From a family operated corn milling operation in McMinnville, TN to today’s 400,000 square foot facility in LaVergne, TN, the evolution of Powermatic has echoed the success of American business ingenuity throughout the 20th Century and into the new millennium.
In 1921, Leonard F. Smith, Sr. was a seller of timber and rough-cut lumber in the McMinnville community of middle Tennessee. He believed he could make a better product to sell if he first planed the wood himself. Instead of purchasing a planing machine from an existing manufacturer, he decided to build his own in his workshop on the family farm. Upon completion, he used it in his lumber and timber business. Shortly afterward an individual offered to purchase the machine. Mr. Smith used the money to build four more planers, which he offered for sale to others he knew in the lumber industry.
In 1966, the Smith brothers sold their business to Houdaille Industries. Although owned by a Fortune 500 Company, Powermatic continued to be influenced by the local community and run in autonomous fashion. In April of 1986, Powermatic was purchased and operated as a division of DeVlieg-Bullard, Inc. In October of 1999 Powermatic was purchased by WMH, who already owned Jet Tools, and Performax Products. These three companies along with the Wilton Tool Company were grouped together to form the WMH Tool Group. In 2014, Powermatic was purchased, along with its sister brands by Tenex Group and are now grouped together to form JPW Industries Inc., as they are still knowns today.
The Gold Standard Since 1921.™