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Hexcel Corporation
Company typePublic
IndustryCommercial aerospace, space and defense and industrial
Founded1948; 76 years ago (1948)
FoundersRoger C. Steele & Roscoe T. Hughes
Headquarters
Stamford, Connecticut
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Tom Gentile (Chairman and CEO)
ProductsComposite materials
RevenueUS$1.32 billion (2021)
US$72 million (2021)
US$16.1 million (2021)
Number of employees
4800+
Websitehexcel.com

Hexcel Corporation is an American public industrial materials company, based in Stamford, 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 military aircraft, space launch vehicles and satellites, wind turbine blades, sports equipment and automotive products. Hexcel works with Airbus Group, The Boeing Company, and others.[1] Since 1980, the firm has publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HXL.[2]

History

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1948–1970s

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Hexcel, originally named the California Reinforced Plastics Company, was founded in 1948 by a group of engineers from the University 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.[3] In 1954, the company changed its name to Hexcel Products, Inc. The name was derived from the hexagonal cell-shaped honeycomb materials manufactured by the company.[4]

In the 1960s, Hexcel sold aluminum honeycomb and pre-impregnated fiberglass to Hubert A. Zemke and Dave McCoy for use in building skis.[5]

Hexcel expanded from military and commercial aviation to the United States space program. The landing pads on the lunar module Apollo 11 that carried men to the moon in 1969 were built from Hexcel honeycomb materials.[6][7][8]

In 1970, Hexcel licensed the ski from McCoy.[9] A few years later, Hexcel decided to focus on its core aerospace business and sold the ski enterprise to Hanson Boots.[citation needed]

1980s–2000

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In the 1980s, Hexcel purchased Stevens-Genin S.A., a French company that manufactured glass-fiber and woven industrial materials.[3][10]

In 1981, it provided materials for the nose, doors and wings of the Space Shuttle Columbia.[11][12] In 1986, Hexcel made most of the material used in the fuselage and wings of the Rutan Voyager – the first aircraft to make a nonstop, around-the-world trip on a single tank of fuel.[4]

2000–2024.

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In 2017, Hexcel was selected by Airbus to supply the composite materials for the H160 helicopter's fuselage structures and rotor blades.[13] 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.[14]

In March 2018, Hexcel opened its manufacturing facility at the MidParc Free Trade Zone in Casablanca, Morocco.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17]

Also in 2018, Hexcel opened a carbon fiber plant at the Les Roches-Roussillon Chemicals Industry Platform in Isère, France.[18] The plant is based at the Osiris Chemicals Industry Platform.[19] Hexcel's composite materials were used as part of a new boat design used in the Tour de France à la voile.[20]

In July 2018, Hexcel opened an integrated factory in Salaise-sur-Sanne near Lyon, manufacturing polyacrylonitrile (PAN), the carbon fiber precursor, the second after its Decatur, Alabama plant.

On May 1st, 2024, Tom Gentile was named CEO following Nick Stanage’s retirement.

Financial data

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Annual Financials for Hexcel Corp.[21]
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


Acquisitions

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  • 1996 – Ciba Composites[22]
  • 1996 – Hercules Composites Products Division[23]
  • 1997 – Fiberite satellite prepreg business[24]
  • 2017 – Oxford Performance Materials Aerospace & Defense Business[25]
  • 2017 – Structil SA[26]
  • 2018 - ARC Technologies[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Composites Will Have Big Presence at 2017 Paris Air Show". Composites Manufacturing. June 19, 2017.
  2. ^ Chakachery, E. A.; Bradley, W. L. (1987). "A comparison of the crack tip damage zone for fracture of Hexcel F185 neat resin and T6T145/F185 composite". Polymer Engineering and Science. 27: 33–40. doi:10.1002/pen.760270106.
  3. ^ a b "History of Hexcel Corporation Universe". FundingUniverse.com. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Pollack, Andrew (October 15, 1986). "Hexcel's Honeycomb Success". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  5. ^ "Hexcel". The Ski Journal. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  6. ^ Doengi, F.; Burnage, S.T.; Cottard, H. & Roumeas, R. (February 1998). "Lander Shock-Alleviation Techniques" (PDF). ESA Bulletin (93).
  7. ^ "Hexcel". The Republican Herald. September 28, 2017. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018 – via PressReader.
  8. ^ Stamatopoulos, Ioannis (July 18, 2016). "Hexcel: Time Is A Friend Of This Wonderful Company". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  9. ^ "Dave McCoy, founder of Mammoth Mountain, dies at 104". Orange County Register. February 9, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  10. ^ Cohendet, Patrick; Ledoux, Marc J.; Zuscovitch, Ehud (December 6, 2012). New Advanced Materials. Springer. p. 120. ISBN 9783540194149.
  11. ^ "Hexcel anniversary in 2008 marked by investment". JEC Composites.com. April 18, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  12. ^ "Hexcel Corporation - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information". Reference for Business.com. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  13. ^ "Hexcel flying high with Airbus and Boeing". Inside Composites.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  14. ^ Black, Sara. "Hexcel acquires Oxford Performance Materials". Composites World.com. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  15. ^ Francis, Scott. "Hexcel celebrates Casablanca facility grand opening". Composites World.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  16. ^ Francis, Scott. "Hexcel and Arkema partner to develop aerospace thermoplastic composites". Composites World.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  17. ^ Francis, Scott. "Hexcel and Arkema partner to develop aerospace thermoplastic composites". Composites World.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  18. ^ "Hexcel opens carbon fiber plant". Materials Today. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  19. ^ "Hexcel opens new carbon fibre production line". Inside Composites.com. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  20. ^ Black, Sara. "Flexible cure prepreg finds use in marine and wind". Composites World.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  21. ^ "Hexcel Corp". Market Watch.com. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  22. ^ Fisher, Lawrence M. (July 13, 1995). "Hexcel to Combine With Ciba Composites Unit". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  23. ^ Jones, Dow (April 17, 1996). "Company News; Hexcel Bids $135 Million For Hercules Unit". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  24. ^ "Hexcel Corporation". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  25. ^ Zimmerman, Kevin (December 19, 2017). "Hexcel completes Oxford Performance Materials acquisition". Westfair Communications. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  26. ^ Sloan, Jeff. "JEC World 2018 preview: Hexcel". Composites World.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  27. ^ "Hexcel to Acquire ARC Technologies". NetComposites.com. December 5, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
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