In 1946, Josef-Severin Ahlmann founded the company Severin Ahlmann Beton on the Ahlmann family industrial land in Rendsburg, former West Germany.

This new company was formed to manufacture and sell cement concrete and terrazzo products, such as window frames and pipes.

The company later changed its name from Severin Ahlmann Beton to ACO – an acronym for Ahlmann Company.

ACO continued to develop in Germany, making a variety of products for the construction and building industry at two factories in Rendsburg and Reith.

At the end of the 1960’s ACO started working with a relatively unknown material: polymer concrete. This material was combined with the concept of modular trench drainage, leading to the creation of ACO Drain.

The success of the polymer concrete trench drainage led ACO to expand, setting up companies in Switzerland (1972), France (1976), and the USA (1978).

ACO has been supply products and solutions to the Australian construction and building industry for over 25 years. The following are some of our milestones:

• 1986 – ACO Technologies Plc (UK) sells first ACO Drain products to New Zealand
• 1987 – Polycrete Australia Pty Ltd formed and located at Homebush, NSW
• 1988 – ACO Technologies Plc (UK) sells to Plumbers Ltd
• 1991 – Polycrete Australia Pty Ltd sets up office in Melbourne, VIC (Branch established)
• 1992 – ACO Technologies Australia Pty Ltd established as a serviced operation at Rosebury, NSW.
• 1992 – Production situated at Homebush, NSW
• 1993 – Polycrete Australia Pty Ltd sets up office in Brisbane, QLD (Branch established)
• 1993 – Polycrete Australia Pty Ltd moves to Northmead, NSW
• 1994 – ACO Technologies Plc (UK) purchases Polycrete Australia Pty Ltd and creates ACO Pty Ltd
• 1996 – Quality accreditation to ISO 9002
• 1996 – Derek Humphries, Managing Director
• 2000 – David Eisenhuth, Managing Director
• 2000 – Move to new premises in Noble Park, Melbourne, VIC
• 2001 – Install new mixing centre for polymer concrete production
• 2002 – Move to new premises in Banyo, Brisbane, QLD
• 2002 – D.J.Muller acquisition
• 2003 – C.S.Crouch acquisition
• 2005 – The Company begins operations from Emu Plains, NSW
• 2005 – Stainless Steel Production begins at Emu Plains, NSW
• 2009 – Move to new premises in Canning Vale, Perth, WA (Branch established)
• 2010 – Move to new premises in Dry Creek, Adelaide, SA (Branch established)
• 2011 – Plastics manufacturing begins using rotomoulding production process
• 2012 – Polymer Concrete automated production line installed
• 2014 – Stainless steel production facility upgrade
• 2017 – Pitlok Industries acquisition
• 2018 – ACO Polycrete Pty Ltd begins trading as ACO Pty Ltd
• 2020 – Ken Klein, Managing Director
• 2023 – Updated Polymer Concrete plant with second extruder
• 2024 – February, Paul Casey, Managing Director
• 2025 – ACO Pty Ltd acquires Halgan Tradewaste business and brand name.