From Alabama to Afghanistan
When U.S. Marines and Army troops fan out across Afghanistan’s Helmand Province this summer, the 75 employees of Smith’s Machine of Cottondale, Alabama will be there with them.
Though none of the highly skilled workers in this high-tech company will be in southern Afghanistan in person, their craftsmanship will be keeping American troops safer.
Because, if you’re going to eradicate the poppy crop, and thereby deprive the Taliban of their primary source of funding, there will be times when it’s better to do so from inside the relative safety of a Stryker vehicle. And that’s where Smith’s Machine comes in.
Smith’s Machine manufactures key mechanical parts that allow the gunner on a Stryker to operate the remote controlled .50 caliber machine gun on the weapons system known as CROWS II (Common Remotely Operated Weapon System).
Vice president Tim Smith explains what that means in practical terms: “Our ultimate customer is probably a Specialist in the Army, or perhaps a Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps who is 7,500 miles away from home and counting on our manufacturing skills to get him back safely. When you think about it that way, it puts an entirely new perspective on the goal of zero defects.”
But then quality and customer satisfaction have been hallmarks of Smith Machine since Tim’s father Woody founded the company in a garage in 1974.
Woody says, “From the first day, our philosophy was to do whatever it takes to get the job done right.”
If you’re patrolling a 550-mile border with Pakistan, that’s good to know.
