Ambitious plans by Smart trio as business booms

Smart Manufacturing Solutions, Ltd – which is based on the Seaham Grange Industrial Estate – started with just three people in November 2020, in the thick of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Today, it employs a team of 10 office staff, 10 offsite management staff, and also has over 100 quality inspectors working on a sub-contract basis.

The team behind the business – Pete Williams, Craig Wood and Adam Smith – are now looking at plans to increase turnover from £1.6m to around £3.2m by expanding its client portfolio, staff and inspector headcount.

Mr Williams said: “We launched the business at probably the worst time – in and out of lockdown and the economy was on its knees – but for us it was an opportunity to streamline our processes and get the correct managerial systems in place.

“Since then we’ve secured several high profile automotive manufacturing clients and our aim now is to raise the profile of the business so potential clients know exactly what we can offer.”

SMS offers expert solutions which enhance production and quality levels – done through an app which enables firms to accurately record client data.

The company provides a managed service of team leaders and inspectors, who are integrated into client companies .

Through its recruitment arm, managed by Adam, SMS also sources the very best in current and future talent and fully vet them to ensure they’re placing the right people in the right positions.

Mr Smith said: said: “I was ran my own recruitment firm and, after a mutual friend introduced us, it was clear that there was a synergy between the three of us, so we decided to create SMS, allowing us to become a fully integrated provider of quality and recruitment services under one roof.”

Craig added: “We fully understand our industry because we worked in it, we lived and breathed it for many many years, and we believe this gives us a real advantage.