seca: a lifetime

The hour of birth

Our story dates back to 1821, when the then unknown monk and mechanic Quintenz invented the decimal scale in Strasbourg, France. His apprentice A.C.C. Joachims appropriated this knowledge and on July 11 of 1840 opened Germany's very first scale manufacture. He began by producing weigh-bridges, decimal balances, board scales and beam scales and selling them around the world. When he died in 1874, the small company's shining success was overshadowed until the metalworker Frederik Vogel, bought what remained of the manufacture in 1888. Under the new name seca, he and the co owner Curt Halke relocated the company to Hammer Steindamm, where to this day our headquarters are situated. With a broader range of products, a new name and the circumstances of growing industrialization, seca was able to continually grow. It soon became an important brand for medics – even today, doctors value our mechanic scales with the red lettering for its high quality and longevity.

The name seca is protected at the imperial patent office in Berlin since its registration in 1897. It originates from the latin word 'secare' which is related to the word blade. A blade, after all, plays a very important role in the precision of mechanical scales.

A fresh breeze with a new concept

After withstanding WWI, the Depression and also WWII, the company, led by Frederik's son Robert, dedicated itself to reconstructing the firm. And this paid off, as seca – with its pioneering developments – quickly evolved into a worldwide renowned manufacturer and distributor of baby, adult and industrial scales. After Robert Vogel's death, his son Sönke, the 3rd generation, followed in his footsteps and lead the company. In 1970, he developed a new strategic direction, expanding seca's market leadership with a concept that concentrates on medical measurement and weighing of the highest precision, aided by innovative products of selected quality.