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A Century of Woodworking Heritage
JJ Smith has always been a family business at heart. Founded in Liverpool in the early 1920s, we’ve spent four generations supplying woodworking machinery for the manufacture of windows, doors, staircases, furniture, and, increasingly, offsite timber homes.
Every machine we install is designed to help our customers improve productivity, enhance quality, and build sustainably. It’s something we’re proud of and something we don’t take for granted.
As Rachel puts it:
“Most people touch something every day that’s been made on one of our machines. That connection matters to us.”
Meeting Today’s Challenges: Housing, Sustainability & Efficiency
The UK faces an urgent need for high-quality, low-carbon homes. Timber and offsite manufacture have a major role to play in achieving this. As technology evolves, so does the opportunity to build faster, reduce waste, and deliver homes that are affordable to heat — or even entirely zero-bill.
For JJ Smith, supporting this shift is a natural extension of what we’ve always done: enabling manufacturers to work more efficiently and more responsibly.
“No modern factory would accept a third of its inputs becoming waste. By bringing more construction into controlled timber manufacturing environments, we can make a huge difference.”
A Leader with an Unusual Journey and a Clear Purpose
Rachel’s path to the family business wasn’t straightforward. With a background in zoology and a PhD in veterinary parasitology, she built her early career in research before joining JJ Smith as a non-executive director.
From one day a month, her role gradually grew. Today she leads the company — always with an eye on continuous improvement, innovation, and people.
Her scientific training brings a data-driven mindset to the business, but her commitment is rooted in something simpler: responsibility.
“When people have worked with your family for decades, you want to do right by them. That’s what guides me.”
Our People: The Heart of JJ Smith
One of the defining strengths of JJ Smith is the long-term commitment of our team. Many employees join us early in their careers and stay with us for 20, 30, even 40+ years. Apprenticeships have always been an important part of our story, and we’re proud that over half the team are current or former apprentices.
This stability gives our customers confidence, they know the same people who installed their machine may well be the ones servicing it decades later.
It also shapes our culture. We invest in the next generation not just because the industry needs it, but because it’s right for our community.
“You can’t be what you can’t see,” Rachel says. “We want young people — especially girls — to know there’s a future for them in engineering.”
A Northern Approach Built on Integrity
As a business rooted in Merseyside, we value the qualities that define the region: honesty, warmth, and a straight-talking approach to business. Relationships matter here. Trust matters.
Many of our customer partnerships span 25 years or more. We don’t push the wrong solution. We don’t oversell. We listen, we understand, and we recommend what genuinely fits.
It’s the way we’ve always done things and the way we always will.
Technology, AI & the Next Phase of Innovation
The machinery we supply is becoming more advanced each year, and we continue to invest in new technology and training to support our customers. Whether it’s CNC automation, robotics, or digital optimisation, our aim is to make complex processes simple, safe, and reliable.
Rachel is clear that AI will play a role too — not to replace people, but to support better decisions across design, production, and planning.
“Everyone is already using AI in some way. The key is using it responsibly and making sure it genuinely helps people do their best work.”
Looking Ahead: Zero-Carbon Homes and a Stronger UK Manufacturing Base
If Rachel could make one immediate change for the region, it would be to prioritise high-quality housing — especially zero-carbon homes — and build the industrial ecosystem needed to support it.
With the right focus, she believes Liverpool City Region could become a national leader in offsite timber construction, creating jobs, reducing carbon, and improving standards of living.
This vision aligns closely with JJ Smith’s mission: empowering manufacturers with the tools and support they need to build better — for their businesses, their customers, and the planet.
Our Guiding Principle: People First
When asked about her “northern star,” Rachel’s answer is simple:
“People are at the heart of everything we do. If we look after them, everything else follows.”
At JJ Smith, this belief has shaped a century of growth and it will continue to guide us as we build the next 100 years.
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