Strata's Milestone: Carbon Fibre Production for Boeing 777X in the UAE

Strata Syensqo Advanced Materials (SSAM) has marked a pivotal moment for the UAE’s advanced manufacturing landscape by producing large-scale carbon fibre prepreg materials at its Al Ain facility. These high-performance materials play a critical role in aircraft structures and other sophisticated industries globally.

This noteworthy announcement took place during the fifth edition of the Make it in the Emirates forum.

A joint venture between Strata Manufacturing PJSC and Belgium’s Syensqo, SSAM confirmed that the new prepreg rolls will be utilized in manufacturing test components for Boeing’s 777X aircraft as part of a long-term supply agreement.

Sara Abdulla Al Memari, Acting CEO of Strata, remarked that the focus on advanced materials is becoming essential to the company’s industrial roadmap. She emphasized Strata's commitment to enhancing production capabilities aligned with the UAE’s National Strategy for Industry and the objectives of the Make it in the Emirates initiative.

Khaled Saif Al Nuaimi, Engineering and Maintenance Manager at Strata Syensqo, noted that the Al Ain facility is unique in the Middle East, designed to produce varying grades of prepreg materials tailored to client specifications and production methodologies.

The manufacturing process encompasses five critical stages, commencing with the creation of industrial resin under precise pressure and temperature. Following this, the resin is applied to paper sheets and stored under cool conditions, after which carbon fibres are layered between resin-coated sheets under heat and pressure to form the carbon fibre prepreg.

Ultimately, the material is tailored to customer-specific sizes before undergoing final packaging and cold storage to preserve quality prior to shipment.

Al Nuaimi emphasized that each product undergoes stringent quality assessment at SSAM’s laboratories in Al Ain to ensure adherence to international standards. He also highlighted the crucial involvement of Emirati talent in this endeavor, with professionals trained in engineering, production, maintenance, and quality control.

These teams have benefited from specialized training in Germany and the UK to facilitate knowledge transfer and build local capabilities in advanced manufacturing.

The notable participation of national companies at the Make it in the Emirates forum underscores the UAE’s swift advancements in both advanced materials and aerospace manufacturing. Industry analysts suggest these innovations are bolstering global supply chains, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s ambition of evolving into a globally competitive industrial hub.