Smiths celebrates 175 years of engineering excellence

Engineering a better future - yesterday, today and tomorrow

Smiths, a leading industrial engineering company, is proud to mark 175 years since its founding. Throughout 2026, the company will reflect on a remarkable journey that began in 1851, when Samuel Smith opened his first jewellery and watchmaking shop in south London. From those modest beginnings, Smiths has grown into a global FTSE 100 engineering leader, whose technologies have powered some of history’s most iconic achievements.

Supporting the world’s first transatlantic flight, when Alcock and Brown’s Vickers Vimy aircraft was equipped with Smiths instruments and KLG spark plugs, helping them complete the 16 hour crossing.

• Playing a pivotal role in the historic ascent of Mount Everest, by providing mission-critical instrumentation, and even a watch worn to the summit by Sir Edmund Hillary.
• Early breakthroughs in medical ultrasound, where Smiths technology helped advance modern diagnostic imaging.
• Engineering pioneering cockpit telemetry, communications and HUD systems for the legendary Bluebird CN7 world land-speed record.
• Developing high-performance speedometers that became synonymous with early British motorsport, with Smiths gauges a familiar presence across Formula One racing dashboards throughout the 20th century.

As one of the few engineering companies with uninterrupted innovation spanning three centuries, these heritage achievements helped establish Smiths as a symbol of British ingenuity across motoring, aviation, scientific exploration and precision instruments. Today, Smiths remains at the forefront of critical global industries, with a strategic focus on advanced technologies that drive efficiency, safety and sustainability. Among its modern innovations which have made a critical difference, Smiths celebrates:

• Pioneering the world’s first dry gas seal through its John Crane business, transforming compressor reliability and setting new global standards for efficiency and safety.
• Trailblazing heating and cooling solutions through its Flex Tek business, enabling efficient thermal management in sectors ranging from aerospace to construction.
• World leading screening and detection technologies through Smiths Detection, used globally to help keep people safe in airports, ports, urban infrastructure and defence operations.
• Connectivity solutions enabling mass communication through Smiths Interconnect, including providing cutting-edge connectivity components in legendary space missions.

Roland Carter, CEO of Smiths, said: “As we celebrate 175 years of innovation, resilience and progress, I’m immensely proud of the legacy we inherit. Our history is filled with many extraordinary achievements that reflect the pioneering spirit that drives us every day. It is this commitment to engineering a better future has enabled us not only to meet the needs of each new era, but to help shape it."

“But what inspires me most is what comes next. Smiths is committed to being an engineering champion, a market-leading business where talent is nurtured, ideas are accelerated, and our people have the opportunity to shape technologies that make the world more productive, efficient and sustainable. Our purpose has never been clearer, and our ambition has never been higher.”

Smiths celebrates 175 years of engineering a better future with the release of a new video that can be found on a dedicated page here. The 175 celebrations will be focused on the company’s annual ‘Smiths Day’ in June, where employees across the company come together to live the Smiths values, take part in community outreach projects, volunteer and celebrate a long history of innovation excellence at Smiths.