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FEATURE

Utah is an International Leader
in the Advanced Composites Industry

Take some pioneering spirit, mix it with innovation, add some synergy and what do you get? Utah’s international leadership in the field of advanced composites—a position EDCUtah, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), and eight Utah companies plan to showcase next week as they converge on SAMPE 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sponsored by the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), the symposium showcases the latest technology, applications and materials for the advanced composite manufacturing marketplace. With an estimated 5,000 attendees and 230 exhibitors, SAMPE 2007 will provide an excellent backdrop for Utah to showcase its world-class leadership in the development of technologies in the advanced composite materials industry, says Kim Lofgreen, EDCUtah’s vice president of marketing and communications.

Participants in Utah’s expanded booth hope to create more business opportunities for the state’s composites industry, promote Utah’s leadership and expertise across the supply chain, and recruit additional advanced composites companies to the state. “Utah has a very strong advanced composites industry, especially in the depth and breadth of its supply chain,” Lofgreen says. “By bringing all of the Utah companies and organizations together in one booth, we can leverage our leadership.”

After the 2006 SAMPE symposium, EDCUtah came away with many business leads and several projects. Lofgreen says the other booth participants came away with strengthened relationships and opportunities—“And we expect the same results this year.” Organizations participating in the 2007 booth with EDCUtah and GOED include:

ATK--the world’s leading provider of advanced lightweight, high-strength composite materials. Through 40 years of innovation and manufacturing excellence, ATK has revolutionized the composite industry.

Composite Solutions LLC--demonstrates unique design, process and production problem solving.

Contour Composites, Inc.--specializes in providing design/FEA and fabrication of advanced composite structures for the aerospace, aviation, communications and medical industries.

Davis Applied Technology College--provides competency-based education in an open-entry, open-exit environment that prepares students with career and technical skills. The Composite Materials Technology program at the DATC provides hands-on experience in fabricating lightweight, structurally strong parts and assemblies for a variety of applications.

GOODE Ski Technologies--a manufacturer of high performance CARBON Fiber snow skis, water skis and ski poles. Its facility includes engineering, CAD/CAD services, a large bed CNC machining center, precision finishing equipment, compression molding presses, vacuum bagging, bladder molding, injection molding, packaging, warehousing and distribution.

HyPerComp Engineering, Inc.--specializes in the design, analysis, development, testing, manufacture, and certification of composite overwrapped (filament wound) high pressure vessels for diverse applications with extreme performance requirements.

MacLean Quality Composites--established in 1988, the company has become a leader in design, engineering and manufacture of custom composite products.

University of Utah--the Composite Mechanics Laboratory at the offers a wide range of capabilities and experience in composite materials research and development. Additionally, the Composite Mechanics Laboratory offers testing services to the composites community in the areas of materials characterization, fracture mechanics, and impact/damage tolerance testing of composite laminates and sandwich composites.

Since the 1950’s, when Hercules Powder Company began investigating improved solid propellant rockets and developed some of the first rocket propellant for early rocket engines, the technology of carbon/graphite fiber has forever altered our way of life. You’ll find advanced composites in everything from tennis rackets and water skis to rocket motors and strike fighter jets. Hercules developed the first facility in Utah to produce carbon fiber (now one of the three largest manufacturers of carbon fiber in the U.S.). Today, ATK Thiokol uses carbon fiber for rocket motors and other aerospace parts. Adam Aircraft, of Ogden, uses composite materials for its line of very light jets. Goode Ski Technologies, also of Ogden, has won more national medals than all other brands combined with its carbon/graphite water skis. At half the weight, carbon/graphite offers twice the physical properties of any fiberglass water ski. And EDO Corporation, in its fiber science effort, creates some of the most advanced composite structures in the world. Its composite aircraft structures provide improved strength and stiffness-to-weight performance versus conventional fabricated aluminum structures.

Utah offers an ideal environment and infrastructure for composite-related businesses, including raw materials, engineering capability, an excellent workforce, manufacturing capability, sales experts, machine design, and manufacturing support. From R&D to engineering and production, Utah is in the center of the composites marketplace and Utah companies continue to be highly innovative in their use of advanced composites. Tremendous breakthroughs in the industry have and continue to occur here. Both companies and higher educational institutions are dedicated to the growth and development of this industry. In fact, six colleges and universities across the state offer specialized programs in the composites field.

