British Northrop Loom Co Ltd was established in Blackburn in 1902 as a limited company. A representative of the company visited the United States of America in 1904 and imported 500 automatic looms, establishing the company as a supplier and later manufacturer of textile looms. It was most famous for its Northrop Loom, introduced around 1914.

In 1958, the company acquired Chaseside Engineering Co, manufacturers of earth loading shovels, and became the Northrop Group, manufacturers of automatic looms and earth moving equipment.