Hexcel Corporation recently hosted public officials, customers and local contractors at its manufacturing site in Utah as the company broke ground on a flagship Centre of Research & Technology (R&T) Excellence. The advanced composites company’s new centre of excellence will support next-generation developments in advanced composites technologies.

Once completed in late 2022, the 100,000-square-foot building will be home to a state-of-the-art laboratory where company scientists and researchers will collaborate with customers on the latest composite technology developments for aerospace, space and defense, and industrial applications. It will be the company’s largest center for innovation and product development in North America and a showcase for the company’s advanced composites technology, providing space for future growth and expansion in the years ahead. The company expects to add up to 150 jobs at the center over the next 12 years, Hexcel said in a press release.

“The centre will be designed to encourage and inspire our team to dream big and ensure that our customers are awarded with the strongest, lightest weight, most durable advanced composites that the world has ever seen. When the center opens, “you will be surrounded by everything it means to be a leader in advanced composites technology. You will see high-tech labs and cutting-edge research and testing equipment. Our lobby will showcase advancements and innovations that are propelling the future in commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial markets,” Hexcel chairman, CEO and president Nick Stanage said while thanking the governor’s office of economic opportunity and West Valley City for economic support that led the company to choose to locate the new centre of excellence in the area.

“Hexcel has been operating in West Valley City for years. I am pleased that they have once again chosen West Valley City as they expand their operations with a new research and technology facility. This expansion will bring more jobs to the city over the next few years and continues to show that Hexcel is committed to being part of West Valley City’s corporate community,” West Valley City mayor Ron Bigelow, who attended the event, said.

The company’s existing operations in West Valley City include its largest high-performance carbon fibre manufacturing facility in the world. The site also is home to the company’s US aerospace matrix operations. About 600 people currently work at the site. Contractors for the project include R&O Construction, with corporate offices in Ogden and a regional team in West Valley City, and design firm Architectural Nexus, Inc. of Salt Lake City.