SIC 3596 Scales and Balances, Except Laboratory

SIC 3596

This industry is made up of establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing weighing and force-measuring machines and devices, except those regarded as scientific apparatus for laboratory work, which are classified under SIC 3821: Laboratory Apparatus and Furniture.

NAICS CODE(S)

333997

Scale and Balance (except Laboratory) Manufacturing

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 115 establishments operated in this category for part or all of 2004. Industry-wide employment totaled approximately 4,159 workers receiving a payroll of nearly $172 million. Companies in this industry tended to be small in size, with about 59 percent employing less than 20 workers. The Annual Survey of Manufactures reported that overall shipments for the industry were valued at more than $623 million in 2005. Additionally, for the combined "all other miscellaneous general purpose machinery manufacturing" (including welding and soldering equipment manufacturing and all other miscellaneous general purpose machinery manufacturing) industry, a total of 39,283 employees (from a total of 68,559) worked in production in 2005, putting in more than 83 million hours to earn wages of more than $1.4 billion.

In 2005 Mettler-Toledo International Inc. of Columbus, Ohio, was the industry leader, with posted sales of $1.3 billion and 8,500 employees. In second place was Troy, Ohio-based Hobart Corp., with 2005 sales of more than $1.0 billion and 1,200 employees. In a distant third place was Hayward, California-based Neopost Inc. with $130 million in 2005 sales and 900 employees.

The industry is divided into three subcategories: vehicle and industrial scales; retail, commercial, household, and mailing scales; and parts, attachments, and accessories for scales and balances, except laboratory. Comprising 51 percent of shipment values in 2005 was the vehicle and industrial scales segment, which are used primarily in factories and truck weighing stations to measure amounts of goods to be packaged or delivered. The retail, commercial, household, and mailing scales segment formed the second largest subcategory, at approximately 25 percent of industry shipment values, and includes scales in grocery stores, delicatessens, checkstands, automatic prepacks, and postal scales. Parts, attachments, and accessories make up the remaining balance.

Real growth in the industry has been largely flat to negative since the 1980s, when the industry posted...