Company History
The business started in Switzerland in 1978. Initially its focus was manufacturing equipment related to typewriter and printer ribbons. This later expanded to include converting equipment for sensitive film and foil - mostly thermal transfer ribbon.
In 1987 the company introduced its first printer ribbon remanufacturing machine and opened an office in the United States.
When inkjet technology began displacing ribbon use, the company in 1992 seized the opportunity and gave birth to the inkjet remanufacturing industry, bringing the first commercial inkjet cartridge remanufacturing equipment to market. Within four years the company’s inkjet equipment and process technology spread to 40 countries.
When in 1996 the industry lacked availability of a comprehensive line of high quality industrial inkjet remanufacturing equipment, the company joined in the CBR-SME joint venture and began innovating to create one. To this effort the company contributed the design and manufacture of all its ColorFill, VersaClean and SpinMax brand industrial systems. This joint venture resulted in many products, new industry standards for product quality, extensive process know-how, and the introduction of more than two thousand seminar participants to inkjet cartridge remanufacturing. This collaboration proved very beneficial for the inkjet industry and on the strength of the resulting full line of quality products SME has retained a leadership role in the industry.
Also in 1996, SME made a strategic decision to strengthen the business for the long term by diversifying into a synergistic area of opportunity. The company tapped Swiss engineer Markus Kunz to develop a precision machining and assembly side to its USA operations. Today the company’s top-of-the-line CNC-equipped computer manufacturing equipment is deployed, not only in support of its inkjet product line, but also to produce high quality custom components and systems for medical, defense, and automotive industry customers. This aspect of the company’s business now contributes substantially to the company’s business strength and financial stability.
With the market for retail refilling equipment exploding, the company in 2004 introduced a revolutionary new refilling system designed specifically for this market. The system, dubbed Inkjet Factory, combines fourteen years of the company’s inkjet technology and process improvements with the latest in computer automation technology. Already in its third enhanced version, evolution of the Inkjet Factory product continues to be the development focus of the company.
SME is now an independent privately owned U.S. corporation, but in earlier days it had a parent Swiss company. While this heritage has been very beneficial, one unfortunate consequence is that USA business was subject to a name change whenever ownership of its parent company changed. So what started out as an office of SM Engineering (SME) became the SME division of FAES USA and now is finally Southeastern Manufacturing Enterprise, Inc. (SME).
Some of the milestones in SME history are:
- 1992 Introduced the first industrial inkjet refilling machine in the United States
- 1996 Began CBR-SME joint venture with CBR Engineering AG of Basel, Switzerland
- 1996 Initiated precision manufacturing aspect of business
- 1997 Pioneered vacuum filling process for foam cartridges
- 1999 Introduced the first in-store retail refilling system
- 1999 Developed overflow flush cleaning method
- 2001 Introduced the first commercial circuit and print tester (CBR-SME brand)
- 2002 Developed high production foam drying systems (Jet Dry 100)
- 2004 Introduced new retail refill system with patent-pending technology
- 2004 Business spun-off as an independent company
- 2005 Business named Southeastern Manufacturing Enterprise, Inc. (SME)
- 2006 Delivered enhanced version of Inkjet Factory system