About us

Over 30 years ago, SMH began as a manufacturer of fibreglass products, supplying the asbestos removal industry in the UK, and from there we have designed and developed a full range of decontamination equipment, products and consumables.

Put simply, SMH supplies an end-to-end solution for decontamination, ensuring that people and the environment are protected from exposure to potentially hazardous substances.

Read more about the history of SMH below, or find the SMH location closest to you, whether it is one of our UK branches or even one of our international locations.

 

The SMH group of companies

The SMH group is a family of companies dedicated to delivering a complete solution for our customers, from the custom design and manufacture of specialist decontamination equipment through local sales, hire and servicing, and on to training, consultancy and scientific support.

 

Our manufacturing companies

	SMH Equipment Ltd Our manufacturing company, based in South Shields in the north-east of England, which supplies a full range of mobile and static decontamination units, hand-built to your specifications, as well as negative pressure units, water management systems, and other specialist equipment.
	Harley Scientific A part of the SMH Group, this company leads the market for precision equipment, such as the innovative FibreCheck which is used to measure and monitor levels of airborne asbestos fibres.
	Progard Ltd A part of the SMH Group, Progard has a range of RPE from disposable masks to full face respirators; PPE including disposable coveralls, boot covers, and underwear; enclosure materials, including polythene, tape, spray foam and spray adhesive; and airlock tents.
	Hilton Industrial Vacuums & Engineering Ltd A part of the SMH Group, Hilton is a New Zealand based company specialising in the design and manufacture of hard-working industrial vacuum cleaners.

 

Our sales and hire businesses

	SMH Products Ltd This is our network of branches which provides local sales of all our products, as well as hire, testing and repairs across the UK.
	SMH Equipements SARL With branches in Chartres and Lyon, this company delivers the full range of our products across the whole of France.
	SMH Products SL Based in Valencia, our Spanish business delivers all our products across the whole of the Iberian peninsula and exports to customers in South America.
	SMH Products PTY Ltd This business, based in Melbourne, supplies the whole of Australia with a full range of our products.

 

Our training and scientific services businesses

	SMH Training & Scientific Services UK LTD This specialist business delivers accredited health and safety training for those who work in environments at risk of contamination. It also provides a range of scientific services, including asbestos and other scientific surveys, sample and data analysis.
	SMH Training & Scientific Services APME The newest part of the business, providing accredited health and safety training across the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern regions.

 

 

The history of SMH: a North East success story

The past few years have been eventful for SMH. Revealed in 2013 as not only the fastest growing medium-sized company in the North East,  but the fastest growing business in the region overall in The North East Fastest 50 (sponsored by Ward Hadaway in association with The Journal newspaper), we have also been named as one of the London Stock Exchange Group’s inaugural 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.

But this success did not come from nowhere – it was built upon the solid foundations of a highly-skilled workforce manufacturing and distributing a world-class product.

Formed in 1970 as GRP Polyester Plastic Mouldings, we developed real expertise in the use of glass reinforced plastic or fibreglass, making high quality products for the UK and Europe from our manufacturing base in South Shields. In 1984, SMH began to build decontamination units, initially in response to the demand of local authorities in the UK, but moving on to supply contractors across the UK and Europe.

In the early 2000s, SMH began to open branches across the UK, supplying a wide range of decontamination products, including personal protective equipment (PPE), respiratory protective equipment (RPE) and enclosure materials. We also built up a hire fleet of equipment, providing decontamination units, pressure monitors, airless sprayers, and hazardous dust vacuum cleaners to asbestos removal contractors. In 2005, SMH Equipements SARL was established, our distribution and hire business in France, to be followed in 2011 by an opening in Melbourne to supply the whole of Australia.

In 2013, with nine UK branches, two French branches and one in Australia fully established, we formed SMH Training & Scientific Services UK Ltd to deliver specialist health and safety and decontamination training across the UK, as well as a wide range of consultancy and technical services.

In January 2014, SMH Products SL opened in Spain, increasing our European coverage and opening up the possibility of new markets in South America. Shortly afterwards we opened SMH Products NZ Ltd with a branch in Auckland, New Zealand, supporting our Australian business to supply the whole of the Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern regions, closely followed by SMH Training & Scientific Services APME, which will roll out our successful training arm to Australia, New Zealand and beyond.

Click here for a list of all our locations.

 

The foundations for future growth

Our long-term goal is simple: we want to be the world’s leading provider of specialist decontamination solutions.

From our small start in South Shields, we now develop, manufacture, and provide products and services worldwide, from branches in the UK, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. These foundations will support sustainable growth for the future, so watch this space to see what SMH does next!