Element Materials Technology Invests More Than $20 Million in Charlotte Facility to Expand Aerospace and Defense Materials Testing Capacity

LONDON, May 19, 2026 - Element Materials Technology, a leading global provider of testing, inspection and certification services, is investing more than $20 million in its Charlotte, North Carolina, facility to expand materials testing capacity for the aerospace and defense sector.

The investment underscores Element's commitment to growing with its customers by expanding testing capacity, improving turnaround times, and adding advanced equipment to support the qualification and production needs of engine and component manufacturers. The Charlotte expansion includes significant new stress rupture/creep, tensile, machining, and metallurgical testing capacity, along with new miniature testing capabilities.

Designed to meet rising demand from aerospace and defense manufacturers, the expansion strengthens Element Charlotte's ability to support critical materials characterization and mechanical testing programs where performance, compliance, and speed are essential. It also improves supply chain resilience by giving customers greater regional access to specialized testing services.

The miniature testing laboratory further expands a highly specialized capability that is unique in North America, enabling customers to generate reliable performance data from limited material volumes. This is especially valuable for advanced aerospace applications, including engine programs, complex components, and emerging manufacturing methods where sample availability is constrained.

"This more than $20 million investment in Charlotte reflects our commitment to grow with our customers and provide the capacity, technical expertise and responsiveness they need to succeed in demanding aerospace and defense programs," said Matt Linn, Vice President of Sales, Element Aerospace & Energy. "By expanding our materials and miniature testing capabilities, we are helping customers accelerate qualification, improve manufacturing readiness and bring critical components to market with greater confidence."

The new equipment will support a broader range of testing requirements across engine and component manufacturing programs, while helping customers reduce bottlenecks and access high-quality data more quickly.

"Charlotte has long been a trusted partner for customers who depend on high-integrity materials testing services," said Corey Demidovich, Senior Vice President, Element Aerospace and Energy. "This expansion strengthens our ability to provide faster turnaround times, support higher testing volumes and deliver the specialized capabilities our aerospace and defense customers need for both current production and next-generation development."

The expanded Charlotte facility will support a wide range of customer requirements, from conventional mechanical and metallurgical evaluation through to specialized miniature testing applications. With this investment, Element continues to strengthen its position as a trusted testing partner for advanced industrial supply chains where failure in use is not an option.

About Element Materials Technology

Element is one of the world's leading providers of laboratory-based testing services. We support more than 50,000 customers operating in some of the world's most technical and highly regulated industries, where failure in use of their products, materials and technologies is not an option. Headquartered in London, U.K., Element's more than 8,500 scientists, engineers and technologists work across a global network of more than 270 laboratories and support customers from early R&D, through complex regulatory approvals and into production, ensuring their products are safe and sustainable and achieve market access. For more information about Element, visit our website, connect with us on LinkedIn, X and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

About Element's Aerospace, Space, Energy and Defense business unit

Element Materials Technology is the largest independent provider of materials testing, product qualification testing, calibration and advisory services to the global aerospace testing sector. With 43 laboratories in the Americas and 58 in EMEAA, including 29 Nadcap-accredited labs with 41 different Nadcap accreditations, Element supports the entire aerospace supply chain.

Our 3,000-plus technicians, engineers and scientists, backed by more than 100 years of experience in both commercial and military aerospace testing, deliver a comprehensive range of destructive and non-destructive testing and inspection services for a wide variety of materials, components, products and systems. The company's unrivaled international capability, footprint and geographic reach enable it to support aerospace primes and their supply chain partners throughout the entire product life cycle, from R&D to manufacturing, life extension and disposal, helping them develop better products, get to market on time, save time and money, and minimize business risk. For more information, visit https://www.element.com/aerospace or follow us on LinkedIn.

Media contact:

Kate Aldridge, vice president, communications, email: [email protected]; mobile: +44 7767 705364