To Main Page

 To Tidbits

"The beginning:

It was after World War Two, in 1946, that two old friends, friends since high school in Piedmont, California, and both graduates in mechanical engineering from U. C. Berkeley, and following stints in the Navy for each, Roger C. Steele, and Roscoe T. "Bud" Hughes Jr. collaborated to form a company to manufacture something. There had been family relations with the grape growing industry in the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys of California, and Roger and Bud recognized a need to improve on the method of supporting the trellises that the grape vines grow on, which here to fore had been a wood strut nailed between the row end anchor posts. They conceived a formed metal strut which could be more easily and durably be affixed to the trellis than the wood strut. They, Roger and Bud, managed somehow to acquire coils of sheet steel. Steel in those days was a very difficult commodity to come by, but they did it. They approached a company in Oakland, California, (Gilro Machine and Stamping Co.) where a young engineer, Edwin L. Rule, assisted them in developing the dies required to form the trellis supports. The products were processed and distributed out of the basement of Bud's home in Lafayette, California.

Roger had other ideas for a company and had been working on a their to make a structural honeycomb product by a glue and expansion method (similar to the Chinese lantern novelty). Honeycomb was then made by others (for structural applications) using the corrugation process. It was slow, inefficient, and with size constraints. Roger's new process could produce a product of most any reasonably anticipated size. He and But made a sandwich product of paper core with porcelainized steel face sheet. It was four by eight feet in size. They hoped to provide this product to the modular home industry.

About the same time, Roger had talked with engineers at Douglas Aircraft Company where they were making a paper honeycomb product called "Aircomb". He was hoping to interest them in his product with its large size capability. They had no interest in another paper product, but would be interested in a product made of fiberglass. Roger turned his attention to the possibility of using his process to make a fiberglass core. The new product, which was to be made of pre-impregnated fiberglass, that is, woven fiberglass saturated with a resin, would be printed with an adhesive in an appropriate pattern, cured, and expanded to yield a "block" of honeycomb with could be cut or shaped to specific requirements. The company, formed in 1948, was known as: California Reinforced Plastics Co.

With the venture into impregnated fiberglass for honeycomb manufacture, there was a need for technical assistance in the are of resin formulation and impregnation, Hence the entrance of Kenneth M. Holland, a chemist and fraternity brother of Roger at U.S. Berkeley. Ken had been working for a company engaged in the manufacture of fiberglass luggage, and although there' not an exact match of a suitcase to a honeycomb material, the chemistry was a perfect fit. Ken joined the company in 1948.

California Reinforced Plastics Co. had moved out of Bud's basement to a facility on 4th Street in Berkeley. Andrew C. Marshall, a mechanical engineer, and a room mate of roger during their last year at Cal, had a job at United Airlines, but had a desire to venture into new areas of product development. He applied for a job with his old friends, but they couldn't afford to pay him. Having a wife and two small children, he felt the need for monetary compensation. It was decided Andy should re-apply in a year. He did and Andy was hired in October of 1950 as Chief Engineer. He negotiated a salary and an option to purchase a share of the fledging company.

Paul V. Ammen, known as P.V, had been a friend and classmate of Roger and Bud at Piedmont High School. P.V. had attended Stanford majoring in economics and, although lacking a degree, he joined his buddies as Chief "Financial Officer in 1948. P.V's financial acumen brought a degree of stability to the cash flow excursions of the upstart company. Also P.V's mother, Vera Ammen, assisted in financing the development of the company. In fact, much of the newly developed production equipment was identified with plates stating that this equipment was mortgaged to Vera Ammen, thus assuring that should the company fail, no liens could be placed upon the new equipment.

Ed Rule, who developed the stamping equipment for the trellis support venture, had been "moon lighting" for Roger on the design of the honeycomb making equipment. As Ed designed the machinery, Kay Steele, Roger's wife, made the drawings for the patents of this new and novel method of making structural honeycomb. Ed was hired by Andy Marshall in 1951 as an engineer. Ed advanced through engineering to manufacturing executive positions, was elected to the Board Of Directors in 1982 and served on the Board through December 1987. He retired from Hexcel in 1985 but continued as a consultant through 1987. During Ed's tenure with Hexcel he was Chief Engineer, Manufacturing Manage, Assistant to the President, Executive V.P. and Chief Operating Officer. Ed was what made it work!

One day, a guy named John P. Schaffer came into the office on 4th Street looking for a job. A long meeting was held between Roger, Bud, P. V., Ken and John P. "Jack" Schaffer. It was decided that Jack had certain organizational skills needed by this new company. Jack was hired as a V.P. thus creating what was to become known as the "Big Five": Roger, Bud, P.V., Ken and Jack. Jack had just previously been manager of a building supply company and prior to that a leader of a band of "gorilla fighters" in the Philippines during WW II. Yes, Jack had the managerial and leadership skills necessary for a developing company.

In the period following WW II it was common for veterans of the conflict to discuss was stories. In one such discussion between Jack and P.V., Jack said he was working as a mining engineer outside Manila when General Douglas Macarthur "offered" to remove all American citizens from the islands before they were taken and occupied by the Japanese. Jack elected to stay. His proclaimed mission was to literally blow up the transportation system of the city and wreak havoc on the invading troops. P.V. stated he was born in Manila and knew something of the transportation system and wanted to discuss it in detail. The transportation system, actually named Ammen Transportation System was owned by the Ammen family, P.V.'s parents. Jack and his band of raiders had decimated the railway and bus system owned by the family of his new business partner.

The name of the company, California Reinforced Plastics Co. was changed to Hexcel Products in 1953 and changed again to Hexcel Corporation in 1977. In 1959 the company had it's first stock offering, 50,000 shares OTC. In 1980 Hexcel was listed on the N.Y.S.E.

Roger C. Steel had created a unique method of making honeycomb core, a patented process that endured until the expiration of the patents. During this time, Hexcel was indeed the world leader of honeycomb materials and the honeycomb sandwich remains the most efficient structure yet devised.