Balanças Marques

What Balanças Marques does

Balanças Marques is a Portuguese family-owned manufacturer founded in 1967, headquartered in Braga, that develops, produces, and markets commercial and industrial weighing equipment together with an integrated software ecosystem. The company operates under the José Pimenta Marques Group umbrella, which consolidates wholly-owned subsidiaries including EUROPESAGEM (distribution, acquired 2004), SDILAB (software R&D, integrated 2010), LxPack (ESPERA brand representation, created 2011), and 4Cash (cash management). Products span commercial scales (BM5 touch-screen series with 15-inch operator and 12-inch customer displays, BM5.AI with computer-vision product recognition, BM5 Junior, BMX0 checkout scales), industrial weighing platforms and indicators (BM1000, BM500, BM400 series, BMX0, BMX1), modular truck weighbridges (PCM M1500e and PCM SG series), precision balances (MCS series), POS terminals (BM400), and automated payment systems (ALICE). All products are developed entirely in-house from electronics to software to mechanics, supported by ISO 9001:2015, CE, and IPAC M0095 certifications.

The company's software stack centers on ETPOS (POS billing software with 30,000+ installations across 10+ markets, certified by the Portuguese Tax Authority), ETVIS (multi-platform weighing software), QTRUCK (truck weighing center management), QORE (device management), Quilo (mobile remote-control app for iOS and Android via TCP/IP), and WeightWin (PC interface). Revenue is generated through hardware sales (commercial scales, industrial weighing, POS equipment), software licensing (recurring subscription across the ETPOS/ETVIS/QTRUCK portfolio), and calibration and technical services (via callmarques.pt). The go-to-market combines product-led online sales (balancasmarques.shop), distributor/wholesale channels (EUROPESAGEM, LxPack/ESPERA), enterprise field sales for custom weighbridge projects, and direct export to 20+ countries with direct presence in 5 markets. Customer segments are diversified across retail (supermarkets, butcher shops, fish markets, convenience stores), hospitality (restaurants, bars, cafés), logistics and transportation, industrial manufacturing, and precision/laboratory applications. The company has 51-100 employees and has maintained consecutive Reader's Choice recognition from Weighing Review Awards from 2014 through 2025, including Best Weighing Company in the World in 2019.

Name

Balanças Marques

Legal name

Balanças Marques de José Pimenta Marques, Lda

Website

https://balancasmarques.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Balanças Marques is a Portuguese family-owned manufacturer founded in 1967 that develops, produces, and markets commercial and industrial weighing equipment, POS systems, and integrated weighing software for retail, hospitality, logistics, industrial, and precision applications across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial and Industrial Weighing Equipment

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Weighing & Force Measurement (Load cells, scales, torque, strain measurement) (IMAGAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail Weighing Scales & Integrated Scanner-Scales (HDACAKAI), Weighing Systems / Onboard Scales Calibration & Certification (TLAKANAN)

Keywords

• Commercial weighing scales
• Industrial weighing platforms
• Truck weighbridges
• POS billing software
• Weight indicators

Headquarters

HQ city

Braga

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Commercial Scales: Sale of commercial weighing scales including BM5 series, BMX0 checkout scales, and related accessories. Revenue from touch screen scales, checkout scales, and labeling solutions for retail environments.
2. Hardware Sales - Industrial Weighing: Sale of industrial weighing equipment including platforms, weighbridges (básculas-ponte), weight indicators, and precision scales.
3. Hardware Sales - POS Equipment: Sale of point-of-sale equipment including BM400 and BM400 POS terminals with integrated software.
4. Software Licensing: Revenue from software products including ETPOS (POS billing software), ETVIS (weighing software), QORE (device management), Quilo (mobile app), WeightWin (PC interface), QTRUCK (truck weighing management), and specialized modules.
5. Calibration and Technical Services: Calibration and verification services for weighing equipment through callmarques.pt.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Balanças Marques develops, manufactures, and sells commercial and industrial weighing equipment — including touch-screen commercial scales (BM5 series, BM5.AI), checkout scales, industrial platforms, precision balances, modular truck weighbridges, weight indicators, and POS terminals — together with a proprietary software ecosystem (ETPOS, ETVIS, QTRUCK, QORE, Quilo, WeightWin). All hardware and software are developed in-house, and the company also provides calibration, verification, and technical support services through callmarques.pt.

