A Somerset agricultural machinery company that once supplied goods to the Royal Family has entered administration. SFM Technology, based in the village of Martock, was founded in 1985 as a fruit harvesting equipment business. By the late 1990s, it had expanded into aerospace and automotive sectors, developing its engineering capabilities.
Royal Warrant and Recent Developments
In 2012, the firm was awarded a Royal Warrant, permitting it to use the Royal Arms in connection with its business and supply goods or services to the royal household. Today, SFM Technology offers services including design, research and development, manufacturing, 3D printing, and powder coating. Its customers include the Ministry of Defence and Orchard Pig Cider.
A notice on the Gazette, the official public record, states that Andy John and Miles Needham of FRP Advisory were appointed as joint administrators on May 15. This follows a petition to wind up the company launched by HMRC in October 2025.
Company Status and Financials
According to Companies House, compulsory action to strike off the business was suspended in March. However, the company's status currently shows an 'active proposal to strike off', and its latest accounts are overdue. Director Richard Whittington, appointed in 1996, is based in Yeovil.
The latest available accounts, for the year ending December 2023, show SFM Technology had £2.1 million owing to creditors falling due within one year, up from £1.75 million in 2022. Net assets stood at £1.76 million. The company employed 33 people in 2023, down from 38 in 2022.
It is unclear what will happen to the business following administration or whether jobs are at risk. FRP Advisory and SFM Technology have not responded to requests for comment. The Gazette notice indicates the company's address is being changed to c/o FRP Advisory Trading Limited, 2nd Floor, Churchill House, 26-30 Upper Marlborough Road, St Albans, AL1 3UU.
Anyone wishing to contact the business should reach the joint administrators on 01727 811111 or email Oliver Mulvaney at cp.stalbans@frpadvisory.com.
