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Central Virginia - Composites
capital of the state
by Virginia Business
Staff
May 2003
Northern Virginia
has long been known as a magnet for defense contractors
because it’s close to Washington. But with troops
on the ground in Iraq, central Virginia is drawing attention,
too, as a cluster for firms making the fibers that go
into body armor.
The area already
has two of the leading makers of such materials. Along
with its big factory in Hopewell, Honeywell operates
a large facility in Colonial Heights that produces fibers
for a new bullet-resistant body armor. Dupont’s
Chesterfield County plant makes the more traditional
Kevlar protectant used in flak jackets and helmets and
heat-resistant Nomex, used in flight suits of combat
air crews.
Their presence was a big draw for Magellan Systems International,
a Bethesda Md.-based defense contractor and producer
of specialty fibers, to build its first research and
production facility in the U.S. in Chesterfield. In
announcing plans for the $40 million, 30,000-square-foot
plant, Magellan CEO Gene Vetter described Chesterfield
as an ideal site “because of the strategic proximity
to other specialty fiber businesses in the area and
the expertise and potential partnerships they could
provide.” Magellan plans to develop a new generation
of high-strength fiber technology with applications
for the U. S. military and aerospace sectors.
Honeywell made headlines
recently for its Spectra Shield® product. Ten times
stronger than steel, it is one of the world’s lightest
and strongest manmade polyethylene fibers. The fibers
are made into plates that fit into flak jackets and
can stop both shrapnel and high-velocity rifle rounds.
Troops find it is lighter, too, reducing body armor
weight from 16 to 8 pounds, says Tim Swinger, global
marketing manager for armor at Honeywell’s Colonial
Heights plant. “When you can cut weight like that,
it makes a huge difference for the soldiers in terms
of their flexibility and their comfort.”
Demand from the military
and law enforcement agencies has forced the Honeywell
plant to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week since
even before the September 11 terrorist attacks, which
spiked demand more.
County officials
are in hopes other defense contractors will cluster
in Chesterfield. Jim Dunn, director of Chesterfield’s
Department of Economic Development, says the county
can support such businesses with local attributes such
as cheap electricity and access to Virginia Commonwealth
University’s engineering school.
Virginia
Business - May 2003
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