Hexcel Corporation plans to expand its global engineered core capacity by building a 117,000 ft2 manufacturing plant in Casablanca, Morocco.
The new facility is part of Hexcel’s ongoing investment to support aerospace customers’ growing demand for engineered core. Engineered core is formed and machined honeycomb materials used for light weighting in structural applications such as aircraft secondary structures, nacelles, and helicopter blades. In recent years, Hexcel has increased its capacity at existing plants and plans further expansions to capture additional opportunities in the global market.
The new Moroccan plant will be built at the MidParc Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Industrial Park, located close to Morocco’s Mohammed V airport and near several Hexcel customers including Safran (Aircelle), Airbus (STELIA), Matis (a joint venture between Boeing and Safran) and Bombardier. Construction on the US$20 million project begins in the spring, and the plant is expected to be fully operational by mid-2017. By 2020, it is expected to employ more than 200 people.
‘We believe engineered core has an excellent growth outlook and global upside potential,’ said Hexcel’s chairman, CEO and president, Nick Stanage. ‘This new plant will position us to win new business to supply engineered core for engines and nacelles and other commercial aerostructure applications.’
This story uses material from Hexcel, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
