Avery Weights has its origins deep in the industrial heartland of England. Around 1730, in the busy district of Digbeth in Birmingham, a small precision engineering business was making portable scales known as stilliards. This early venture laid the foundations for what would become one of the most respected names in weighing equipment. In 1813 William Avery took over the existing business and, by 1818, was joined by his brother Thomas, trading officially as W. & T. Avery Ltd.
Over the 19th century, the company grew rapidly, taking advantage of Birmingham’s reputation for engineering excellence. It expanded to multiple works in the city, including Mill Lane and the Atlas Works, and its scales became widely used in shops, mills and factories for their reliability and craftsmanship. A major milestone came in 1895 when Avery acquired the historic Soho Foundry in Smethwick, originally built by steam pioneers Matthew Boulton and James Watt. The Soho site became the company’s principal manufacturing base and symbolised its deep ties to the region’s industrial heritage.
By the early 20th century, W. & T. Avery was a global leader in weighing equipment, producing everything from small shop and kitchen scales to large industrial weighbridges and systems capable of handling the heaviest loads. Its products were exported around the world and the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1894, confirming its stature among Britain’s industrial firms. Through both world wars and into the mid-century period, Avery continued to innovate, adapting its output to meet national needs and maintaining a reputation for precision engineering.
The latter part of the 20th century brought significant changes. In 1979, Avery was acquired by the General Electric Company (GEC) and became known as GEC Avery. During the 1990s, the business merged with the Dutch scale maker Berkel, becoming Avery Berkel and strengthening its position in both industrial and retail markets. In 2000 the American weighing business Weigh-Tronix acquired the Avery group, and the combined organisation was renamed Avery Weigh-Tronix. This integration united the long heritage of British scale engineering with global innovation and capability.
Today Avery Weigh-Tronix remains a leading name in weighing solutions, serving sectors from logistics and transportation to manufacturing and retail with advanced digital scales, weighbridges and systems. Although the original company no longer exists as an independent business and the Avery museum collection was dispersed after its closure in 2015, the brand continues to be recognised worldwide. The company’s journey from a small scale maker in a Birmingham workshop to a global provider of weighing technology is a testament to enduring quality, innovation, and the rich industrial heritage of the Midlands.
Note: The works were called Soho Foundry because they stood on the Soho industrial estate. Administratively, and later in postal and council terms, the site sat in Smethwick
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