About Us

Background
SmartDrive Ltd is an independent UK company dedicated to the design, manufacture and marketing of products for motion control applications. Currently this covers stepper motor drives, servo drives, controllers and integrated systems together with a unique range of motors and other ancillary equipment.

Some of the SmartDrive range of products

A DM drive before final assembly

The company formally became SmartDrive Ltd in 1988 by the amalgamation of two small design and development businesses. Since changes in 1992 the business has expanded rapidly to become widely regarded as the leading UK innovator in stepper products - the first to bring power MOSFET output bridges and DSP based technology to the stepper market.

Our main market area is electro-mechanical orientated companies requiring the benefits of electronic control of motors to give precise motion. We supply individual modules or complete systems dependent on the customers' electronics capabilities and needs. Our market covers a very diverse spectrum of end user applications such as robotic assembly cells, food packaging, precise lense focussing, scientific applications, label printing, dispensing and application and many types of general machine automation as well as specialised custom designed systems.

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SmartDrive is dedicated to building long term partnerships with satisfied customers and to this end we place great emphasis on personal contacts, backup and support to our customers. Recently we have invested heavily in preparing more detailed and comprehensive user manuals and software particularly to help our new customers through their first SmartDrive installation and commissioning.

The move to newly refurbished premises at Earith mid 1995 has dramatically improved facilities and allowed management restructuring and a new staff training program to be implemented to support the continued rapid expansion.

1 on 1 Training

Location

The Grade II listed Old School, more correctly 'The Old British School' was built in 1839 as one of several in the immediate area funded by the 'British School Trust'. The clock, and possibly also it's tower, was installed in 1850 at a cost nearly as much as the main building. School use ceased in 1972 after which it was used as a frozen food centre and generally later fell into disrepair.

Renovation back to it's former glory has been a major task. Solidly built in locally made bricks with the now exposed massive roof timbers supporting the tower and a classic Welsh slated roof it provides an attractive and unusual working environment. Building buffs will be interested to know that it has cavity walls, very unusual for the time.

Situated amidst older houses in the Fen village of Earith with the river Ouse just down the street we enjoy a rural setting. The University city of Cambridge is a few miles to the south and the major trunk roads A1 (north/south), A14 (east/west) and M11 (south) are within easy reach offering excellent road communications.