83-year-old business W.E. Smith Engineering collapses

A New South Wales engineering company that was established in Sydney in 1922 has collapsed into voluntary administration.

W.E. Smith Engineering, based in Coffs Harbour, is the latest engineering company to collapse after a string of businesses have succumbed to rising pressure in the industry over the past 12 months.

Mark Robinson, Daniel Walley and Alan Walker were appointed as administrators of W.E. Smith on May 11.

W.E. Smith describes itself as a ‘world class equipment manufacturer’ on its website, with over 80 years of history in the supply of process and heat exchange equipment for the oil and gas, petrochemical and mineral industries.

The company has previously worked with clients such as Woodside Energy and BHP Billiton and on projects including the Condamine Power Station in Queensland and the Ravensthorpe Nickel Project in Western Australia.

W.E. Smith specialises in the design and manufacture of equipment in ‘exotic’ materials and is also well known for its autoclaves used in the mineral processing industries.

The first meeting of the company’s creditors will be held in Sydney on May 19.