Advanced Composites Colleges Government Operations

First specializing in strategic missiles, Utah is now home to a diverse selection of advanced composite industries, producing everything from carbon fiber aerospace components to state-of-the-art carbon fiber bicycle wheels. Utah boasts a skill labor pool of over 10,000 employees in advanced composites-related firms, composing one of the highest concentrations of carbon fiber businesses in the nation. Thanks to the lowest median age (29.7) in the United States as well as a well-educated workforce, and a cost of living that is 5 to 10% lower than the national average, Utah is a prime location for expanding and relocating businesses. In the last two years, some of the most respected composite firms have expanded in Utah. Utah’s low electricity costs and business-friendly tax environment have enticed the largest and most advanced firms in composites to the state. Employing over 23,000 Utahans, Hill Air Force Base is one of the largest employers in the state serving as a beacon for defense contractors. In addition to Utah’s economic development focus on advanced composites, the state also pays close attention to cultivating the aerospace, wind energy and outdoor products industries in Utah. These three complementary industries, with their strong ties to the advanced composites market, allow for a strong local customer base for relocating and expanding companies.

• Hexcel Corporation plans to expand into part of West Valley City’s new 400+ acre industrial park EDA and create about 600 new jobs and $1.1 billion in capital investment over the next 10 years. The new manufacturing facility will allow Hexcel to remain the largest manufacturer of high performance carbon fiber in the U.S. and will serve as a catalyst for continued growth in the advanced composites and aerospace industries in the state. This is the second major expansion of Hexcel in Utah. Starting in 2008 Hexcel created 550 jobs in the state over 3 years, the success of this expansion has contributed to doubling Hexcel’s net income since their first expansion to Utah - which now houses 25% of all Hexcel’s labor force worldwide.

• ITT Exelis Inc. has committed to significantly expand their composites engineering facility in Salt Lake County. The new operations will support commercial and military aircraft customers. ITT will add more than 2,700 jobs over the next 15 years to the 400 employees currently in Utah. The company will invest over $120 million in facility equipment to bring the aviation composites facility into operation.

• Boeing recently opened its third manufacturing location within the state. The facility in West Jordan will house fabrication operations for composite horizontal stabilizer components destined for the 787-9 version of the company’s Dreamliner aircraft. The Boeing facility will house 240 employees paying $146,800,428 additional in new state wages.

• ENVE Composites, Inc., which manufactures high end carbon fiber composite products for the cycling industry is expanding in Utah. Renowned for making the most durable wheels on the market, Enve will get a $1.3 million post-performance tax incentive creating 342 jobs over seven years that pay at least 125 percent of the Weber County average wage. The company will pay $5.3 million in taxes and more than $63 million in new wages during the seven-year period. ENVE has also pledged a $20 million capital investment in the expansion.

• ATK is an aerospace, defense and commercial products company with operations in 21 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally. ATK's Clearfield facility built the lightweight composite heat shield, interstage adapter and boat tail sections of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V that launched Curiosity in November 2011. ATK products supported the flight to Mars and the challenging descent to and landing on the Martian surface. Although ATK is based in Minnesota, two of the company’s three operating groups call Utah home.

• Janicki Industries is technically considered a high-tech manufacturer, but the company really defies classification. Most of its customers do not come with a specific product in mind, but rather with a complicated engineering problem that needs solving. Janicki’s engineers then go about the work of solving it. The family-owned business has been rewarded for its effort. Founded in 1993, Janicki has grown rapidly over the last several years, expanding its operation in job-starved Skagit County, and opening a 100,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Utah. Since 2007, Janicki has tripled its investment in manufacturing buildings and equipment as part of a strategic plan to support its growing customer base in aerospace, defense, marine, transportation alternative energy and other state-of-the-art composite programs.

• Vexxel Composites LLC, a sister company to HyPerComp Engineering (Brigham City, Utah, USA), has invested $4 million in capital improvements toward the manufacture of compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks. In addition to contributing $1.7 million in new state revenue, the project expects to pay out $21.1 million in new wages toward the 101 new full time jobs. Vexxel Composites LLC focuses on composite overwrapped pressure vessels. Vexxel manufactures CNG pressure vessels in numerous sizes to support the high growth in the use of CNG vehicles. Vexxel has developed strategic alliances with highly reputable companies to seize this opportunity. Vexxel will also manufacture pressure vessels for the U.S. military and other commercial applications.