Advance Components Ltd.
Walthamstow, Greater London (1955)
Roebuck Road, Hainault, Ilford, Essex (1962)

Advance Electronics Ltd.
Roebuck Road, Hainault, Ilford, Essex (1965)
Advance Park, Wrexham LL14 3YR, Wales (2021)

The main activities were the manufacture of test equipment, metallised film capacitors, power supplies, constant-voltage transformers. They were one of the leaders in designing counting and control equipment for industry including digital voltmeters.

Later models are labeled Advance Instruments on the front, which was not an official company designation.

The company was started by A.W. Stapleton in his garden shed.

Advance Components Ltd. was formed on 24th March 1932, initially producing radio components, RF chokes, and small sub-assemblies, and soon entered the field of electronic test equipment.

In 1956 they moved from Walthamstow to larger premises in Hainault, Essex, and the company went public.

The name was changed to Advance Electronics Ltd. in 1964, and ca. 1968 a factories in Bishops Stortford and in Wrexham were built, the latter to manufacture capacitors.

In 1968 they had distributors in 34 countries. In about 1973 they were bought by battery manufacturer Gould Inc. (USA) and continued to trade as Gould Advance Ltd.

In 1983 two managers at the Wrexham factory negotiated a management buyout after Gould announced to focus on their core products, and continued the business under the previous name of Advance Electronics Ltd.