Exel Composites Strengthens Defense and Tube Business with Samantha Scudder Appointment

Updated on June 22, 2026 • 4 min read

Exel Composites has appointed Samantha Scudder as Product Manager for Tubes and Defence Applications, reinforcing its commitment to expanding composite tube solutions across aerospace, defense and industrial markets.

The appointment comes as demand continues to grow for lightweight, high-performance composite structures that can replace traditional metal components in mission-critical applications.

Bringing Technical and Commercial Expertise

Scudder joins Exel Composites with a blend of technical research and commercial experience developed across the advanced materials and composites sectors.

After studying chemistry in Texas, she completed a PhD at Oklahoma State University, where her NASA-funded research focused on deep-space solar cell technologies and nanoparticle applications for spacesuits. One of the technologies developed during her research was later incorporated into a NASA mission.

Following her academic career, Scudder worked as a formulation chemist before transitioning into customer-facing commercial roles within the composites industry. Her experience includes supporting aerospace and defense customers with material selection, resin technologies and advanced composite solutions.

Focus on Composite Tubes and Defense Markets

In her new position, Scudder will lead product strategy for Exel’s tube and defense applications portfolio.

Her responsibilities include:

• Identifying new market opportunities
• Strengthening product development initiatives
• Supporting productisation efforts
• Translating customer requirements into product strategies
• Supporting sales teams with targeted solutions
• Expanding customer relationships across Europe and North America

She will report directly to Antti Hassinen.

Supporting Growth Through Advanced Manufacturing

Exel Composites is recognized for its expertise in continuous composite manufacturing technologies, including:

• Pultrusion
• Pull-winding
• Continuous fiber-reinforced composite production

These technologies enable the production of lightweight, corrosion-resistant and high-strength composite tubes used in defense systems, aerospace structures, industrial equipment and infrastructure applications.

The company believes increasing adoption of composite tubes will create new opportunities across multiple industries seeking weight reduction, durability improvements and lifecycle cost savings.

Strengthening North American Customer Engagement

Although based in Europe, Scudder’s extensive experience in the U.S. composites market is expected to strengthen Exel’s relationships with North American customers.

Her understanding of aerospace and defense procurement requirements, combined with technical expertise in advanced materials, positions her to help customers identify applications where composite tube solutions can deliver measurable performance advantages.

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This article is developed based on real engineering experience, machine testing data, and practical production knowledge from Jota Machinery’s work in advanced composite manufacturing.

All technical explanations—including material structure, processing methods, and performance characteristics—are reviewed and verified by our engineering team to ensure accuracy and real-world relevance.

To improve clarity and structure, AI-assisted tools may have been used during content organization and language refinement. However:

• All key technical insights originate from first-hand industrial experience
• All data and claims are manually reviewed and validated
• The content is created with the primary goal of educating engineers, manufacturers, and buyers

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Outlook

The appointment reflects a broader industry trend toward greater adoption of composite structures in defense, aerospace and industrial markets. As governments and manufacturers continue investing in lightweight, high-strength materials to improve efficiency and performance, demand for pultruded and pull-wound composite tubes is expected to increase.

For Exel Composites, strengthening product leadership in this segment supports its strategy of expanding higher-value applications while deepening customer engagement in two of the fastest-growing composite markets: aerospace and defense.