SA Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi (abbrev. ACEC) was a manufacturer of a wide range of electrical products and latterly manufactured the electrical parts for Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 locomotive

Locomotive

A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...

s and multiple unit

Multiple unit

The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...

s constructed by BN

La Brugeoise et Nivelles SA.

La Brugeoise et Nivelles SA , later BN Constructions Ferroviaries et Métalliques was a Belgian manufacturer of railway locomotives and other rolling stock; it was formed by a merger of two companies La Brugeoise et Nicaise et Delcuve and Les Ateliers Métallurgiques de Nivelles.The Bruges factory...

.

History

ACEC's history began in 1885 when Julien Dulait founded the Société anonyme Électricité et Hydraulique à Charleroi. In its early years it manufactured dynamo

Dynamo

- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...

s, lift

Elevator

An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...

s, lighting

Lighting

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...

 equipment, electric traction motor

Traction motor

Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....

s for trams and drilling

Drilling

Drilling is a cutting process that uses a drill bit to cut or enlarge a hole in solid materials. The drill bit is a multipoint, end cutting tool...

 equipment. By the early twentieth century the company was in difficulties and in 1904 it was taken over by baron Édouard Empain

Baron Empain

Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain was a wealthy Belgian engineer, entrepreneur, financier and industrialist, as well as an amateur Egyptologist.-Early life:...

, becoming l'Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi (ACEC). Empain was involved in various infrastructure developments in Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 and used ACEC to supply electricity systems to Egypt ACEC, along with Empain's other electrical industry interests, became part of the holding company Electrorail, founded in 1930 following Empain's death.
In 1947 ACEC merged with les Constructions Electriques de Belgique of Herstal becoming ACEC Herstal. In 1970 it became a member of the Westinghouse

Westinghouse Electric (1886)

Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...

group. ACEC was dismantled and its various operations sold off in 1989 and ceased to exist in 1992.