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The EDCUTAH Economic Review is a weekly publication of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. It is distributed to EDCUTAH partners and selected other government and civic organizations interested in Utah's economic development. If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, please use the link below. Subscribe or Unsubscribe Your comments and suggestions regarding this newsletter are always welcome. Click here: Comments

IN THE NEWS

Economic Development Headlines

Berline, Which Touts High-Profile Clientele, Settles in Springville

- A company that just moved to Springville undoubtedly made Tracy McGrady's early exit from the NBA playoffs a little easier to take. Sport Electric Vehicles Inc., which does business as Berline, manufactures luxury golf carts. It makes five models at present, ranging in price from $13,500 to $17,000, with a sixth version coming out this summer.  (SL Tribune)

USU Hopes to Open Incubator

- Utah State University is hoping to open a business incubation program in Brigham City within the next year. The community innovation center would provide space for classes, conferences and a business resource center according to Andy Shinkle, executive director of USUs Brigham City Extension. (Daily Herald) (KSL)

Cedar City Adds More to ED Web Site

- In addition to serving as a launching point for community involvement, Cedar City/Iron County Economic Development Director Bryan Dangerfield said the web site for Utah's Festival City will also be a recruitment tool for businesses that might consider setting up shop in Cedar City. (The Spectrum)

East End of G-Ville to Become Commercial Hub?

- Grantsville's east end could be remade into a hub of commercial and light industrial activity with more high-density affordable housing to boot under a new development plan unveiled before the city council last week. (Tooele Transcript Bulletin)

County Plans Deseret Peak Complex Additions

- Deseret Peak Complex is planning an expansion to give the facility the ability to attract more meetings, host more events and sell more tickets and concessions. Tooele County Parks and Recreation Director Mark McKendrick and county commissioners are formulating plans to add six side-by-side conference rooms and general offices on the south side of Deseret Peak's arena. The expansion would enlarge the existing building from 41,250 square feet to 57,750 square feet.
(Tooele Transcript Bulletin)

Long-Term Results of Visits Prove Evasive

- Utah legislators are no strangers to travel, but a diplomatic mission to create a special relationship with a foreign government is far from standard.
A review of legislative travel for the past two years shows senators and representatives regularly take part in national lawmaking associations, most often the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.
(SL Tribune)

Tourism Revenues are Up

- Tourism and related outdoor recreational opportunities are the lifeblood of Southern Utah because they provide each household with $550 in tax relief each year. (The Spectrum)

Four Utah Teams in the Running for DARPA Urban Challenge

-  The U.S. military has Utah on its radar as it searches for unmanned ground vehicles it can deploy in war zones. Marshall Wright of the Governor's Office of Economic Development says four Utah groups will be getting site visits from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - or DARPA - as it qualifies teams for its Urban Challenge. (KCPW)

IKEA Gives Utahns a Hint of Hip

- An IKEA opening can only be done large. Overflowing parking lots. Day-glo colors. Blaring Black Box, Flock of Seagulls and Abba music. And, most important, long lines. The launch of Utah's own Swedish superstore had all the elements required to whip up a shopping frenzy: free stuff, blocked-off roads and die-hard fans camping out for not one, but two nights. (SL Tribune)

St. George Gets New Glass Facility

- A $35 million glass fabrication facility that produces high-tech insulating glass panels to meet stringent design and performance criteria celebrated its grand opening Tuesday in St. George. (Morning News) (The Spectrum)

Delegation from China Courts Utah Businesses

- A Chinese business delegation will court Utah entrepreneurs today, hoping to make their consumer market a little more appealing to Beehive businesses. (SL Tribune)

Editorial: Track Putting Tooele On the Map; Next Step is Ours

- When was the last time you tuned into one of the national TV networks during the middle of the day and saw more than two hours’ worth of footage of Tooele Valley? (Tooele Transcript Bulletin)

USU Hopes to Open Business Incubator Within Year

- Utah State University is hoping to open a business incubation program in Brigham City within the next year.
(KSL)

Utah Businesses to Benefit From Assistance With Ex-Im Bank Financing as Miller Global Business Center Becomes Ex-Im Bank City/State Partner

- Current and future Utah exporters will benefit from local access to information and assistance on the export finance programs of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) now that the Miller Global Business Center of Salt Lake Community College has joined Ex-Im Bank's City/State Partners Program. (PR Newswire)

211,000 Square Foot R&D/Office Project to Break Ground in SLC

- CentrePointe Business Park, a 211,000 square foot project is about to break ground on 12.5 acres just off the I-215, California Boulevard exit and the Highway 201 interchange in Salt Lake City. (The Enterprise)

Art Institutes to Open 2,000-Student SLC Campus

- The Art Institutes, a Pittsburgh-based operator of 35 North American schools that provides degrees in the design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts fields, in the market we serve will open its first Utah school in 38,000 square feet at 121 W. Election Dr., Draper. (The Enterprise)

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