The Telford-based company, which has also created 12 new jobs to cope with demand, is looking to build on the recent expansion by completing a £500,000 investment drive that has seen it install new inspection equipment and two pre- and post-cleaning machines.
This means the firm can move from manually processing 350 sheets a day to over 1,000, giving it capacity to meet a sales target of £10m by 2021. A.C.E. specialises in the development of prototype components, pre-production and volume fulfilment to customers in aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical, telecoms and renewables.
Explains Chris Ball, executive director at A.C.E.: “We have built a strong track record for producing high quality precision components that are ideal for use in the electrification of vehicles and in helping to reduce weight across F1 cars, aircraft and in some intricate medical implants.
“The last 12 months have exceeded all expectations and we’re probably up an extra £1.5m on where we thought we would be. New orders have come from clients in the UK, the EU, Malaysia, Thailand and the Far East - despite the difference in geography, the reason they use ACE is simple…repeatable quality and short lead times.”
He went on to add: “I know there’s a lot of speculation about Brexit uncertainty, but we’re genuinely not seeing it and believe that investing from a position of strength is the best thing to do.
“In addition to automating the pre- and post-cleaning operations, we have also installed an XRF machine in the laboratory and 3D microscope and new co-ordinate measuring machine for the inspection department.”
Ian Whateley, A.C.E. managing director, concludes: “It’s not just investment in equipment or machinery either; we’ve also completed a comprehensive review of our processes and our people and this is paying dividends.
“By giving our staff the opportunity to express their experiences and provide new ideas, we have been able to complete a number of training programmes and implement more lean manufacturing principles. It’s all added up to a more efficient facility on Hortonwood, with productivity up 40%.”
