Avery originated in the establishment by James Ford of a business making 'stilliards' in Birmingham. It was taken over by the General Electric Company in 1979, becoming GEC Avery Ltd. Berkel was founded in 1898 in Rotterdam by a butcher, to market his meat slicing machine. GEC Avery merged with Berkel, acquired by GEC in 1992, afterwards using Avery Berkel as a trading name.