Hexcel Corporation, in conjunction with Tianjin Xeda Administrative Committee, has announced further details of its plans to build a new prepreg plant in China. The new facility is intended to meet the strong demand for composites used in wind turbines. China is experiencing major growth in its wind energy market and the country plans to double the amount of energy it obtains from renewable sources by 2020; a strategy that will require a major increase in the number of wind power plants in the country.
With the support of Xeda, Hexcel has secured a total floor area of 30 000m2 site in Tianjin, close to the facilities of major wind power customers. The plant building area will occupy approximately 8,000m2 and manufacture HexPlyŽ epoxy resin prepregs, primarily for wind energy and industrial applications. Production at the new facility will commence in summer 2008.
Prepreg is fiber-reinforced resin system that cures under heat and pressure to produce structures with a very high strength to weight ratio. Prepreg is widely used in the wind energy industry where its outstanding strength and low weight have enabled turbine blades to grow to today's giant proportions.
Mr Guoqing Zhang, Chief of Xiqing District said: "The Xiqing Economic Development Area (XEDA), a leading international industrial park in Tianjin, is very proud to welcome Hexcel as a new member of its family. This new partnership rewards XEDA's continuing strategy in expanding the zone support for alternative energies of the future. Once more, XEDA, with its safe, friendly, time-tested infrastructure, transparent business environment and processional services, provided a win-win solution to share a stronger future for all stakeholders, solidifying its position as a leading destination for the international manufacturing community."
David E. Berges, Hexcel Chairman and CEO commented: "Hexcel was a major force in introducing prepreg to the wind energy industry over a decade ago, working in partnership with blade manufacturers in Europe. We are very proud to be building on our experience by setting up this new facility in Tianjin and we thank Xeda for their support."
Hexcel is a major supplier of composites to the wind energy industry in Europe, having supplied the first prepregs for composite wind blades in the early 1990's. Since then the demand for composites has evolved exponentially with the size of the wind blades and Hexcel has remained at the forefront of the supply of composites to the industry, in the form of carbon- and glass-fiber reinforcements, prepregs (resin impregnated fiber-reinforcements) and a range of complementary materials and technologies, surface finishing materials, peel ply and paste adhesives.
