Decatur, with a population of over 55,000 and a mild climate, is located on the shores of the Tennessee River in Morgan County, Alabama. Decatur has a rich history and culture, and is home to industrial and technology facilities from several multi-national companies.  The city is centrally located to a world of attractions throughout north Alabama and southern Tennessee.  Huntsville, a major NASA and aerospace center, is approximately 20 minutes to the east; Birmingham, AL is one hour south; and Nashville, TN is two hours north.  Decatur offers a wide range of recreational activities for every taste -- theatre, museums, sports, shopping, and parks.  The 500-acre Point Mallard Family Park offers something for everyone: golf, walking trails, camping, sports fields for soccer and softball / baseball, tennis courts, a water park with America’s first wave pool and a variety of water slides, an indoor skating rink and more. 
 
Decatur is home to Hexcel's carbon fibers plant, located on a 28 acre facility overlooking the Tennessee River in Mallard Fox Creek Industrial Park.  The site buildings, which total 220,000 sq. ft. of space, house polymerization, fiber spin lines, and Hexcel’s Research & Technology center for carbon fiber development.

The Decatur plant, with over 140 employees, operates continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  The highly technical operation manufactures polyacrylonitrile (PAN) which is converted to carbon fiber at Hexcel’s facilities in Salt Lake city, UT and Illescas, Spain. Carbon fibers are made into prepreg for uni-directional tape or are woven into fabrics at other Hexcel plants around the world.  End uses of our products include military and commercial aircraft, blades for wind energy applications, rocket motors, satellites and recreational items such as tennis rackets, golf shafts and carbon frame bicycles