Product overview

Balanças Marques is a comprehensive weighing solutions provider offering a multi-product portfolio organized around commercial weighing (BM5 touch screen scales with ETPOS software, BM5.AI with AI product recognition, BM5 Junior compact scales, BMX0 checkout scales), industrial weighing (platforms, industrial scales BMX0/BMX1, pallet trucks with scales), precision scales (MCS series), weighbridges/truck scales (PCM M1500e and PCM SG series), weight indicators (BM1000, BM500, BM400 series), point of sale terminals (BM400 POS), and automated payment systems (ALICE). The software ecosystem centers on ETPOS (POS billing with 30,000+ installations), ETVIS (multi-platform weighing software), QTRUCK (truck weighing center management), QORE (device management), Quilo (mobile remote control app), WeightWin (PC interface), and specialized modules. Products are designed for retail, hospitality, industrial, logistics, and agricultural sectors with exports to 20+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ETPOS: POS billing and management software with over 30,000 installations across 10+ markets, certified by Portuguese tax authority (AT).
• QTRUCK
• QORE
• Quilo
• WeightWin
• ETVIS
• Módulo de Controlo de Desidratação de Enchidos

Products and services

• BM5 Commercial Scale Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity of 25,000 touch scales per year
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LX Pack, LdacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2011Official representative of German brand ESPERA for weighing and labeling equipment since 2011. LX Pack extends the Group's product portfolio with branded labeling solutions and represents the company as an official distributor.
• SDI Lab (SDILAB - Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Software Lda)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010SDI Lab is dedicated to Research and Development of Software for industry and commerce. Created and integrated into the José Pimenta Marques Group in 2010. Responsible for developing key software products including Quilo mobile app and contributing to the integrated software ecosystem.
• EUROPESAGEM - Comércio Internacional de Balanças, LdacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2004Wholly-owned subsidiary acquired in 2004, specializing in the distribution of commercial and industrial weighing equipment. Founded in 2001, EUROPESAGEM extends the Group's distribution capabilities internationally.
• ESPERA (German Brand)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGerman brand of weighing and labeling equipment. Represented officially by LX Pack, Lda in Portugal and the Group's markets since 2011.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bizerba: German-based global manufacturer of weighing, slicing, and labeling solutions for retail, industry, and logistics. Directly comparable product overlap (commercial scales, industrial scales, weighbridges, labeling) and similar full-stack hardware-plus-software strategy.
• CAS Corporation: South Korean manufacturer of industrial and retail weighing equipment with global distribution. Comparable product range across commercial scales, industrial platforms, and POS integration; similar mid-sized international niche positioning.
• Cardinal Scale Manufacturing: US-based family-owned manufacturer of industrial weighing equipment including truck scales, floor scales, and indicators. Comparable niche industrial/scale portfolio and family-owned, privately held structure.
• Rice Lake Weighing Systems: US-based manufacturer of weighing equipment and components serving industrial, retail, and laboratory segments. Overlapping product categories (indicators, platforms, truck scales) with similar B2B industrial channel.
• Minebea Intec: German-based manufacturer of industrial weighing and inspection technologies serving food, pharmaceutical, and industrial customers. Comparable precision-industrial weighing focus and European OEM-style customer base.
• Detecto Scale: US-based manufacturer of medical, industrial, and commercial scales. Comparable product portfolio in commercial and industrial weighing, particularly in retail and food-service segments.
• Tanita: Japanese manufacturer of weighing equipment for consumer, medical, and professional/retail use. Comparable in commercial/retail weighing devices and precision balances, with overlap in OEM and retail channel.

Broad incumbents

• Mettler-Toledo International: Global leader in precision instruments including industrial scales, laboratory balances, and retail weighing solutions. Overlaps across virtually all of Balanças Marques' segments but operates at vastly greater scale with a much broader portfolio.
• Ishida: Japanese manufacturer of weighing and packaging equipment primarily for food and retail industries. Directly competes in multihead weighers and retail weighing/POS integration, with broader packaging systems portfolio.

Regional players

• Avery Berkel: UK-based weighing equipment brand (now part of ITW) serving retail and food-service weighing markets in the UK and Europe. Comparable in commercial scales and retail weighing with a similar European regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/balancasmarques
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/balancasmarques

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Balanças Marques