Loading ...Composite Resources, Rock Hill, S.C., recently completed a 30,000 square foot expansion of its existing 22,000 square foot facility. The company is an engineering, designing and manufacturing firm, working with clients to build composite components and assemblies.
The expansion was driven not by a specific project, but rather in anticipation for further growth in both composites and military applications. This recognition was first evident in 2004, when the company relocated from Charlotte.
“I think it’s the movement towards the lighter weight materials with similar characteristics to traditional material,” said co-owner Lisa Bennett. “Composites has picked up in interest in the industrial market. They’ve been used for years in aerospace and automotive applications, but companies working in the chemical and semiconductor industries are grabbing on because of the lightweight characteristic and especially the cost. The cost used to be prohibitive, but today it’s much more affordable, and can compete more with aluminum.”
Bennett said the biggest challenge was accommodating their diverse clients by coming up with an expansion design and facility that was flexible. “We wanted something that could morph with our client as they changed and went in different directions,” she said.
The company may be celebrating their expansion now, but they’re looking ahead to further expansions in the next couple of years. We’d like to add more clients to the client base and continuing to offer our expertise in the market,” said Bennett. “We have several projects in the pipeline, and if they all hit, we would need to add an additional 30,000 square feet in the next by 2011.” Among these projects are a military composite stretcher, a new medical device for tracheotomy patients and aramid dome shells for land mine detection.
