ASG’s new £2 million tartaric sulphuric anodising investment

The new £1.35 million tartaric sulphuric anodising (TSA) line commissioned at ASG King and Fowler

ASG King and Fowler, a leading Liverpool-based aerospace surface treatment specialist with a heritage dating back to 1887, has successfully installed and commissioned a new tartaric sulphuric anodising (TSA) line and paint booths. This milestone marks the completion of a £2 million investment designed to enhance production efficiency, increase capacity, and align with upcoming regulatory changes within the aerospace sector.

The new TSA line will further enhance the scope of ASG King and Fowler’s capability, giving the company the ability to process aluminium parts up to 5.6m in length — the fully automated control leaves King and Fowler with a huge step in capacity for both large components and high-volume small parts.

The ‘state of the art’ TSA line, developed in partnership with Jacquet Weston Engineering, is now in the final stages of operational trials. This fully automated system provides a sustainable alternative to traditional chromic anodising processes, supporting ASG King and Fowler’s commitment to meeting REACH regulations that will phase out the use of hexavalent chrome in aerospace applications. Alongside the TSA line, new advanced paint booths have been commissioned to complement the company’s surface treatment capabilities, further strengthening its offering to key aerospace clients, including Airbus.

Transformational step
Stephen Dean, managing director of ASG King and Fowler, said: “The commissioning of our new TSA line and paint booths is a transformational step for our business. It future-proofs our operations against incoming regulatory changes, and it also enhances our efficiency and throughput. This investment demonstrates our continued commitment to innovation and sustainability, ensuring we continue to deliver the highest standards for our customers.”

The investment is the latest part of ASG Group’s wider strategy to reinforce its position as a leading provider of aerospace surface treatments after it acquired King and Fowler in 2020, and since then, has made strategic investments in new technologies, including a £140,000 trivalent passivation line to support Airbus requirements.

Simon Weston, Group managing director, said: “ASG Group has implemented an exciting programme of continued investment across our sites which reflect our vision for the future — one of resilience, where collaboration, technology, and smart decision-making drive progress in UK aerospace manufacturing. As we push forward, we are committed to setting new standards for excellence, efficiency, and innovation in the industry and this new TSA line investment at ASG King and Fowler enhances our sustainable credentials and aligns ourselves to our ambitious world-class customers’ needs.”

More information on the new TSA Line installed at ASG Group is available here.