ACE’s Ian Whateley (left) receives the RTX Premier Award for business management performanceAdvanced Chemical Etching (ACE) Ltd, one of the UK’s leading aerospace suppliers has been recognised with a prestigious global award by
Collins Aerospace, an RTX business. ACE, which celebrated 25 years in business this year, became the only UK-based company to receive the RTX Premier Award for business management performance from Collins Aerospace, highlighting its ability to achieve 100% on-time delivery and right-first-time scores during 2024.
The recognition also highlights ongoing excellence in business management, innovation, customer service and a strong commitment to sustainability, as the sector moves to greener manufacturing. Ian Whateley, ACE’s managing director, said: “We have been working with Collins Aerospace and other RTX businesses for more than 20 years, supplying specialist, small-quantity production components for use in R&D and other groundbreaking projects.”
ACE, which holds AS9100 (aerospace certification), ISO:9001 and ISO:14001 (environmental) accreditations, currently employs 70 people in Telford. The scope of its activities is far and wide, seeing it make anything from simple washers to highly complex precision components for a wide variety of applications, including battery interconnects, fuel cell bi-polar plates, battery grids, cooling plates and heating components. Aviation - alongside electrification, automotive and medical - continues to be one of ACE’s most important sectors, with 20% of its work coming from this market.
Chris Ball, ACE executive director concluded: “We can supply into many areas, including heat exchanger plates, hydrogen fuel cells and full-electric engine parts for commercial aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms. There are also components like ice protection heater elements, precision shims/gaskets, and interior lighting – all produced for our aerospace clients at our world-class manufacturing facility in Telford and at our sister company ACE Forming in Kingswinford.”
Launched by Alan Rollason, David Latham and current executive director Chris Ball, ACE has come a long way since it started life in a small 4,500ft
2 unit with just six employees and a first order – worth £500 – going to Pascall Electronics on the Isle of Wight.
Today, the company ships components to more than 33 different countries and has recently taken on two additional staff in the inspection department to cope with a 5% increase in demand, with turnover heading up to £9 million in 2025.