# Salt Lake City, Utah manufacturing: aerospace composites and medical devices > Source: https://netray.co/manufacturing/salt-lake-city-utah-aerospace-composites-medical-device-manufacturing > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Manufacturing Hubs ## Short answer The Salt Lake City area and the wider Wasatch Front, from Ogden to Orem, combine aerospace and defense with a strong medical device sector. Carbon fiber composites, propulsion and aircraft engine work sit alongside catheter, implant and diagnostic device manufacturing, so suppliers often face both AS9100 and ISO 13485 expectations. ## Kind region ## Country United States ## Area Utah ## Intro The Salt Lake City area and the wider Wasatch Front, from Ogden to Orem, combine aerospace and defense with a strong medical device sector. Carbon fiber composites, propulsion and aircraft engine work sit alongside catheter, implant and diagnostic device manufacturing, so suppliers often face both AS9100 and ISO 13485 expectations. ## Industries ### Aerospace composites **Detail:** Carbon fiber and prepreg materials and layup, cure and trim operations produce structures for aircraft and space programs. ### Defense and propulsion **Detail:** Solid rocket motor and missile related work, depot maintenance and engine manufacturing support suppliers across northern Utah. ### Medical devices **Detail:** Manufacturers make catheters, cardiovascular devices, imaging components and surgical products, supported by precision molding, machining and cleanroom assembly. ### Precision machining and fabrication **Detail:** Shops produce titanium, stainless and aluminum parts for medical, aerospace and industrial customers. ### Electronics and instruments **Detail:** Smaller firms build sensors, controls and electronics assemblies for defense and medical use. ## Ecosystem ### Hexcel (Salt Lake City) **Type:** anchor manufacturer **Note:** Hexcel produces carbon fiber and composite materials at a facility in Salt Lake City. ### Boeing Salt Lake City **Type:** prime contractor **Note:** Boeing operates a composite fabrication facility in Salt Lake City. ### Northrop Grumman (northern Utah) **Type:** prime contractor **Note:** Northrop Grumman has significant propulsion and defense operations in northern Utah. ### Hill Air Force Base **Type:** government **Note:** Hill AFB near Ogden hosts the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, a major aircraft maintenance and sustainment organization. ### Williams International **Type:** anchor manufacturer **Note:** Williams International builds small gas turbine engines in Ogden. ### Edwards Lifesciences **Type:** anchor manufacturer **Note:** Edwards has a significant medical device manufacturing presence in Draper. ### Merit Medical Systems **Type:** anchor manufacturer **Note:** Merit Medical, a medical device manufacturer, is headquartered in South Jordan. ### Utah Manufacturers Association **Type:** association **Note:** The UMA represents Utah manufacturers on policy and industry issues. ### University of Utah **Type:** university **Note:** The University of Utah has engineering and biomedical device research programs. ### Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory **Type:** research lab **Note:** SDL in Logan is a university affiliated research center focused on space and sensor systems. ## Requirements - AS9100 for aerospace and defense suppliers - NADCAP for composites, NDT, heat treat and chemical processing - ISO 13485 and FDA 21 CFR 820 quality system rules for medical devices - FDA UDI labeling and traceability for finished devices - ITAR and EAR export controls for defense programs - CMMC 2.0 and NIST SP 800-171 for suppliers handling CUI - Material and process specifications, including prepreg out-time and freezer controls for composites - ISO 14644 cleanroom classification where applicable ## Sections ### What Wasatch Front shops make and for whom **Body:** Aerospace composite work depends on controlled materials, tooling and cure cycles, and suppliers must prove every step. Medical device suppliers face device history records, lot traceability and validated processes. Shops that serve both sectors usually need two documentation cultures, and the ERP has to support controlled routings without slowing simple jobs. **Bullets:** - Composite layup, cure and trim - Titanium and stainless medical components - Defense electronics and machined parts ### Quoting and estimating realities **Body:** Composite quotes depend on material shelf life and waste, tooling, cure time and inspection. Medical quotes depend on validation, cleanroom time, packaging and regulatory documentation. Both involve costs that do not show up in machine hours, so estimators who track actual setup, inspection and rework per part family quote more reliably than those using a flat labor rate. ### ERP and systems commonly seen **Body:** Utah manufacturers run Epicor Kinetic, Infor SyteLine/CloudSuite Industrial, NetSuite, Plex, DELMIAworks, JobBOSS and ProShop. Smaller firms in the area also use Fishbowl, a Utah-based inventory product, as searches for Fishbowl in Orem show. Typical issues include lot and expiry control, quality records stored separately from ERP, and device history files assembled by hand. ### Compliance and data handling **Body:** Defense suppliers must protect CUI and export controlled data, and medical device makers must control records under their quality system. Any AI tool touching those records should run inside the customer's boundary, with audit logging and human approval for changes. The customer stays responsible for its own CMMC, ITAR and FDA compliance. ### Where private AI helps and where it does not **Body:** Useful tasks include finding which lots used a given material batch, summarizing open corrective actions, or answering where an order stands across ERP and quality documents. AI should not be treated as a validated quality system: for regulated decisions, keep a human approver and follow your own software validation procedures. ## Faq ### What aerospace manufacturing is in Salt Lake City? **Answer:** The area includes composite materials and fabrication from companies such as Hexcel and Boeing, plus defense and propulsion work in northern Utah and aircraft sustainment at Hill Air Force Base near Ogden. ### Is Utah a medical device manufacturing hub? **Answer:** Yes. Companies such as Edwards Lifesciences in Draper and Merit Medical in South Jordan operate there, supported by suppliers in molding, machining and cleanroom assembly along the Wasatch Front. ### Do Utah suppliers need both AS9100 and ISO 13485? **Answer:** Only if they serve both sectors. Aerospace customers expect AS9100, and medical device customers expect ISO 13485 and compliance with FDA 21 CFR 820. Many shops hold one and add the other as customers require. ### What ERP works for composites shops? **Answer:** Look for lot and expiry control, controlled routings, and outside process tracking. Epicor, Infor SyteLine, Plex and DELMIAworks are commonly used, though fit depends on your traceability needs and size. ## Search terms salt lake city manufacturing, utah aerospace manufacturing, utah medical device manufacturers, composite manufacturing utah, utah manufacturers association, fishbowl inventory orem utah, erp for medical device manufacturers utah --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json