Smith Group PLC: External Analysis Of The United Kingdom

Smith Group PLC
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Smith Group PLC
Introduction
It was first established in 1851 as a family clock and watch business by Samuel Smith. In 1944 the company formed S. Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) having four divisions in its operations (English clocks, motor accessories, industrial instruments and aircraft instruments). Later in 1958, S. Smith & Sons’ aircraft instruments merged with Kelvin and Hughes to form marine and aviation divisions in its portfolio. In the same year the company acquired Portland and Surgical Plastic Company. In 1960, the company established the industrial division which was to focus on industrial instruments.
July 2008, the company acquired Triasx which manufactures wireless communication components. In addition, its Detection division opened a production plant in Germany as an attempt to meet the global demands for X-ray scanners in the same month of July. In September 2008, the group made a decision to sale its eight acre operational site in Basingstoke, Hampshire for £16 million and its Medical division developed a wireless blood pressure monitor that used the Bluetooth technology. This unique device was to change the way medical practitioners treat patients who are in critical conditions. Later in that month, Smith Group’s interconnect division secured long-term contracts worth £225 million on the US military communications programmes. Smith Group acquired Zhejiang Zheda Medical Instrument in November 2008.
In the start of 2009, Smith Group won another big maintenance contract worth £8 million with Talisman Energy (UK) which is an oil and gas exploration company. Additionally, it achieved its objective of opening new headquarters in central London.
The group provides products and services in medicine, communication, contraband detection, and energy sectors in more than 55 countries across the globe. The group has its main operations in North America, UK and Europe. The group has four main divisions that makes its portfolio of products and services. They include Medical, detection, flex-tex, interconnect and john crane. The group operates with several companies in different sectors and four government agencies across the world.
Smith Detection division produces and designs the best sensors that are used in detecting explosives, contrabands, narcotics, chemical agents, weapons, biohazards and explosives. This division has proved to be helpful to a wide range of customers in transportation, military, emergency responding, critical infrastructure and borders and ports sections. This sections are the potential customers who seek services from this division. Custom authorities, homeland security, and security authorities are the agencies that this division provides its services to. It also provides a wide range of services to airport security in UK, UK defense ministry and US Transport Security Administration (TSA).
John Carne is another division that contributes to Smith Group’s profits. This division provides its services and products to process industries such as pharmaceutical, mining, chemical, pulp and paper, oil and gas companies. Its primary customers include Shell, Elliot, Solar Turines, ...