Hexcel Corporation today opened its first European carbon fiber plant at a special ceremony attended by over 200 people. The new plant, located at Illescas near Toledo, is the first ever plant to manufacture carbon fiber in Spain.
The new Hexcel plant was opened by the Regional President of Castilla La Mancha, Jose Maria Barreda, in the presence of Dave Berges, Hexcel Chairman and CEO and Bill Hunt, Hexcel President. Amongst the attendees were representatives from the neighbouring Airbus plant that will be a major customer for the HexTow carbon fibers made at the new facility. Other attendees included customers from the aerospace and composites industry, local dignitaries and regional representatives.
In his opening address Dave Berges, said: “We are very honored to be opening Hexcel’s new carbon fiber plant in Castilla La Mancha. This is the first ever carbon fiber facility to be built in Spain – and is the first for Hexcel in Europe. It is a key part of Hexcel’s ongoing investment to increase carbon fiber capacity worldwide.
The company has embarked on a $280 million investment program to boost our carbon fiber capacity to 7000 tons both in Europe and the USA by the end of 2009.
The new Illescas plant is close to Hexcel’s established plant located in Parla, near Madrid. The Parla plant will convert carbon fiber from Illescas into prepregs, which are carbon-fiber reinforced resin materials used to produce aerospace components such as A320/A330 horizontal empennage and A380 rear fuselage section.
Hexcel is already the world’s largest producer of intermediate modulus carbon fiber, a type of fiber that is being increasingly specified in new industrial and aerospace programs. The increased carbon fiber capacity means that Hexcel is very well positioned to support the growth in European customers’ product requirements
| 
