Employing 60 people at its Hortonwood site, the company’s ability to etch in aluminium and titanium has seen it play a major role in the development of heating elements for ice protection on aircraft, and interconnectors and bipolar plates commonly used in automotive battery packs and fuel cells respectively. These applications are all identified as major growth areas for the business, which is set to celebrate its 20th birthday in 2020.
“The parts we produce are very complex and there are not many firms with our capacity or capability,” explains Chris Ball, executive director at ACE. “Our different etching processes have been developed to deliver the tightest of tolerances and over £600,000 has been invested in new equipment over the past year to ensure we can produce up to 2,000 sheets per day; a massive increase on this time last year.”
He continues: “Automotive and aerospace are committed to reducing emissions, and our technology lends itself to taking weight out of the equation, whether that is melting ice or supporting new battery technology. We’re already working on a number of projects that should come to fruition this year, and have the potential to change the way cars, drones, space vehicles and aircraft are powered.”
ACE, which has been supported by the Department for International Trade (DIT) with reviews of its website and agent network to help maximise sales, specialises in the development of prototype, pre-production and volume components to customers in aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical, telecoms and renewables.
The scope of its activities can include anything from safety critical components for aircraft and Formula One cars, to meshes and electronic connectors, and even frames for designer glasses. All parts are developed and manufactured at its main site in Telford or at the company’s dedicated sister business, ACE Forming Ltd, in Kingswinford. The latest production machinery, a dedicated laboratory and measuring capability ensures it works to exacting tolerances. Materials processed include stainless steel, nickel alloys, copper, beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, brass and, thanks to newly developed processes, aluminium, molybdenum, titanium, nitinol and Elgiloy.
Ian Whateley, managing director, says: “2020 is going to be a big year for our business and we’ve started by launching a new brand and website. Export is also a major target and we have set about increasing our number of agents in key territories, including Germany, the Netherlands and Asia. Supporting this will be the launch of international websites with their own domains.”
ACE spent £600,000 in 2019 on upgrading its facility in Telford and has just pressed the button on a further £250,000 investment to help it continue to winning work. Pre- and post-cleaning machines have been installed to make the company quicker, while automatic loaders have been added to the lines that enable the shift to lights-out operations in some parts of production.
