Partner in Technical Innovation
What is the biggest hurdle to business growth today? The shortage of (skilled) personnel. ACE Development & Engineering offers its clients two ways out of this impasse.
On the one hand, it provides engineering capacity through its consultancy branch, available on both a short- and long-term basis. On the other hand, it is active in custom machine building to help customers automate their processes. Recently, these operations expanded from two locations (Lummen and Ghent) to three. With the acquisition of Bruges-based NiniX Technologies, ACE is now clearly putting itself on the map in West Flanders—and soon at the Indumation trade fair as well.
ACE is originally a Dutch engineering group. "But the Belgian branch will already be celebrating its 35th anniversary next year," says Francis Geeraert, who has been CEO for Belgium since July 1st. Over the past three decades, the company has built a rock-solid reputation in engineering—a calling card it intends to present even more emphatically in the future.
"Automation is the only way forward for industry in Western Europe. There are indeed opportunities in producing locally, provided it is done in a highly efficient manner. We see this in the entire re-shoring movement currently underway. We have the bright minds in-house to make the difference for our clients in this regard—both in consulting and in machine building."
A Culture of Continuous Improvement
Following the acquisition of NiniX Technologies earlier this year, ACE now operates from three locations in Belgium. “Our ambition is to achieve better geographical coverage of the market, and this acquisition is a first step in that direction. Furthermore, the expertise available there in micro-dosing and ‘harsh environment electronics’ allows us to add exciting new specializations and offer our customers even better solutions. We will each maintain our own identity in the market, while sharing knowledge and resources.”
Geeraert strongly believes in the Pippi Longstocking philosophy: “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do it.” This is the mindset with which we recruit our staff and how our engineers approach their craft. Anyone designing machines from scratch will inevitably encounter problems. By allowing people to acknowledge mistakes—even to 'celebrate' them—and above all, helping to rectify them, you create a culture of continuous improvement. This is in our engineers' DNA: we persevere until there is a working solution, until the customer is happy, and until all parties can be proud of the result.
Offering Broader Capabilities
“From this perspective, our employees also want to lay the foundations for the next 35 years. In the field of engineering consulting, we want to broaden our scope even further, expanding our classic mechanical competencies into electromechanics, process technology, quality control, project management, and more.”
However, the approach remains the same. “We are currently investing a lot of time in getting to know new candidates. It’s not just about mapping out their hard skills, but primarily their soft skills—hearing what they want in a job and what makes them go to work every day with a smile. The better we assess that match with our clients, the more natural the motivation will be. This is, of course, further supported by training; our engineers are provided with various tools to sharpen their own talents.”
Maar de aanpak blijft dezelfde. “We investeren nu heel veel tijd in het leren kennen van nieuwe kandidaten. Niet alleen om hun competenties, hun hard skills in kaart te brengen, maar vooral hun soft skills, horen wat zij willen in een job, horen wat hen dagelijks naar het werk doet gaan met een smile. Hoe beter we die match inschatten met onze klanten, hoe vanzelfsprekender de motivatie zal zijn. Iets wat we dan uiteraard verder aanvullen met opleidingen. Onze ingenieurs krijgen verschillende tools ter beschikking om zelf hun talenten bij te schaven.”
Building the Machines of Tomorrow
In the field of machine building, ACE also aims to respond to the evolving market. “More than ever, machines are replacing operators; therefore, our machines must be able to match what were once an operator’s key strengths: handling random deviations and making quick, experience-based decisions to maximize uptime while strictly adhering to product specifications. Customers now expect more control options and greater intelligence for the most error-free experience possible. We are proud to contribute to that complete picture.”
The fact that ACE has proven itself a valuable partner in this regard is evidenced by its impressive list of references: Soudal, Picanol, Heraeus, Rockwool, MCC Verstraete, CNHi, Bosch, Barco… these are prestigious names. “Because we always persevere until we have fulfilled our agreements. That is sacred!” Geeraert emphasizes once more.