Ache

What Ache does

ACHE (Asociación Española de Ingeniería Estructural) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1999 through the merger of GEHO (Grupo Español del Hormigón) and ATEP (Asociación Técnica Española del Pretensado, originally founded in 1949 by Eduardo Torroja). Headquartered in Madrid at the E.T.S.I. de Caminos, Canales y Puertos laboratory facilities on the Ciudad Universitaria campus, ACHE serves as the unified national body representing Spanish structural engineers, particularly those working with concrete (hormigón) and steel, and acts as Spain's delegate to fib, the International Federation for Structural Concrete.

The association's product portfolio centers on knowledge dissemination and professional community-building rather than technology development. Its flagship product is Hormigón y Acero, the peer-reviewed scientific journal on concrete and steel structural engineering. ACHE additionally publishes books, monographs, and doctoral theses via an online store (Tienda); organizes technical events including congresses (such as the VIII Congreso de ACHE), seminars, and annual technical days (Jornadas Técnicas); runs working groups (Grupos de Trabajo) that conduct commissioned research; and operates a member-only technical document download library that includes Eurocode 2 presentations and research papers. The Premio ACHE a Mejor Trabajo Final de Máster, initiated by ACHE's youth group, targets engineering and architecture students to incentivize structural engineering research. The underlying "platform" is a CMS-based website (e-ache.com) with NIF-based authenticated member access and a tiered member directory.

ACHE generates revenue through three streams: recurring membership fees across four tiers (personal, collective, protector, and sponsor), one-time publication sales via the online store, and event registration fees from congresses, seminars, and technical days. Its customer segments include practicing structural engineers and architects, engineering schools and universities, and construction industry companies that participate as corporate protector or sponsor members (including PACADAR, OHL, VSL, Freyssinet, ArcelorMittal, ACCIONA, Dragados, FCC, and CYPE). The go-to-market is community-led: ACHE grows through member recruitment, event participation, and corporate sponsorships rather than commercial sales motions. As a Spanish non-profit registered under CIF G-28813442 in the Registro Nacional de Asociaciones, ACHE does not have equity ownership, parent company, or investment-fund backing.

Name

Ache

Legal name

ASOCIACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE INGENIERÍA ESTRUCTURAL; ACHE

Website

https://e-ache.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

ACHE is a Spanish non-profit professional association founded in 1999 that represents structural engineers in Spain, publishes the Hormigón y Acero journal, organizes technical congresses and seminars, and coordinates Spain's participation in fib, the International Federation for Structural Concrete.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: ACHE generates revenue through membership fees from individual members (personal members), collective members, protector members, and sponsor members, as indicated by the membership directory structure.
2. Publication sales: The association publishes the journal 'Hormigón y Acero' and sells books, monographs, and doctoral theses. An online store is available for purchases.
3. Event registration: Revenue is generated from technical events, congresses (such as the VIII Congreso de ACHE), seminars, and technical days including registration fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACHE (Asociación Española de Ingeniería Estructural) is a Spanish non-profit professional association that promotes structural engineering, with a particular focus on concrete and steel structures. The association generates revenue through individual, collective, protector, and sponsor memberships; sells technical publications including its peer-reviewed journal Hormigón y Acero, books, monographs, and doctoral theses; and organizes congresses, seminars, and technical conferences for its members and the broader structural engineering community.

Product overview

Ache (Asociación Española de Ingeniería Estructural) is a professional association for structural engineering in Spain that operates as a unified portfolio of services rather than a product platform. The association offers peer-reviewed journal publication (Hormigón y Acero), technical books/monographs/theses, organizes professional events (congresses, seminars, technical conferences), and conducts research through technical working groups. The portfolio is interconnected: publications disseminate research outcomes, events facilitate knowledge exchange among professionals, and working groups generate new technical knowledge that feeds into publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hormigón y Acero: The association's official scientific journal covering concrete and steel structural engineering topics.

Products and services

• Hormigón y Acero

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• fib (Fédération Internationale du Béton / International Federation for Structural Concrete)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACHE represents Spanish structural engineering professionals within fib, the International Federation for Structural Concrete. This international body was formed in 1999 when the former dicotomy between FIP (prestressed concrete) and CEB (concrete) was overcome through unification.
• FIP (Fédération Internationale du Pretensado)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical predecessor organization founded in 1951 by Eduardo Torroja and colleagues. ATEP (Asociación Técnica Española del Pretensado) was the Spanish branch.
• CEB (Comité Européen du Béton)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Concrete Committee in which GEHO (Grupo Español del Hormigón) represented Spanish participation from 1986 onwards.
• PACADARminorOthersListed as a protector (supporter) member of ACHE.
• OHLminorOthersListed as a protector (supporter) member of ACHE.
• VSLminorOthersListed as a protector (supporter) member of ACHE.
• FreyssinetminorOthersListed as a protector (supporter) member of ACHE.
• ArcelorMittalminorOthersListed as a protector (supporter) member of ACHE.
• ACCIONAminorOthersListed as a sponsor member of ACHE.
• DragadosminorOthersListed as a sponsor member of ACHE.
• FCCminorOthersListed as a sponsor member of ACHE.
• CYPEminorOthersListed as a sponsor member of ACHE.
• Instituto Eduardo TorrojaminorOthersListed as a sponsor member of ACHE. Named after Eduardo Torroja, founder of ATEP.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Largest US-based professional civil engineering society. Comparable as a multi-discipline professional association running journals, conferences, standards, and member certifications, but broader in scope than ACHE's structural-concrete focus.
• Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE): UK-based professional body for civil engineers with a long history of publishing, learned-society events, and chartered membership. Comparable membership-association model to ACHE, though ICE covers all of civil engineering rather than just structures.

Regional players

• European Convention for Constructional Steelwork (ECCS): European federation promoting the use of steel in construction, coordinating national member associations. Comparable to ACHE as a peer membership federation covering steel structures in Europe, with similar publication and event activities for a related but distinct material.

Direct peers

• American Concrete Institute (ACI): US-based nonprofit authority on concrete design, construction, and materials. Direct peer to ACHE given both focus on structural concrete research, codes/standards, publications, and member-driven technical committees.
• AISC – American Institute of Steel Construction: US-based technical institute for structural steel design, codes (AISC 360), and member publications/events. Comparable to ACHE as a specialized national association publishing standards and technical guidance for the structural engineering community.
• Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI): US-based technical institute dedicated to precast and prestressed concrete design, standards, and research. Comparable to ACHE's working-group driven standards activity, journal publications, and member conferences within the prestressed concrete niche.
• Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos: Spanish professional association for civil engineers ('Ingenieros de Caminos'). Direct peer operating in the same geography as ACHE and serving overlapping professional members, though with broader civil-engineering scope versus ACHE's structural-engineering focus.
• Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja (IETcc): Spanish construction science research institute, named after ACHE founder lineage and a sponsor member of ACHE. Comparable in Spain for construction/structural research and standards work, with overlapping technical community in Madrid.
• Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE): UK-based chartered body for structural engineers. Direct peer to ACHE as a national professional membership association focused on structural engineering, publishing technical guidance and running member events and qualifications.

Others

• fib – Fédération Internationale du Béton: International federation for structural concrete in which ACHE is the Spanish national member. Comparable as a publisher of structural concrete guidance (Bulletins, Model Codes) and convener of working groups — an upstream body that ACHE channels Spain-specific activity into.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACHEtweets

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ache