SMC Profile
Company Description
SMC is a mountaineering and technical rescue brand that produces elite equipment. SMC designs and manufactures sport and rescue hardware to aircraft industry standards while remaining true to a heritage of excellence and innovation. Seasoned climbers and rescue personnel depend on the reliable performance of SMC gear in the most critical situations and demanding conditions around the globe. Founded in 1967 as Seattle Manufacturing Corporation, on the slopes and training grounds of the worlds best mountaineers, SMC gear is trustworthy in complicated rescues, record setting rapid ascents, and expeditions to the most remote summits in the world. Our first product was an oval carabiner designed and manufactured specifically for Mary Anderson of the original REI Co-op Store who was dissatisfied with the quality and turnaround time of overseas manufacturers. Our products expanded into the rescue market as climbers of the 60’s and 70’s became the rescue experts of the 80’s. They required durable hardware that would reliably perform in the demanding rescue environment. This request for stronger, more sophisticated products launched SMC’s technical rescue division. Thirty years after our first oval carabiner, SMC saw a change in leadership that would instigate even higher standards of quality for our products. Today, under the direction of Kathy Hughes and her highly skilled management team, SMC is proud to be a US manufacturer of functional, high-quality mountaineering and technical rescue gear that dreams, designs, and manufactures 100% of its equipment in the USA. We hold true to our heritage by continuously working to improve and develop our people, our processes and our procedures. Quality Gear for Life is more than a statement… for us, it is a way of life.
