Security Engineered Machinery Co. Inc. (SEM), global leader in high security end-of-life solutions, is celebrating 50 years of protecting corporate and national security interests through continuous innovations in the field of document and media sanitization technology.
Through a combination of in-house engineering and design as well as direct manufacturing in our Westboro, MA facility, SEM has consistently produced innovative data sanitization products and services for the intelligence organizations of the U.S. Federal Government, including our military, embassies and other government entities, in addition to a wide commercial market.
Founded in 1967 by Korean War veteran, Leonard Rosen, the company’s initial product was a paper disintegrator that allowed users to reduce large volumes of top-secret documents down to unreadable particles in a quick and secure manner. SEM’s disintegration was a vast improvement over incineration in speed, convenience, and environmental impact and was quickly accepted as the primary destruction method of the U.S. Government. In the mid 1970s SEM introduced a full line of office paper shredders to allow users to destroy documents closer to their source.
As record storage transitioned from paper to electronic media, the company continued to innovate to meet the new sanitization demands created by this new technology including computer tape, optical media, hard drives and solid-state media. Today, SEM holds several patents and is the global industry leader for multiple forms of sanitization and destruction including degaussing, crushing, shredding, and disintegration of any type of electronic media such as hard drives, optical media and solid state storage systems.
Founder and Chairman Len Rosen is still actively involved in the day-to-day activities of the company, but is quick to deflect credit for success to his management team and entire staff. “It seems like we just started this yesterday” said Rosen. “The growth has been amazing, but I’m most proud of how we continue to adapt as a company, not just to stay relevant, but to lead the industry with innovative solutions.”