Web Industries purchases Seattle-area land for composites processing plant

Prompted by increasing demand for precision formatted composite materials for the Boeing 777X and by the aerospace industry’s growth in the Pacific Northwest, Web Industries has signed a letter of intent with East Forty to purchase 12 acres of land for a manufacturing plant in Marysville, Wash., north of Seattle.

[caption id="attachment_27555" align="alignright" width="300"] Web Industries President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Pihl[/caption]

The site is near Boeing’s final assembly plant in Everett, Wash. and in proximity to material supplier Toray’s processing facility in Tacoma, Wash.

The new facility will occupy 75,000ft2 and house Web’s proprietary composites slitting and winding technology, as well as 9,000ft2 of refrigerated warehousing. Refrigeration at minus 10°F is necessary to ensure the chemical stability of some raw composite materials before final processing. Future capabilities include development services and product cutting and kitting. Ground-breaking is scheduled for spring 2019. The plant will be operational once the building is constructed, equipment is qualified and employees are trained, all targeted for January 2021.

According to Web Industries President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Pihl, the plant’s physical location positions Web to earn additional aircraft business in the region.

“The Pacific Northwest is the largest aerospace manufacturing centre in the world,” Pihl notes. “Washington alone has more than 1,400 aerospace-related companies and a rapidly expanding ‘space cluster’ of high-growth enterprises. Our new plant investment has Web Industries perfectly located to grow right along with these businesses.”

The Washington State Department of Commerce has provided a $150,000 grant from Governor Jay Inslee’s economic development strategic reserve fund to support the new facility’s location.

“We are proud to welcome Web Industries to the leading global aerospace industry hub here in Washington,” said Governor Inslee. “The company’s significant planned investments in Snohomish County are a tremendous addition to one of the most robust carbon fibre composite manufacturing clusters anywhere in the world.”

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring added: “I am delighted to welcome Web Industries to the Arlington Marysville Manufacturing Industrial Centre. This investment adds 75 new jobs in Marysville and will undoubtedly attract other employers who value available land and infrastructure at a more affordable rate than that of most of the Puget Sound.”

Patrick Pierce, president and CEO of Economic Alliance Snohomish County, noted that Web Industries is the first sizeable composites formatter in the Seattle area. “Web’s commitment to the region is the first significant one by a materials formatter in the carbon fibre space, and we expect others to follow,” Pierce says. “Aerospace has been the centre of our industrial activity for decades, and the adoption of composite materials for the Boeing 787 and now the 777X broadens our regional supply chain. We also anticipate that Web’s expertise will have applications in industries outside of aerospace. Our interactions with Web executives over the past months have been most professional and we look forward to having them join our leadership community.”

www.webindustries.com

 

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