Hexcel has Officially Opened a New Plant in Isère, France to Meet Growing Demand for Advanced Composites
Hexcel has officially opened its new 37-acre plant at the Les Roches-Roussillon Chemicals Industry Platform in Isère, France. The plant is Hexcel’s first combined precursor and carbon fiber plant outside the United States. It took four years for the plant to set up and go operational, which will increase Hexcel’s global carbon fiber production capacity. The company is said to have invested 200 million Euros in the plant which will generate 120 direct and 250 indirect employment opportunities.
The event was attended by Muriel Pénicaud, French Labor Minister, Yannick Neuder, Vice-President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region for higher education, research, innovation and European funding, and Nick Stanage, Hexcel Chairman, CEO and President, as well as local dignitaries, Hexcel customers, and media representatives.
Supporting growing demands of aerospace industry
Hexcel has been investing in all its locations worldwide since 2015, largely to support the rising demand for composites and the development of aerospace industry programs such as Airbus (A350 XWB) and Safran (CFM International LEAP engine). The investment in this new facility is a part of the company’s strategy to create a diversified and robust global supply chain to support aerospace customers’ growing demand for carbon fiber composites.
Thierry Merlot, Hexcel President, Aerospace -- Europe/Asia-Pacific/Middle East/Africa, said: “With this plant, we are responding to the needs of aerospace customers and their growing demand for carbon composite materials. The site has already received its first aerospace certifications.”
Regional focus
Based at the Osiris Chemicals Industry Platform, Hexcel selected this location due to its proximity to its customers, its other sites, infrastructure quality, operational excellence, and the availability of competitively priced electricity in France.
Operating in synergy with Hexcel’s existing sites in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Les Avenières, the biggest carbon fiber weaving plant in Europe, and Dagneux, manufacturer of prepreg fabrics and carbon fibers, the new plant will create a global ecosystem for the high-performance composite materials sector covering the entire production chain from carbon fiber to resin-impregnated fabrics called prepreg.
Employee efficiency and training systems
Back in 2014, Hexcel has signed a regional master agreement with Pôle emploi, the French national employment agency, to support its development and hiring demand of 200 employees for its sites in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region through the implementation of job simulation recruitment (MRS).
Mr. Merlot said: “Hexcel has become more attractive in recent years. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region has provided support with training. New employees have received customized training courses, including onsite training at Hexcel facilities in the United States and Spain.”
Investment in Research and Development
Mr. Merlot added: “Today we are able to invest in production capacity thanks to both organic growth and the acquisition of complementary technologies. Recent acquisitions and partnerships have enabled us to diversify and acquire new technology solutions such as additive manufacturing, adhesives, pultrusion processes and thermoplastics. For this purpose, this year we signed a strategic partnership with Arkema to develop carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics and set up a new joint research and development unit in France.”
Hexcel’s Les Avenières site is scheduled for launch of a 3,500 m2 R&D center in the first quarter of 2019. It is said that the center will focus on new processes and out-of-autoclave technologies, which will further support innovations in high-performance composites and continue to grow its market share in composite materials for aerostructure applications.
Mr. Merlot said: “We are entering a highly active phase of research and development in order to design new generation materials and processes for the engines and aircraft of tomorrow.”
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News & Image Source: https://www.hexcel.com
