The story
1968 to today
SMF was founded in 1968 by Howard Steward and his son-in-law Clyde Burnett with just one customer. They supplied pre-painted panels for semi trailers, shearing the panels to size and adding corrugations and rivet holes.
Later they moved to a bigger location in Pagedale, MO, adding press brake forming, milling, drilling, and tapping, then CNC punching and laser cutting. The shop relocated twice more: to St. Peters, Missouri, then to our current home in O'Fallon, Missouri.
Clyde's son Ryan acquired the business in 2018. Ryan spent his childhood messing around at the shop and started working part time as soon as he had his driver's license. After some college, he went full time in the late 1990s, working alongside his father and learning the business from the bottom up.
The road here
Four addresses,
one shop
- 1968Founded by Howard Steward and Clyde Burnett, one customer, shearing trailer panels to size
- PagedaleA bigger shop: press brake forming, milling, drilling, and tapping join the floor
- St. PetersCNC punching and laser cutting arrive as the shop keeps growing
- 2018Clyde's son Ryan acquires the business after two decades working his way up
- TodayO'Fallon, MO: a fully integrated shop, from CAD file to finished assembly
How we work
More than parts
From product design and precision fabrication to complete assembly and delivery, we provide complete manufacturing solutions with state-of-the-art equipment and a highly skilled team, for both prototype and production jobs. We are devoted to meeting and exceeding customer expectations, and we would love the opportunity to become your trusted manufacturing partner.