Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Aberdeen firm AEL follows singing cowboy’s advice and goes down Mexico way as part of global expansion plans

AEL (Aberdeen) chairman Graeme Mackie, left, with Lord Provost Barney Crockett.
AEL (Aberdeen) chairman Graeme Mackie, left, with Lord Provost Barney Crockett.

AEL (Aberdeen), an electrical equipment supplier for the global energy industry, has grown its overseas footprint by launching a business in Mexico.

And plans are rapidly taking shape to further expand the 40-year-old company’s reach into other new markets, with Scandinavia among areas currently in AEL’s sights.

From its global headquarters in Bridge of Don and regional hubs in Houston, in the US, and Baku, Azerbaijan, AEL supplies a broad range of electrical products and services to the onshore, offshore, renewable energy, petrochemical, marine and industrial sectors.

AEL’s reach in the global market has gone from strength to strength, but it is evident that Aberdeen is still very much at the heart of their operation.”

Barney Crockett, Aberdeen Lord Provost

The increased international focus is partly down to the contribution to the family-owned business of joint managing director of Alan Mackie, who is also president of Houston-based AEL Americas.

He spends a lot of his time working on developing new opportunities across the Atlantic.

AEL insisted its new business south of the US border – “down Mexico way” to quote a famous song by “singing cowboy” Gene Autry – and any future moves to expand overseas will not be to the detriment of operations in the company’s own back yard.

Celebrating four decades in Aberdeen

The firm’s chairman and its other joint MD is Graeme Mackie, Alan’s father, who stressed efforts to seize opportunities closer to home, the company’s Aberdeen roots and creating employment opportunities in the north-east would always be important.

Mr Mackie Snr added: “For 40 years the Aberdeen market has supported our growth and it continues to be a critical part of operations every day.

“Aberdeen is still the hub of operations and the city is our corporate home.

Nurturing talent

“As we continue to explore new markets, whilst strengthening our foothold in traditional ones, having the right people on board for the journey is very important.

“We have seen first-hand the benefit of harnessing and nurturing local talent, and this is something we seek to achieve wherever in the world we operate.”

AEL said its new trading business and office in Cordoba, in the Mexican state of Veracruz, were the most recent moves towards revenues becoming equally balanced between domestic and overseas markets.

The firm, founded in 1981, cited a “unique mix” of geographic spread and the continuity created by 100% family ownership as key factors in its “enduring success”.

Aberdeen is still the hub of operations and the city is our corporate home.”

Graeme Mackie, AEL (Aberdeen)

AEL currently employs more than 35 people and turnover is in the region of £8 million. As well as focusing on recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and overseas growth, the company hopes to continue expanding its product lines at home and internationally.

Aberdeen Lord Provost Barney Crockett recently congratulated AEL on its 40th anniversary during a visit to its headquarters.

Mr Crockett said: “I was delighted to join Graeme on this very special occasion. AEL’s reach in the global market has gone from strength to strength, but it is evident that Aberdeen is still very much at the heart of their operation.”


AEL eyes growth in UK and US