The Budenberg Gauge Company established a factory in Amlwch, Anglesey, in 1963 as part of its global expansion in manufacturing pressure gauges and related instruments. This move came during a period of growth for the British arm of the firm, which had roots tracing back to a German partnership.
The foundations of the company were laid in 1849 when Mr. CF Budenberg and Mr. B Schaffer developed and patented a Diaphragm Pressure Gauge.
Bernhard Schäffer patented the diaphragm pressure gauge in Prussia, partnering with Christian Friedrich Budenberg the following year to form Schäffer & Budenberg. The duo focused on instruments for the booming steam industry, relocating to purpose-built facilities in Buckau by 1858 and pioneering Bourdon tube gauges after 1875 patent expirations. Export success led to subsidiaries worldwide, including a Manchester sales office opened by Arnold Budenberg in 1855, which evolved into gauge assembly by 1876.
Such was the demand for its products that Budenberg Gauge Co Ltd rapidly became a world leader in pressure measurement and calibration.
A factory was opened in initially in Manchester and then in 1914 in Altrincham
World War I disrupted operations: the British government expropriated the Manchester branch in 1914, tasking British-born Fred Budenberg to run it. He repurchased it in 1917, renaming it Budenberg Gauge Company Ltd., with all directors required to be English-born. The firm thrived post-war, supplying Admiralty needs and expanding to 7,000 employees by 1944 despite raw material shortages in the 1950s
By 1961, Budenberg consolidated Australian operations and, in 1963, opened its third factory in Amlwch, Anglesey—alongside sites in Manchester and Melbourne—to meet rising demand for high-quality pressure gauges, thermometers, valves, and calibration equipment. Amlwch’s location likely appealed due to its industrial heritage, including the nearby Shell terminal and chemical works, providing a skilled workforce and logistics via the port. The factory produced specialized instruments like deadweight testers, a technology Budenberg had refined since the 1920s.
On average 60 people worked at the factory with about half of them being women working on the assembly lines. Each year apprentices were taken on and encouraged to work for NVQ qualifications
The Amlwch factory closed in 1991 when about 40 people were made redundant.
The company remained under the direct control and ownership of the Budenberg company until mid-1991 when the company was acquired by Burnfield plc.
In 1997, a successful management buyout saw Budenberg Gauge become part of the Electrical Group of Companies.
Budenberg Amlwch staff mid 1970s
