Look for U.S.-based Hexcel Corp (Chalet B15) to raise its profile in the international aerospace industry. Late last month, U.S.-based composite manufacturing specialist officially opened its newly renovated facility in Duxford, UK. This follows the April groundbreaking of a new Hexcel manufacturing plant in Casablanca, Morocco. Cost of the Duxford renovation was pegged at $10 million, while the new MidParc Free Trade Zone “engineered core facility” in Morocco represents a $20 million investment.
As far as financing for the new projects and further growth, on June 10, Citizens Bank revealed it is leading a $700 million senior credit facility for the Stamford, Connecticut-based company. Hexcel was founded in 1948 and now specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing lightweight, high-performance carbon fibers, reinforcements, prepregs, honeycomb, matrix systems, adhesives and composite structures. Customers include those with interests in commercial aerospace, space and defense and other industrial applications.
Specific applications include materials for commercial and military aircraft, space launch vehicles, satellites—and in non-aerospace venues, wind turbine blades and automotive structures. The company supplies all the carbon fiber prepregs for the Airbus A350 XWB primary structural components.
On hand at the Duxford opening celebration was Hexcel chairman, president and CEO Nick Stanage. The newly expanded and renovated building serves as the company’s chemistry and product development center, with formulation and analytical laboratories, mixer rooms and microscopy/SEM labs. At the ceremony, UK-based senior v-p and chief technology officer Paul Mackenzie said, “We had outgrown the [existing] Technical Centre and welcome this new building and the facilities provided for the 21st century. Our scientists…have now moved into the Innovation Centre and the building is already resonating with activity.”
Back in April, Hexcel launched its $20 million new-build engineered-core facility in Casablanca. Planned to be fully operational next year, the plant will convert the company’s proprietary HexWeb honeycomb material for structural reinforcement and weight-reduction involving aircraft structural components, engine nacelles and helicopter rotor blades. Beginning in the fourth quarter of this year, Hexcel will occupy a temporary facility at Casablanca’s MidParc Free Trade Zone Industrial Park, and the finished plant is expected to employ more than 200 people by 2020. o