An American in the Alpine Valley 

Last fall, an American composites company announced the construction of a new factory in Roussillon, in the Isère region, in France. Among various assets of the territory is the presence of determined and efficient local players. 

Hexcel settles in Roussillon 

They've considered all possible options and considered about 70 sites in Europe and the US. Eventually, they chose the Isère region: executive directors of American company Hexcel have announced last fall the opening of a new factory on the chemical platform of Roussillon.

In mid-2015, the composite company will launch in the Rhône-Alpes region the construction of a plant manufacturing carbon wires. As global leader on this market, the multinational company employs over 5,000 people throughout the world. It specializes in highly technical sectors: space, defence and aeronautics. The carbon wires manufactured in Roussillon will be used to build airplanes. The creation of the wire manufacture will contribute to the development of the A350 airplane: the first specimen of Airbus Group's new gem has been delivered in Qatar last December. 

Assets of the Rhône Valley: favouring factors 

The proximity of its clients Airbus and Safran: those are the assets that tipped the balance in favour of Roussillon. But other factors came into play. For instance, the presence of another Hexcel site in the region, in Avenières, located between Lyon and Chambéry, just as the expertise of players on the field. An Economic Interest Grouping manages the industrial platform on which the American company will develop its new site: the opportunity to pool the costs in this structure, grouping together 15 companies for a total of about 1,400 employees, has been critical for the managers of Hexcel.

Current investments and future opportunities 

The Americans could also have counted on the commitment of local authorities: they will intervene in the site development, and on professional training. The company that has invested 200 million euros in the Isère region has also announced the creation of 120 direct jobs to start its production in early 2018. This may only be the beginning: if Airbus renews its contracts with its manufacturer, the company may make other investments in the Roussillon site. This is indeed (h)excellent news!