Motherwell-based MB Aerospace (www.mbaerospace.com)has agreed to acquire Taiwan-based Asian Compressor Technology Services Company Ltd (ACTS). The latter will trade as MB Aerospace ACTS (Taiwan) once the deal has been finalised in January.

ACTS was founded in 1995 as a joint venture by Pratt & Whitney, China Airlines and Singapore Airlines Engineering Co to provide in-house repair of components in the turbine and compressor sections of gas turbine aero-engines.

Employing over 100 specialist and technical staff, it will give MB Aerospace a footprint in the rapidly-growing Asian market and take the group’s workforce above 1,700 across the USA, Europe and Asia.

Located close to the logistics hub of Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, ACTS has built a reputation for good service, and for its expertise in key technologies such as brazing and vacuum brazing, thermal spray coating, laser holography, water jetting, auto-welding and rubber/epoxy solutions.

Craig Gallagher, CEO of MB Aerospace, said: “This acquisition greatly expands our capabilities in the repair sector and gives us a crucial geographical presence in the fast-growing Asian market.

"ACTS already serves a diverse customer base globally, and its world-class servicing capabilities on performance-critical rotating components will now operate in synergy with our high-volume compressor and turbine component manufacturing facility at Newton Abbot.

"Expanding our capabilities in the turbine and compressor sections of the aero-engine is a key strategic objective for MB Aerospace, and we have ambitious plans for further growth and investment in both Taiwan and Newton Abbot.

"The global aircraft fleet is projected to double in the next 20 years and much of this demand will come from the growth in Asian air traffic.”