 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Commercial aerospace, space and defense and industrial |
| Founded | 1948; 78 years ago (1948) |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Tom Gentile (Chairman and CEO) |
| Products | Composite materials |
| Revenue |  US$1.90 billion (2024) |
 US$186 million (2024) | |
| US$132 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$2.73 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$1.53 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | 5,894 (2024) |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
Hexcel Corporation is an Americanpublic industrial materials company, based inStamford, Connecticut. The company develops and manufactures structural materials. Hexcel was formed from the combination of California Reinforced Plastics (founded 1948), Ciba Composites (acquired 1995) and Hercules Composites Products Division (acquired 1995). The company sells its products in commercial, military and recreational markets for use in commercial and militaryaircraft,space launch vehicles andsatellites,wind turbine blades,sports equipment andautomotive products. Hexcel works withAirbus Group,The Boeing Company, and others.[2] Since 1980, the firm has publicly traded on theNew York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HXL.[3]
Hexcel, originally named the California Reinforced Plastics Company, was founded in 1948 by a group of engineers from theUniversity of California at Berkeley.[citation needed] The company's first contract was for the research and development of honeycomb materials for use in radar domes on military aircraft.[4] In 1954, the company changed its name toHexcel Products, Inc. The name was derived from the hexagonal cell-shaped honeycomb materials manufactured by the company.[5]
In the 1960s, Hexcel sold aluminum honeycomb and pre-impregnated fiberglass to Hubert A. Zemke andDave McCoy for use in building skis.[6]
Hexcel expanded from military and commercial aviation to theUnited States space program. The landing pads on the lunar moduleApollo 11 that carried men to the moon in 1969 were built from Hexcel honeycomb materials.[7][8][9]
In 1970, Hexcel licensed the ski from McCoy.[10] A few years later, Hexcel decided to focus on its core aerospace business and sold the ski enterprise to the ski boot makerHanson Industries.[citation needed]
In the 1980s, Hexcel purchased Stevens-Genin S.A., a French company that manufactured glass-fiber and woven industrial materials.[4][11]
In 1981, it provided materials for the nose, doors and wings of theSpace ShuttleColumbia.[12][13] In 1986, Hexcel made most of the material used in the fuselage and wings of theRutan Voyager – the first aircraft to make a nonstop, around-the-world trip on a single tank of fuel.[5]
In 2017, Hexcel was selected by Airbus to supply the composite materials for the H160 helicopter's fuselage structures and rotor blades.[14] Hexcel acquired the aerospace and defense business of Oxford Performance Materials, a manufacturer of carbon fiber-reinforced 3D printed parts for commercial aerospace and space and defense applications.[15]
In March 2018, Hexcel opened its manufacturing facility at the MidParc Free Trade Zone inCasablanca, Morocco.[16] The facility oversees the transformation of lightweight honeycomb materials into engineered core parts for aircraft structures, engine nacelles and helicopter blades. Hexcel also signed a strategic alliance with Arkema in Colombes, France, to combine work in carbon fiber and PEKK.[17] The alliance will result in a joint research and development laboratory in France. The companies aim to develop carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tapes to produce lightweight parts for aircraft.[18]
Also in 2018, Hexcel opened a carbon fiber plant at the Les Roches-Roussillon Chemicals Industry Platform inIsère, France.[19] The plant is based at the Osiris Chemicals Industry Platform.[20] Hexcel's composite materials were used as part of a new boat design used in theTour de France à la voile.[21]
In July 2018, Hexcel opened an integrated factory inSalaise-sur-Sanne nearLyon, manufacturingpolyacrylonitrile (PAN), the carbon fiber precursor, the second after itsDecatur, Alabama plant.
In December 2018, Hexcel announced the hiring of Colleen Pritchett as President - Aerospace, in America.[22]
On May 1st, 2024, Tom Gentile was named CEO following Nick Stanage’s retirement.
| Annual Financials | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales/revenue | 1.99B | 2.19B | 2.37B | 1.51B | 1.32B |
| Cost of goods sold | 1.42B | 1.61B | 1.72B | 1.26B | 1.07B |
| Gross income | 572M | 581.7M | 650.5M | 243.3M | 248.9M |
The company providesAirbus with over 80% of the carbon fiber it needs and is the main supplier of carbon fiber forSafran, notably for theCFM LEAP fan blades.[24]
Hexcel is creating a newR&D site inLes Avenieres, also near Lyon, focusing onout of autoclave processes, includingresin-transfer molding and resin filminfusion to target lower production costs for Airbus' futuresingle-aisle family.[24]Using athermoplastic resin jointly developed with chemicals specialistArkema, as opposed tothermoset, would accelerateassembly, cut manufacturing costs and lighten structures.[24]
