The Technical Development of Smit Transformers Bygone Times and the Very Beginning, 1885-1916 To gain a comprehensive overview of the technical developments of Smit Transformers, a brief retrospective on bygone times is necessary. It is widely accepted that a Hungarian by the name of Ganz manufactured the very first transformer in 1885. At this time, the argument between the use of AC voltage and DC voltage for electrical power distribution had not yet been resolved, and the economic and cultural demand for large-scale electrification projects had not yet arrived. Willem Smit, the founder of Smit Transformers, was a firm believer in a future in which electric energy would play an important part. In the 1880’s, he founded a firm for the manufacture of electrical machines and related equipment in Slikkeveer in the Province of South Holland, and he was brave enough to take on what we would call today turnkey projects. One of his largest and most pioneering commissions was the construction of a power station in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in 1886. This provided the quay along the river Waal with electric lighting by means of tilting streetlights made by himself. However, this was achieved without the use of transformers. Being a manufacturer of electrical machines, he accepted a commission in 1900 to build the first Dutch three-phase power transformer. This oil-cooled, core-type transformer had a power rating of 40kVA (in those days a considerable capacity) and a transformation ratio of 1050/120V, and was - at a quick glance - to some extents already comparable to a modern day transformer. This commission was soon followed by more. Suburban and more or less experimental electrification projects were beginning to take shape, and electrical traction was in an experimental stage. During the years 1910-1912 it was clear that the demand for transformers would increase and that a specialist firm would be economically viable. And so Willem Smit decided to establish a transformer factory. Many suggestions are given as to his choice of location of Nijmegen, including the short transport route to Germany where a large demand was anticipated. Other reasons given include the excellent hotel and catering facilities in the beautiful surroundings around Nijmegen, which Smit thought would encourage customers to stay during acceptance tests. From the power station

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