World-wide demand for greener cars and more fuel-efficient aircraft is set to provide a major export boost for Shropshire-based Advanced Chemical Etching (www.ace-uk.net).

The precision engineering specialist is expecting international orders to generate another £800,000 of revenue, with prototype and low-volume parts in demand from customers in more than 15 countries.

Employing 60 people at its Hortonwood site in Telford, 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, high-performance interconnectors for automotive battery packs and bi-polar plates for fuel cells.

Chris Ball, ACE director, said: “These 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.

"Our different etching processes have been developed to deliver the tightest of tolerances, and over £600,000 has been invested in the last year in new equipment to ensure that we can produce up to 2,000 sheets per day — a massive increase on this time last year.

“Automotive and aerospace are committed to reducing emissions, and our technology lends itself to taking weight out of the equation, whether by melting ice or supporting new battery technology.

"We are 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.”

Managing director Ian Whateley said: “2020 is going to be a big year for our business, and we have started by launching a new brand and Web site. 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 Web sites with their own international domains.”