JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #42 - July/August 2008 - 20

BUSINESS Market survey Hexcel anniversary in 2008 marked by investment This year, Hexcel is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Its history, begun with its creation in 1948 by Bud Hughes and Roger Steele, is a rich one and is representative of the path taken by composite materials over the years, particularly high-performance composites. T he company motto: “Stronger, Lighter, Faster” illustrates the characteristics with which composites endow complex structures, as well as illustrating the history of a company whose progress continues to pick up speed. After its pioneering early days, the company was built up primarily on the strength of external growth, then went through a period of consolidation and is now developing organically. 2008 marks the opening of two prepreg production units – one for the aviation industry, in France, and the other in China, targeting the wind energy market – and a carbon fibre production plant in Spain, for the aviation Focus Hexcel Corporation specializes in advanced structural materials. The company develops, manufactures and markets light, high-performance textile reinforcements such as carbon fibres, fabrics, prepregs, honeycombs, resin systems, adhesives and composite structures destined for civil aviation, aerospace and defence, as well as for industrial applications such as wind energy. industry. Hexcel is a fine example of a thriving company in the composites sector. on the town of Lafayette, California. For almost two years, Steele worked on the development and manufacturing of machines used to produce his own invention: “expanded honeycomb”. In 1948, they won their first contract for research and development into fibreglass investments: Nantes (aerospace), Tianjin (wind energy), Illescas (aerospace). This seems to testify to a desire on your part to be situated as close as possible to your biggest customers. Will you continue to branch out and follow them into China and, eventually, India? T.M.: We are studying every opportunity for expansion on a case-by-case basis in order best to satisfy the demands of our customers. JCM: What is Hexcel’s situation on the global market? What are its strengths and, possibly, its weaknesses? T.M.: Hexcel is world leader in advanced composites for civil and military aviation, as well as being a specialist in the field of wind energy. The company proposes to its customers a global offering and composite solutions, from carbon fibre, engineering fabrics and prepregs to adhesives, honeycombs and History Bud Hughes and Roger Steele, former schoolmates and veterans of the Second World War, started out on modest premises the production of prepregs for the wind energy sector. Last year, we had already opened a plant beside the Airbus factory at Stade in Germany. A great deal of investment has already been made. The signing of the contract for the A350 with Airbus, in particular for prepregs for the aircraft’s primary structure, may also determine our expansion requirements, but the choice of sites has not yet been made. Hexcel anticipates investing heavily in equipment in order to expand its production capacities, as the A350 programme is ramped up and ultimately reaches its anticipated production rate. The precise schedule and exact size of these expansions will be defined according to the production forecasts and Airbus’ choice of aerostructure suppliers. JCM: In 2008, Hexcel celebrates its 60th anniversary with a host of recent AN INTERVIEW WITH THIERRY MERLOT, VICE-PRESIDENT SALES & MARKETING, HEXCEL JEC Composites Magazine: Alongside the brand new carbon fibre production line at Illescas, there clearly remains some spare ground. Have you any plans for site extension? THIERRY MERLOT: For now, nothing has been decided. We shall develop our production capacities in line with the demand and needs of our customers and the market, both at Illescas and on the other sites. This year, we have already increased our production capacity with the opening of the Nantes site for the production of HexPly® prepregs, Illescas in Spain for the production of our HexTow® carbon fibre and our China factory, centred on JEC Composites Magazine / No42 July-August 2008

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #42 - July/August 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #42 - July/August 2008