Six Decades of Australian Stainless: The SMC Stainless Story

Some of the most important products in a building are the ones nobody notices: the basin in a hospital corridor, the drinking fountain in a school play­ground, the floor drain in a com­mer­cial kitchen. When they work, nobody thinks about them. SMC Stainless has been making those products in Australia since 1962.

1962: where it began

SMC Stainless was founded in 1962 by James MacDougal Opie. It began in practical metalwork and grew into a trusted Aus­tralian man­u­fac­tur­er of stainless steel products for com­mer­cial, ar­chi­tec­tur­al, public works and san­i­ta­tion ap­pli­ca­tions. Read our story.

More than 60 years later, the business is still led by the Opie family. It's now managed by Tristan Opie, James's grandson.

What SMC makes

SMC Stainless makes a wide range of stainless steel products, with nearly 200 in the online catalogue (195 listed in October 2026):

• Basins and sinks: hand basins, knee-operated basins, security basins and grade 316 lab sinks
• Drains, sumps and grates: floor sumps, made-to-measure channel drains and grates
• Drinking fountains: seven models, including ac­ces­si­ble and twin-bowl designs
• Handrails and ac­ces­si­ble rails: ambulant rails, grab rails and anti-ligature grab rails (GRAS)
• Tundishes: 16 styles, including the TURE4 renal tundish
• Urinals and cisterns: including WaterMark-certified stainless urinals
• Wash troughs, plus made-to-measure options on many products

Most products are made to order in grade 304 or grade 316 (marine) stainless steel, with 2B mill, brushed (No.4) or bead-blast finishes.

Built for hard-working places

SMC products go into high-use, high-traffic and hygiene-critical spaces: hospitals, schools, councils, parks, transport fa­cil­i­ties, com­mer­cial kitchens, lab­o­ra­to­ries and custodial fa­cil­i­ties. That shapes how they're designed and made:

• Dura­bil­i­ty: robust con­struc­tion for heavy use and, sometimes, misuse
• Hygiene: smooth, cleanable stainless surfaces
• Practical in­stal­la­tion: designed with plumbers and builders in mind
• Com­pli­ance: made to meet the re­quire­ments of demanding com­mer­cial en­vi­ron­ments

Part of OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group

Today SMC Stainless operates from OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group's advanced man­u­fac­tur­ing facility at Emu Heights in Western Sydney. That gives SMC in-house design, en­gi­neer­ing, laser cutting, folding, welding, finishing and fab­ri­ca­tion, so most products can be made to measure: you set the di­men­sions, grade, finish and options on each product page. (For one-off fab­ri­ca­tion from your own drawing, talk to OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group.)

Our process is simple: Specify, Fabricate, Validate, Supply.

Com­pli­ance you can check

SMC's cer­ti­fi­ca­tions page sets out the cre­den­tials that matter to spec­i­fiers:

• ISO 9001 quality man­age­ment across OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group
• JOSCAR-AU supplier reg­is­tra­tion for OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group Pty Ltd
• WaterMark cer­ti­fi­ca­tion for stainless steel urinals (Cert No. 25403, AS 1172.6:2022) and WC pans and cisterns (Cert No. 2172, AS 1172.1:2014), issued to Stainless Metal Craft by Pro-Switch Pty Ltd, a JAS-ANZ ac­cred­it­ed cer­ti­fi­ca­tion body

A new look for a long-standing brand

In 2026, SMC refreshed its logo around the Opie Star, a nod to the family behind the business, and launched a dedicated website where you can browse the full range, see grade and finish options, download drawings and request pricing.

What hasn't changed

SMC also supports re­spon­si­ble man­u­fac­tur­ing through the OPIE Green Loop: smarter nesting to reduce waste, and long-life stainless products that cut re­place­ment cycles. The things that built SMC's rep­u­ta­tion over six decades are still the point: durable products, practical design and reliable Aus­tralian man­u­fac­tur­ing.

Fre­quent­ly asked questions

Is SMC Stainless still family-owned? Yes. SMC Stainless continues under the lead­er­ship of the Opie family, and is now managed by Tristan Opie, grandson of founder James MacDougal Opie.

Where are SMC products made? At OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group's facility at Emu Heights, in Western Sydney.

Can SMC make custom stainless products? Many SMC products are made to measure: set the di­men­sions, grade, finish and options on the product page. For one-off fab­ri­ca­tion from your own drawing, talk to OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group at https://opiegroup.com.au/contact.

How do I get pricing? Product pages in the online store let you request pricing for your chosen options, or you can contact the team directly.

Who does SMC supply? Ar­chi­tects, builders, plumbers, con­trac­tors, councils, schools, hospitals, com­mer­cial fa­cil­i­ties and in­fra­struc­ture projects.

Explore the range in the SMC store, or talk to our team at sales@sm­c­stain­less.com.au or +61 2 4728 6111.