Timber engineering specialist David Smith (St Ives) Ltd is such an institution in Cambridgeshire that virtually everyone knows where it is and can probably track some of its history.

The company has been in business there for more than 40 years and its large, modern premises are a stone’s throw from where the man who gave the company its name started business in a small wooden hut in 1962.

Since those small beginnings, David Smith has grown perceptibly virtually every year and today it manufactures and supplies roof trusses, doors and staircases to some of the UK’s major housebuilders and construction firms and is an approved master dealer for Trus Joist beams. Remarkably, expansion has been based almost entirely on word of mouth.

“We have very loyal customers,” said managing director Michael Smith. “Others have been impressed with what we’ve done, come to talk to us and that’s how our business has developed.”

Rebranding

The company has recently rebranded to reflect its position in the market and to take the company forward – but Michael Smith, the son of the company’s founder points out that “a proactive approach to marketing will work alongside the high-valued personal recommendations we receive”.

David Smith is taking a new marketing-led, sales-driven approach to its business, with a new corporate image, a comprehensive brochure and the appointment of sales and marketing manager Jack McMinn, who has extensive experience in the industry. The company already supplies some of the key players in the property sector and is in talks with others. Perhaps most importantly, it wants to build partnerships with medium to large housebuilders. The plan is to cover the area stretching up to the Midlands and down to the M25.

Product focus

When David Smith moved to its present 75,000ft2 premises in 1993 it upgraded virtually all its facilities, reducing machinery by 25%. The move also prompted a decision to sell its existing merchanting arm and concentrate on the specialist manufacturing of trusses, staircases and fire doors.

“We believe it’s important to specialise in the products that you’re going to manufacture and not be a jack of all trades,” said Mr Smith.

Each year the company produces 9,000m3 in roof trusses alone. It provides just in time delivery and stock is turned over every 10 days.

Mr Smith says that efficient engineering is the key to trusses. “Our objective is not to produce the cheapest trusses, but to produce the best truss solution,” he said.

To aid this efficiency and ensure precision, the truss designs are fed straight from the designer to one of five truss jigs. David Smith, which is a Gang-Nail fabricator, has its own treatment plant and, after cutting, all trusses are treated. But it is not just the manufacture that David Smith is involved in, the company also offers a design service – working with the architect to the optimum solution in terms of design and cost-savings – and installation.

“We can really add value at design stage. We will always recommend materials that are fit for the purpose and we don’t compromise on quality,” said Mr Smith.

&#8220David Smith has always had a strong brand but it’s never really shouted about it in the market place”

Jack McMinn, sales and marketing manager

The company offers a similar service for its staircases, which are produced for the housing market, from spec houses to high quality homes worth £1m plus. Two Reichenbacher machining centres are used to manufacture the staircases and David Smith was probably one of the first companies in the UK to use CNC for solid wood machining.

However, it’s the software that designs the product and feeds information into the Reichenbachers that makes the difference. David Smith now has the capability to send any product design to any machine, providing added flexibility and resilience if a machine is down.

The flat table Reichenbacher was purchased at Woodmex last year and since then staircase orders have taken off. Parana pine and whitewood are used for many of the staircases but oak and sapele, supplied by Atkins & Cripps Ltd, are often specified for high value pieces and this is where craftsmanship is called for.

“We’ve developed computer programs to drive the manufacturing of the strings and cutting out of the newel posts – but when constructing an oak staircase that might be in three sections, there’s an awful lot of handwork involved,” said Mr Smith, adding that David Smith has successfully combined craftsmanship and technology. “We have maintained the number of craftsmen despite some automation; their skills are just employed in a slightly different way.”

Traditional techniques

While placing a strong emphasis on modern production equipment, the company recognises the value of traditional working practices to ensure optimum quality. For example, newel posts are turned on a 15-year-old Wadkin moulder. The machine, which has been refurbished in that time, can operate at 80m/min but is run at a slower speed to ensure quality.

David Smith’s first plans to build new premises coincided with the construction industry going into recession in the late 80s, interest rates hitting 15% and house prices collapsing. It took a contract in Gibraltar and later started work on the new Travelodges which were being built throughout the UK. Potton provided the timber framing for the hotels and David Smith supplied the doors. The opportunity was the catalyst for the company to develop its door production.

Client base

Today David Smith supplies doors and doorsets to the private and public sectors, from hospitals through to airports – including Hong Kong’s showcase terminal. All the doors are architecturally specified and, ideally, factory finished in order to guarantee product quality. This includes fitting the ironmongery so all that has to be done on site is to fit the purpose-built frame.

“We believe this is the best way of providing doors,” said Mr Smith, adding that customers are encouraged to build this into their programmes.

The doors and doorsets are finished in wood veneer, metal, uPVC or laminate. The wood veneer receives two coats of lacquer – enough to ensure the contours of the grain are still evident. “Timber should feel like timber, otherwise it may as well be laminate,” said Mr Smith.

The company is now looking at introducing microchip technology to make the door production more flexible. Each door will carry a microchip which will instruct the machine, allowing the company to “put a 4ft wide door through one moment, a 3ft wide door the next, then an over panel, then some door frames”.

Michael Smith’s enthusiasm for innovation in production is matched by his focus on the company’s development.

“David Smith has always had a strong brand but it’s never really shouted about it in the market place,” said Jack McMinn. “We’re very structured in the customer base we want to develop, in the market sectors we want to develop and the people we want to talk to. Being proactive and promoting our company is all part of the mix. We are now focused on increasing the rate of growth of the company and improving the service we give to our customers.”