Hexcel Corporation, a global leader in advanced composite materials, will join Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research, along with U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, to break ground on the new Hexcel Applications Center. This major investment expands Wichita’s role as a hub for aerospace innovation and advanced manufacturing.

The groundbreaking will be 10:30-11:15 a.m. Thursday, May 28 at 4174 S. Oliver Road. Remarks followed by ceremonial groundbreaking and media availability.

The new center will serve as a key location for developing and scaling next-generation composite materials and automated manufacturing processes, supporting aerospace and defense customers.

The Hexcel Applications Center will bring together industry and academic expertise to accelerate the development of advanced composite materials and manufacturing processes. The collaboration strengthens Wichita’s position as the Air Capital of the World while enabling faster innovation and more efficient production for the aerospace and defense industry. 

In attendance will be Hexcel leadership, including Tom Gentile, chairman, chief executive officer and president; Wichita State and NIAR leadership, including John Tomblin, executive vice president for research and Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR executive director, and Waruna Seneviratne, director of NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems; and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran. 

•  Formal groundbreaking ceremony with photo / video opportunities (video B-roll available at link)
• Hexcel, NIAR and government leader remarks
• Post-event media interviews with Hexcel and NIAR leadership

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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The mission of Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research is to strengthen university research capabilities; provide applied learning opportunities for students; and support the aviation and manufacturing industries while driving innovation and prosperity for the community, region and state. NIAR provides research, testing, certification and training for aviation and manufacturing technologies.  Established in 1985, NIAR has a $400 million annual budget, 2,100 personnel and over two million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across Wichita, Kansas, and one in Huntsville, Alabama. wichita.edu/niar

Hexcel Corporation is a global leader in advanced lightweight composites technology. We provide innovative, high-performance material solutions that are lighter, stronger and tougher – shaping a world that moves farther, smarter and more efficiently. Our broad and unrivaled product range includes carbon fiber, specialty reinforcements, prepregs and other fiber-reinforced matrix materials, honeycomb, resins, engineered core, and composite structures for use in commercial aerospace, defense and space platforms as well as industrial applications.