Quickstep Holdings Limited, a manufacturer of advanced carbon fibre composites for the aerospace, defence and automotive industries, has signed an agreement with Vector Composites Inc, its US licensee, to integrate its US business with that of Vector Composites.
The agreement – which will also signal the end for Quickstep’s existing US facility – comes after Vector and Quickstep successfully completed the Small Business Innovation Research contract awarded to them by the US Department of Defence in 2010.
According to the media release by Quickstep, the agreement will see Vector Composites acquire specific assets and lease key equipment, including a Quickstep curing machine, which will enable the company to manufacture composite parts in-house, and will provide Quickstep with access to a facility in the US with reduced operating costs.
“Our collaboration to date with Quickstep in the US has enabled us to add another valuable technology to our out-of-autoclave portfolio for manufacturing advanced composites. With the incorporation of the Quickstep technology and equipment inside our facility, Vector is able to offer the market the ability to go from prototype to production in an aerospace qualified environment,” Vector Composites CEO, Lyle Dunbar said.
“We have worked very successfully with Vector Composites and believe that this agreement with Vector provides Quickstep with an effective sales solution for the US market. Vector Composites will now use Quickstep technology to manufacture carbon fibre parts, and we will maintain our close relationship as Vector Composites showcases our technologies in the US. This enables us to close our US office, which has completed the work for which it was established,” Quickstep Executive Director, Philippe Odouard, said.
