On 26 April 2016, Hexcel laid the first foundation stone of its new honeycomb production site at MidParc in Casablanca. This plant represents a 20 million dollar investment

The ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the future plant was presided over by Mr. Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy, and Thierry Merlot, Vice President and Director General of Hexcel. This plant will be operational in 2017 and shall produce complex and engineered honeycomb to meet the aviation needs in lightening the weight of complex composite structures of certain aeronautical programmes, as well as the manufacturing of helicopter blades in particular and various parts for aircraft engines and nacelles.

Until then, Hexcel will move into a temporary facility located on the MidParc the site, which will go into production in the fourth quarter of 2016. The new plant will employ over 200 people by 2020.

The Casablanca site is part of an investment program already initiated by the Hexcel Group. The manufacturer has expanded the production capacity of its existing facilities in recent years, and continues to support the growth of composites in aerospace applications to meet the tremendous growth potential of the aerospace market. The group also aims to diversify and secure its global supply chain.

The Minister, Mr. El Elalamy, stressed on this occasion that “This project reflects the confidence and interest of a global industrial leader in Morocco as a destination of choice and further consolidates the position of the Kingdom as a major aviation base. Hexcel’s investment in Morocco, which is in line with the Industrial Acceleration Plan, is a forward looking project for Moroccan aeronautics: it will support its development as it is backed by the ecosystems’ dynamics and will further stimulate development of the local supply chain.”

As explained by Mr. Merlot during the ceremony: “Morocco’s forward-looking industrial policy, economic growth plan and the establishment of industrial free trade zones influenced our choice of location. Morocco has a highly skilled, competitive workforce, a good geographic situation, and a quality infrastructure -- all of which are key logistical criteria for our industry. Other deciding factors were the local Mohammed V international airport and the close proximity of several Hexcel customers including Safran (Aircelle), Airbus (STELIA), Daher, and Bombardier”.

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Hexcel Corporation is a leading advanced composites company. It develops, manufactures and markets lightweight, high-performance structural materials, including carbon fibres, reinforcements, prepregs, honeycomb, matrix systems, adhesives and composite structures, used in commercial aerospace, space and defence and industrial applications such as wind turbine blades.