About us

Establishing Automatic Machine Services Ltd as a leading independent family-run Gaming and Amusement Machine supply company has been an eventful journey through three generations. Here is a glimpse of the story so far…

Automatic Services (as it was then called) was established by James Frank Jarrett in 1960 and supplied “one-arm bandits” to Social Clubs, Pubs and Cafes. A friendly, dedicated individual grew the business with the help of his wife, Edith Mary into a successful new venture. Previously Frank (as he liked to be known) was a car mechanic, which assisted in the understanding of the mechanical parts that made up the popular machines of this time. Working from his garage in Chipstead, near Sevenoaks in Kent, he soon became well known and well liked by many publicans in the area for his dedicated attitude and attention to detail. He took to his new venture with a sound vision of providing a personal service to all customers and he was soon increasing the number of machines he supplied and therefore it wasn’t long before he needed assistance from another pair of hands.

Roger, Frank and Edith’s only child, was keen to join his father’s growing company, so left school at fifteen years of age and following Frank’s instructions, went to a larger established company J.C.W. Automatics in London, as an apprentice, to gain the necessary knowledge to then work alongside his father in 1966. Roger helped assist in developing the company further and ensure the friendly personal relationships with all the customers were maintained. Many new ideas were actioned throughout this period and the range of products supplied increased. Also to keep with the trend of the time, a notable name change took place and the company was now known as Automatic Machine Services.

Frank began suffering with his health and during a particularly long illness he was confined to his bed. This meant Roger had to work long hours to keep on top of the ever increasing work load. During this tough time, he would bring the “workings” of a faulty one-arm fruit machine to his father’s bedside and carry out the repair following Frank’s expert instructions. Frank finally died in 1971 at the age of sixty. After this very sad event, Roger was inspired to continue pursuing the company’s growth and worked with a determination to make Automatic Machine Services a success.

In May 1973 Roger took on his first employee and in October 1977 moved the company from it’s inception to his garage at home in Sevenoaks, Kent.

In June 1992, Rogers’s eldest son, Jason, also joined the company and as the business growth gathered momentum it became apparent that the business had out-grown the shop unit and now needed more space for additional equipment stock and dedicated offices.

After a search for a suitable location, a move to a specifically designed business unit incorporating offices, workshop and showroom area in Westerham, Kent, took place in July 1997. This new location meant that all aspects of the company were improved and the functionality of all departments became more streamlined and productive.

In April 2003 Automatic Machine Services was registered with Companies House and became a limited company.

Staffing levels were again required to be increased, and in February 2005, Garry, Roger’s youngest son, joined the company to work both in the workshop and as a collector.

As well as machine supply and customer numbers being increased steadily as a result of the company’s excellent reputation, existing customer recommendation and successful marketing, a number of acquisitions bolstered the company’s growth throughout the years. In August 1985, Roger orchestrated his first acquisition, by way of a local supply company, Ace Operators. Roger and Jason then dealt with the process of acquiring W&M Automatics in July 2001, Bexley Automatics in November 2004 and more recently Charus Automatics in August 2008. Each of these business deals notably recognised Automatic Machine Services Ltd as a leading supplier to the licensed trade within the south-east of England.

To date, Roger, Christine, Jason, Garry and all the staff, continue to ensure that the development of new ideas, enthusiasm about new products and the highest levels of customer service ensures that as a company, Automatic Machine Services Ltd offer all customers, big and small, the very best equipment, competitive terms and an excellent level of service that has been paramount from when the late Frank Jarrett started the company back in 1960.

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