Ace Winches News

Scottish engineering business ACE Winches is calling on industry to invest more in training young people as it expands its own apprenticeship scheme.The Aberdeenshire-based company has welcomed its very first foundation graduate, bringing the number of young people recruited as apprentices to around 300 over the last 30 years.The company's founder and CEO, Alfie Cheyne, a marine engineering apprentice himself when he left school at 16, has called on all industry bosses to recognize…

Balmoral Group sold its shareholding in ACE Winches to a company led by ACE’s founder and former CEO Alfie Cheyne.As part of Balmoral’s share purchases in 2017 and 2019 the Cheyne family had an option to buy back Balmoral Group’s investment and the deal confirmed today is in line with this agreement. Jim Milne, Chairman and Managing Director of Balmoral Group said: “We have enjoyed working with the management and staff of ACE Winches and wish them all the best for the future.”Cheyne said…

Deck machinery specialist, ACE Winches has delivered and engineered a back deck solution for Saipem. Working to a tight deadline of three and half weeks, ACE Winches worked in conjunction with Scantrol AS to supply a deck machinery solution which included an Active Heave Compensation winch and A-frame solution that will be used as an auxiliary deep water deployment system for subsea equipment. The deck machinery equipment was engineered and manufactured at ACE Winches facilities in Aberdeenshire and was mobilized to Saipem for work scheduled for 2017 and beyond.

ACE Winches has mobilized a six point mooring system to anchor the Iron Lady Barge being used on the Brent decommissioning project. The equipment, designed and manufactured by ACE Winches at its global headquarters in Turriff, Aberdeenshire is now in situ and being supported by a team of ACE Winches offshore personnel. ACE Winches manufacture a range of standard and bespoke drum winches, available in single or double drum configurations. Drum winches are designed to be utilized for hoisting…

At this year’s Offshore Energy exhibition, global deck machinery specialist ACE Winches announced a new 500te Linear Winch to its range of specialized deck equipment. The company will showcase its range of products and services supplied to European clients operating within marine, renewables and oil and gas sectors. In recent months ACE Winches has delivered equipment and services for a number of key projects for European based companies, worth over £1.4 million. These projects have varied in type…

Deck machinery specialist ACE Winches said it has been awarded a spooling contract with Vard Group AS for Norway’s largest construction vessel. The scope of work includes the spooling of two 3,500 meter ROV umbilicals, the spooling of a crane boom wire and aux wire, including 3,900 meters of 135mm wire on to the vessel’s crane. The largest wire on this project weighs 360te, ACE Winches had to build a new upgraded spooling winch to accommodate the weight. The contract will see a dedicated team work on the project.

ACE Winches hosted a delegation from SPRING Singapore to its Towie Barclay Works facility for a visit to share an overview of its products and services, including manufacturing and engineering expertise. Several delegates from the Marine and Offshore Department in SPRING Singapore were welcomed to ACE Winches global headquarters by key personnel during their visit to Northeast Scotland. SPRING Singapore is a statutory board under the Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow.

ACE Winches has appointed Colin Black as chief commercial officer, a newly created board of management position. Black is responsible for leading and managing the firm’s overall commercial strategy and the management of the ACE Winch Academy. Colin Black stated: “ACE Winches has an enviable reputation as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and market leader in deck machinery solutions, and with my operational background I fully understand the demands of an industry facing the challenges of low oil price.

A competent workforce is a productive one, and operates with fewer risks, meaning shorter downtimes and fewer injuries. Effective competence schemes established by companies of all sizes ensure confidence in the offshore industry, and that all people appointed to safety-critical positions can carry out their jobs in an effective manner. To that end, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has established a highly effective competence assurance and assessment framework.

The Ace Winch Academy has received accreditation for the delivery of its training programs from the internationally recognized training authority, City & Guilds. The accreditation is a major milestone for the Ace Winch Academy in achieving its aims to be the global leader in the provision of proficient, certified training programs, designed to suit the needs of both client and industry. The Ace Winch Academy is located within Ace Winches’ global headquarters near Turriff, Aberdeenshire…

Ace Winches, the deck machinery specialists, is coming to Malaysia’s capital as part of next month’s Oil and Gas Asia exhibition at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. The company will be exhibiting as part of the Scottish Development International Scottish Pavilion in Hall 6 on Stand 6124A. Although this is the first time the Scottish manufacturing company will be on display at this trade convention, Ace Winches has a decade of experience in doing business throughout the region. In 2003 the company took its first order from Consolidated Pipe Carriers (CPC) for a ten point mooring spread consisting of 10 25-ton mooring winches and their associated Electric Hydraulic Power Units (HPU’s).

ACE Winches announced post tax profits of £6.2m for 2012, a 15% increase on the previous year. Turnover at the Aberdeenshire-based group soared to £31.1m in the year ended October 31, 2012, a 42% increase on the previous twelve months, with around three-quarters (74%) of the company’s business generated from international trade. ACE Winches is a company in the design, manufacture and hire of winches, marine deck machinery and the provision of associated hire personnel for the offshore oil and gas, marine and renewable energy industries.

ACE Winches, the deck machinery specialists, was awarded British industry’s Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. This is the second win in that category for the Aberdeenshire-based manufacturer, which first received the award in 2010. Founded by CEO Alfie Cheyne in 1992, ACE Winches operates on a global basis with 75% of its profits generated from international exports. Staff numbers have increased from 200 in 2011 to over 300 today as the company has expanded to meet growing demand for its range of products and services.

ACE Winches announced profits of £4.8 million (after tax) based on a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in turnover. The Aberdeenshire-based company reported that turnover for the year-end October 31 2011 increased to £21.9 million from £16.8 million the previous year. Profit increased from £4.2 million in 2010. ACE Winches continued strong showing in the export market, realising 74% of turnover from international activities and sales. ACE Winches has also continued to invest in…

Cosalt Offshore, which provides lifting, tooling and marine services to the oil & gas industry, has recently ordered a second 50-tonne spooling winch from ACE Winches as part of a major investment in equipment. The second winch, destined for Norway, was ordered following an increasingly high demand for the first, which has been in constant operation in the North Sea since its delivery in February 2011. The winch package is designed to carry 50 tonnes of wire rope or umbilical and complements Cosalt Offshore’s full range of quality lifting products for the energy industry.

ACE Winches has formally created a new company in Norway. ACE Winches Norge AS is focused upon maintaining and enhancing ACE's Scandinavian business activities. Operating from a base at Dusavik, Stavanger, the division offers spooling and hire fleet services and will also be providing vessel bollard pull testing. It will also act as a local showcase for ACE's manufactured product range. The base comprises a 500 square metre workshop and 1,000 sqm yard facility. ACE received the Queen's Award for Enterprise 2010 International Trade in April 2010 and received a Scottish Offshore Achievement Export Award in March 2010.

ACE Winches has appointed Derek Penny as head of group sales and business development. With 18 years experience in the upstream and downstream oil and gas, marine and naval defence markets, Penny joins the company from subsea engineering company, SMD, where he was engaged in strategic business development. Derek gained his BSc at Glasgow University and his MBA at Dundee University. Penny has previously worked with Shell, Tyco, ABB and IMES.