The Hong Kong-based ACME Group of Companies, established in 1965, registered a private limited company named ACME Cassette Manufacturing Limited (亞美盒帶有限公司) on December 23, 1975.
Operating alongside it was ACME Magnetic Tapes Limited, which was directly engaged in the production and magnetic coating of magnetic materials - specifically video and audio "webs" and "pancakes" (wide rolls and pancake-style coils intended for subsequent slitting). Both companies were located at the same address: 4/F, Wayson Commercial Building, 28 Connaught Road West, Hong Kong.
In 1982, ACME was actively registering its trademark outside Hong Kong; for instance, the company filed an application for the ACME Cassette Manufacturing Ltd. trademark in the United States on November 8, 1982, and in India on October 18, 1982.
In 1982, ACME was actively registering its trademark outside Hong Kong; the company filed an application for the ACME Cassette Manufacturing Ltd. trademark in the United States on November 8, 1982, and in India on October 18, 1982.
By the 1980s, the company was already a major manufacturer of video cassette tapes - and this involved more than just the assembly of finished products.
In a 1988 European anti-dumping investigation, the European Commission listed ACME Cassette Manufacturing among the video cassette manufacturers based in Hong Kong.
In the late 1980s, the company relocated its production to China (Acme Cassette Manufacturing — Guangdong, PRC).In the early 1990s, ACME engaged in in-house development; the company not only manufactured cassettes but also devised its own design solutions for them, as evidenced by patents registered in 1992–1993.
In 2001, the company operated four ISO 9002-certified factories in China, employed over 10,000 people, and had an annual turnover of US$318 million.
By the 2000s, according to the Chinese press, the ACME Group's production portfolio included:
- professional magnetic tape for computer systems;
- video cassettes;
- CD/DVD packaging;
- later—medical-grade plastic products;
- plastic pipes and other products.
In 2006, ACME Magnetic Tapes Limited received a Certificate of Merit at the Hong Kong Awards for Industries (Productivity and Quality category).
Clearly, in addition to its own manufacturing operations, the company was a major OEM supplier. A 2022 news report regarding the ACME Group's founder and owner, Chen Bingzhi (陳秉志), lists a wide range of clients: 3M, Sony, Konica, TDK, JVC, Maxell, SKC, and Saehan Media.
The company remains in legal existence to this day; additionally, HONG KONG ACME CASSETTE MFG LIMITED (registered on July 24, 2002, with the Chinese name 香港亞美磁帶有限公司) exists. In 2023, ACME CASSETTE TECHNOLOGY GROUP LIMITED (亞美磁帶科技集團有限公司) was registered in Hong Kong.