Hexcel Corporation announced that it will expand its global engineered core capacity by building a 117,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Casablanca, Morocco. The new facility is part of Hexcel's ongoing worldwide investment to create a diversified and robust global supply chain to support aerospace customers' growing demand for engineered core. Engineered core is formed and machined honeycomb material used for light weighting in structural applications such as aircraft secondary structures, nacelles, and helicopter blades.

In recent years, Hexcel has increased its capacity at existing plants to support its current engineered core business and plans further expansions to capture additional opportunities in a global market with excellent growth potential. The new Moroccan plant will be built at the MidParc Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Industrial Park, located close to Morocco's Mohammed V airport and near several Hexcel customers including Safran (Aircelle), Airbus (STELIA), Matis (a joint venture between Boeing and Safran) and Bombardier. Construction on the $20 million project begins in the spring, and the plant is expected to be fully operational by mid-2017.

By 2020, it is expected to employ more than 200 people.