In the early 1850s William Ford Smith began making machine tools in Salford, Manchester. One year later he was joined by Arthur Coventry, forming Smith & Coventry. They manufactured metalworking machinery, including tapping machines, screw machines, and one of the first knee-type milling machines, believed to be ca. 1860. The business survived until 1927; in 1929 the assets were acquired by John Hetherington & Sons, Ltd.
In the early 1900s William's son, Percy Ford-Smith, emigrated to Canada and established machine tool manufacturer Ford-Smith Machine Co., Ltd.
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