Bance was established in 1923 by J. H. Bance when the core business was the supply of track components to international railways, particularly in South America and the development of new equipment designed to improve manual railway track maintenance work.

From the 1960’s to the present day Bance has introduced to the railways of the world a number of products which have improved railway track maintenance engineering practices. Their specialist area remains the design and manufacture of portable plant for the mechanisation of manual track work, they have diversified into other areas of the railway such as high speed Overhead Line Electrification measurement and dynamic Wheel Profile measurement.