Smiths
AcquiredWhy consider this supplier?
Smiths began in 1851 when Samuel Smith opened a jewellery shop at 12 Newington Causeway, London. It first sold watches and chronometers. It entered motoring in 1904 with speedometers and other motor accessories, and S. Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) Ltd became a public company in 1914. The group took the name Smiths Industries in 1960. Its dials and gauges were fitted to a large number of British cars. In 1983 Smiths Industries chose to stop supplying the car industry directly and sold its automotive instrument division to Lucas. Lucas moved production to Caerbont in Abercrave, South Wales, and the business later passed to Mannesmann VDO. In 1993 local management bought it and formed Caerbont Automotive Instruments, which still makes Smiths-branded gauges. Smiths Group plc still exists but now works in other fields: John Crane and Flex-Tek. It no longer makes car instruments.
Capabilities
Components offered
Speedometers, tachometers, fuel level gauges, oil pressure gauges, water temperature gauges, ambient air temperature gauges, voltmeters, ammeters, clock instruments, instrument clusters, fuel and temperature senders, interface modules, and wiring harnesses.
Products & services
Historically speedometers, rev counters and other motor instruments. The Smiths-branded car gauges are now made by Caerbont Automotive Instruments.
Key technologies
R&D focus
Development of modern electronic gauge internals that fit original heritage dashboard housings, digital sensor interfaces, and bespoke vehicle telemetry displays for niche low-volume manufacturers.