ACE Winches is increasing its global footprint with the announcement it will invest $6.5 million with the opening of a new facility in Houston, Texas – with the move predicted to double the company’s revenue within five years.
The expansion comes following demands from customers and industry, with the company predicting it will double in size as a result of opening a purpose-built base in the US, further expanding its footprint in the Americas region. The announcement of the investment comes on the first day of the 2022 Offshore Technology Conference, where the company is exhibiting at Booth 1533.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest.
ACE Winches Chief Executive Officer Alfie Cheyne said: “A significant portion of our revenue is generated in the Gulf of Mexico, and the time is right for us to capitalise on the potential in the region. Not only will we be able to better serve existing customers, but we will be able to make the most of new opportunities as the energy industry evolves into another exciting new era.”
“This move is an indication of our ambition for significant growth, internationalisation and expansion into the broader energy market, something that are key tenets of our strategic plan for this year.”
The opening of the office and yard facility in Houston, which is scheduled to take place this summer and will create 10 jobs, will complement ACE’s existing footprint in the region, where it has a substantial number of assets available for hire. And the broader North American market is an area Mr Cheyne believes has significant green energy growth potential over the next 10 years.
He said: “We have invested heavily in diversifying our offering and having been involved in some of the biggest projects in the Gulf of Mexico in recent years, as well as seeing increasing demand for offshore floating wind, we are in a great position to capitalise on this opportunity.”
“Not only have we significant experience of the region, but our work elsewhere at Dogger Bank – the world’s largest offshore wind farm – and the Beatrice and Moray East offshore wind turbine projects proves we are ideally placed to begin work on new ones at the earliest opportunity through our flexible and technically competent offering.”
“Throughout the last 30 years we have continued to engineer, adapt and change to suit our customers in all areas of the energy industry while also looking to the future. The opening of our Houston facility is evidence of that, and we look forward to the benefits that will bring both ACE Winches, and our customers.”
The US operation will be led and managed by General Manager Fraser Anderson, an experienced qualified engineer who has been with the company for more than a decade. He said: “This is an exciting time for the energy industry in general, and in particular the Gulf of Mexico. Having worked there in the past, I am aware of the challenge – and opportunity – that exists in the region, and look forward to helping shape the transformation to renewable energy.
“This additional location will also help us work closer with our agents in Canada, as well as better serve our clients in Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil.”
ACE Winches has had a presence in the Gulf of Mexico for more than 10 years, and with almost 3,000 pieces of kit, a training academy and purpose-built facilities in the UK and Norway, the company is a global leader in supporting offshore and coastal installation, heavy movement and removal activities.