Formed in
1946 under the name “The Scale Model Equipment Company Limited”,
to manufacture scale models and detailed parts for the model engineering
industry, SME quickly established themselves as an exceptionally
reliable and quality-oriented industry sub-contractor. Later during
the 1950’s, the company evolved into the precision engineering
and manufacture of specialized parts for the aircraft and business
machine trades.
SME founder Alastair Robertson-Aikman was also a passionate music-loving
audiophile with a relentless desire to improve the reproduction
of phonograph records. Not satisfied with what was currently available
on the market, Alastair designed and machined, for his own personal
use, a high-performance tonearm. After receiving an enthusiastic
response to the tonearms sonic qualities from both friends and industry
experts, Alastair decided to produce it commercially. By late 1959,
production had reached 25 units per week, with demand continually
exceeding availability.
Over the past 45 years, SME has continually maintained the highest
standards of quality by simply being committed to the highest standards
in quality assurance, precision design and manufacturing. Each component
part, even down to the screws, for both SME turntables and tonearms
are manufactured in-house using the most advanced CNC machining,
pressure die-casting, injection molding, metal finishing, electro-plating
and anodizing to insure the resulting product will satisfy the needs
of the most critical audiophiles. |
