Simon Elford (Mayor of Bexhill on Sea) gave a talk about his company

SMTS (Scale Model Technical Services)

 

The evening was very informative and highly interesting about the history and the way the models are manufactured. He stated that production has increased especially from the USA since Brexit due to the value of the Pound.

 

Scale Model Technical Services was founded in 1983 by Keith Williams and John Allen in Hastings on the south coast of England.

Things started small but soon grew to become a 40-person manufacturing facility releasing countless new models month after month, not only cars but planes, boats, ships, construction plant and one off display and marketing models in a wide range of scales. In the nineties, the Chinese got into the game and changed everything forever, although to start with their models were quite crude it didn't take them long to up their game.

Keith and John had to change their business model quickly or disappear like so many of their rivals. The business now operates from a workshop, still in Hastings, creating totally hand built models by skilled craftsmen to an exceptionally high standard. Our output has decreased but we concentrate on quality at a reasonable price and many of our models are made to order and to customer's personal specifications.

We can undertake almost any project form one offs to multiple production in a wide range of materials and finishes.

Keith and John are still with the company although John is now semi-retired and Simon Elford has taken his place working alongside Keith.