launching the SLS range of safes which will include a new luxury bespoke safe.
Mr Bailey said: “We are entering a very exicting time as we move into 2015, with the refurbishment now complete we can focus on development and research to include the use of new materials and manufacturing processes to re-launch the SLS brand of safes”
Visit www.smpsecurity.co.uk.
