Soho Foundry: A trailblazing example of Industrial Revolution efficiency

The Soho Foundry, situated in Smethwick, West Midlands, England, was forged in 1795 by Matthew Boulton and James Watt and their sons, Matthew Robinson Boulton and James Watt Jr. Now under Avery Weigh-Tronix, the factory continues its operation, manufacturing weighing machines. The Soho Foundry's early history holds significant importance to the history of the Industrial Revolution and the study of the development of management theory. The factory's operations prefigured concepts that would not become commonplace until a century later.

Economist Eric Roll noted, 'Neither Taylor, Ford nor any other modern experts devised anything in the way of plan that cannot be discovered at Soho before 1805.' By 1848, James Watt Jr. had passed away, and H. W. Blake took his place.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons