JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #94 - January/February 2015 - 28

investment
carbon fibre that we make in Decatur,
Alabama and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Aerospace is a market undergoing rapid
expansion as we have seen with the B787
and A350, both having a structure that is
over 50% composites.
JCM: What are you reasons behind this
PAN facility? Wasn't your existing capacity
enough to supply a new carbon line? Was
the purpose also to secure your supply
chain?

T.M. : This increase of capacity in

France is an element of our planned
global capacity increase to support our
aerospace customers. Having a complete,
vertically integrated supply chain from
PAN/carbon fibre to carbon prepregs in
the USA and Europe to support our aerospace customers globally will provide
them a robust and cost-effective supply chain on both sides of the Atlantic
Ocean.

JCM: Does this investment address your
agreements with Airbus in particular?

T.M. : Yes, effectively to support in

IM7 carbon fibre for all fan blades and
containment cases.

that this can boost the local composite
industry, and if so, in which manner?

JCM: Strengthened by this new production
capacity, do you plan on prospecting new
application markets in order to diversify
your activity, which depends heavily on
the aerospace sector? And what advantages do you have to do this?

been a country that has embraced composite technologies from the very early
days and Hexcel is proud of its long history as an innovator in the industry. We
are seeing a number of local initiatives
working on the future of composites
and making these lightweight materials
more accessible to a greater number of
industries. For example, we are working
closely with Plastic Omnium on various
developments in composites for the
automotive industry.

T.M. : The aero-engine market is a huge

consumer of Hexcel composite materials
and we expect more growth in this area
in addition to the increasing demand for
carbon fibre composites in commercial
aircraft structures.

JCM: What are you primary goals for the
next 3-5 years? Do you have any other
investments planned at the group level?

T.M. : Hexcel is continuing to invest in

expansions to facilities in Europe and the
USA. For example in Duxford, UK we
are celebrating a number of investments
at the site with a total value of $53 million, including a new Innovation Centre
as we have outgrown our current R&T
facilities. We are also expanding our
honeycomb core capacity and we will be
installing a second tower in the UK for
the manufacture of woven prepregs. By
the end of 2017, Hexcel will be a $2.5
billion company.

particular the A350XWB programme
ramp-up for which Hexcel will provide
carbon fibres and prepregs for all primary
structures. Hexcel will supply composite
materials for a value of $5M per aircraft!
But in addition, we will support as well
all Leap engine growth for the A320neo,
B737MAX and C919 programmes, for
which Hexcel will provide its HexTow®

JCM: With this investment, France's
influence in the global composite marketplace will be reinforced. Do you think

Customers applaud Hexcel's decision to
build a precursor and carbon fibre plant in
France, demonstrating a strong, ongoing
commitment to meet the growing demand
for carbon fibre composites in the aerospace industry.
Hexcel develops, manufactures and mar-

kets lightweight, high-performance structural materials, including carbon fibres,
reinforcements, prepregs, honeycomb,
matrix systems, adhesives and composite
structures, used in commercial aerospace,
space and defence, and industrial applications such as wind turbine blades.

The future location of the new precursor and
carbon fibre lines in Roussillon, France.

With a $1.7 billion turnover in 2013,
Hexcel is expecting strong growth over the
years to come, aiming at a USD2.5 billion
turnover in 2017.
The group has more than 5600 employees
worldwide in 18 production sites distributed among the USA, Europe and Asia.
In France, Hexcel already operates 3 facilities, employs more than 890 people and

28 jec composites magazine / No94 January - February 2015

T.M. : Yes, for sure. France has always

We notice a huge dynamism in composites at the moment with new projects and
developments such as a revolutionary
new composite aircraft seat jointly developed with Zodiac Aerospace.
The L3, presented by Zodiac Aerospace
during the Hamburg Aerospace Interiors
show in April, is an all-composite seat,
manufactured from Hexcel's HexPly®
carbon fibre prepregs which provide
light weight, mechanical resistance and
an aesthetic appearance. The armrests
and tray tables are manufactured from
Hexcel's HexMC® compression moulding process, providing a unique look and
strong resistance.
This kind of project is a reflection of the
French enthusiasm for composites, with
innovation and investments to discover
new composite solutions for the industry.
has a €402 million turnover, including 65%
in export markets.
The company manufactures woven carbon
fibre at the Avenières site, which is currently the world's largest facility of this
type. In Dagneux, Hexcel has been producing prepregs since the 70's. In 2008, the
group opened a site in Nantes to produce
prepregs for Airbus.
This facility manufactures HexPly® UD
tapes for automated lay-up and automated
fibre placement. This new investment highlights Hexcel's commitment to supporting
its customers, especially in aeronautics, its
core business area. n
More information:
www.hexcel.com
http://www.hexcel.com
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #94 - January/February 2015

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