About Us

Merritt has a long history of manufacturing veneer and plywood machinery, dating back to 1851 when Thomas R. Bailey invented a wood-turning lathe in Lockport, New York. Bailey leased a machine shop from Isaac Merritt, who acquired the assets in 1882 in settlement of a debt, forming I.E. Merritt Machinery Co. Over the next 50 years, the company expanded to provide not only machinery, but also engineering and technical service for complete plants for the production of veneer and plywood. International demand for Merritt equipment established the Merritt name as one of the leading woodworking machinery manufacturers in the world.

Today

Company ownership structure has changed several times over the past 150 years, but Merritt is still located in Lockport, New York, manufacturing equipment for the production of veneer and plywood.  Merritt machines are currently in operation worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, Czech Republic, Romania, China, Portugal, and Vietnam.  Company President/Owner Anna McCann and her staff remain committed to the same principles and values of Merritt’s founders:  “our machines will work, they will work the way our customers want them to, and we guarantee it!”