Taylor Precision Products

Our Story

What is known as Taylor Precision Products actually started out as two separate companies that joined together in the 1990s.

In 1851, George Taylor started Taylor Instruments in Rochester New York.  The company started out making instruments for the professional market, in a very small factory shop.  They started out small, selling directly out of their cars and trucks.  However, their motto was (and still remains) “Accuracy First.”  When they compared their products to others or were tasked with making replacement thermometers, accuracy was the most important facet of their thermometers. 

The History

World War II Instruments

During the Industrial Revolution years, Taylor grew with the demands for new technologies, streamlining processes, and advancing with the manufacturing world.  In addition to thermometers and hygrometers, the company also made incubator thermometers, and controlled environment instruments, establishing itself in the professional market.  

Taylor also established itself as a critical instrument manufacturer during World War 1.  It made altitude barometers for the fighter aircraft and was also the standard of any aircraft made during this time.  During WWII, the company became a critical supplier of their precision instruments, such as compasses, with all of their thermometers, hygrometers, and barometers going to the war effort, none for consumer use.  Although, the most interesting point of history for Taylor was its part in designing and manufacturing ultra-secret pressure instruments for the Manhattan Project (the atomic bomb).

Product Development

Analog Scales

Taylor went through many changes in the next 60 years, with changes in manufacturing plants and several different owners. The one constant was its dedication to finding unique products for both the consumer and the professional markets, with accuracy, design, and innovation being paramount.

The other part of Taylor Precision Products was the Hanson Scale Company. In 1888, the Hanson Scale Company was founded in Chicago, IL, making light industrial scales. The small workshop gradually grew through the years, continuing with its “design for customers” mantra.

Hanson Scale was eventually sold in the 1960’s, but the Hanssen family then began Metro Corporation, mainly as an original equipment manufacturing base. Metro then became a key US brand in the bath scale market, focusing on accurate and dependable mechanical (analog) scales.

Joining Forces

Homedics + Salters

In 1997, a group of investors first purchased Taylor Precision Products, then  Metro Scale Corporation, becoming the modern-day Taylor as we know it today.  Using the strong Taylor brand, Taylor was then used to brand bathroom scales.  And, within only 3 years, Taylor became the number 1 brand in the consumer bath scale market, a position we have held for over 20 years. 

In 2002, Taylor Precision Products was acquired by the HoMedics Corporation.  In 2004, HoMedics purchased Salter Housewares Ltd, a UK based scale company, a leader in both kitchen and bath scales in the United Kingdom and the USA, and was merged into Taylor Precision Products in 2006, where the two product lines were combined to be a strong force in measurement products.

The Taylor Brand Today

Lifetime Brands

2012 started a new chapter for Taylor Precision Products when the company was acquired by Centre Partners, a New York-based private equity group.  Taylor Precision Products again became a stand-alone company and made purchases of Metrokane (Rabbit wine and bar accessories) and Chef’n Corporation (known for innovative kitchen tools and gadgets) to become a housewares company known for innovative products and retailer expertise. In 2017, the company name was changed to Filament Brands.

In 2018, Filament Brands was acquired by Lifetime Brands, a leading global provider of kitchenware, tableware, and other products used in the home.  The merger created the largest non-electric housewares company in the industry.

The Taylor brand today stands for the same thing that we have for over 170 years – a strong brand, high quality, high accuracy, and dedication to innovating both the professional and consumer markets. We pride ourselves on our USA-based marketing, design, engineering, and customer service.