A composites manufacturer tucked into the small city of Minden has been named the best in the state. Royal Engineered Composites, which builds carbon-fiber parts for some of the biggest names in aerospace, was named the 2026 Nebraska Manufacturer of the Year after announcing a $5 million expansion and 70 new jobs in April.
The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry announced the award, according to nechamber.com. Royal, an employee-owned company, supplies aerospace clients including Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Bell Helicopter. Company president Dave Arnold said the recognition reflects his team's dedication to quality, innovation, and pushing the boundaries of modern aerospace manufacturing.
Royal will be recognized at the annual Nebraska Manufacturing Summit on Thursday, October 29. The honor marks the 19th year the Nebraska Chamber has recognized a top manufacturer statewide, following past winners that include Lindsay Corporation in 2025, Timpte in 2024, and inaugural honoree Reinke Manufacturing back in 2008, the chamber's nomination announcement notes.
A $5 Million Bet on Bigger Parts
The honor comes on the heels of an expansion Royal first announced in April, when it revealed a $5 million investment in its Minden facility. Of that total, royalcomposites.com reported that $3 million is going toward a 23,500-square-foot building addition, with another $2 million earmarked for new equipment. The goal, per the company's own announcement, is full-scale, in-house manufacturing for large section-level assemblies — the kind of big aerospace components that previously had to be shipped elsewhere for inspection.
By eliminating the need to ship large parts to third parties for inspection, the company said in its announcement, it significantly reduces lead times while maintaining customer flexibility. Central Nebraska Today reported that the project is designed to create a seamless environment for Royal to cure, trim and inspect large parts in-house, cutting out a step that used to slow production down.
Royal's process relies on hand-laid composite layers and vacuum heating to build its carbon-fiber parts, according to the Omaha World-Herald, with an autoclave used afterward to ensure the finished pieces have no air-filled voids. The expanded Minden facility is meant to let more of that work — especially on larger components — happen under one roof.
Jobs, Growth, and a Founding Date in Dispute
The expansion is also a jobs story. Royal plans to add 70 positions as part of the project, and as of the April announcement, royalcomposites.com reported that 46 of those had already been filled. Royal's own announcement and the Omaha World-Herald report the expansion will bring its workforce to about 250 employee-owners.
The company's history carries a similarly long timeline. The Omaha World-Herald reports Royal was founded 75 years ago. The company has deep roots in the small central Nebraska city.
Minden City Administrator Michael Kring weighed in on what the company means locally, saying Royal Engineered Composites is a long-term and important economic driver whose growth benefits the community and attracts families to Minden, as reported by the Omaha World-Herald.
Part of a Bigger Manufacturing Boom
Royal's rise lands amid a broader surge in Nebraska manufacturing. The sector's job count has hit its highest point in more than 20 years, according to the Nebraska Examiner, with about 109,000 workers now employed across the state's manufacturing sector. The industry contributes $21.6 billion to Nebraska's annual gross domestic product, a 57% increase from five years earlier, the outlet reported, making manufacturing the state's second-largest industry behind agriculture.
Pay in the sector has climbed too — the average annual manufacturing salary in Nebraska was $81,000, per the Nebraska Examiner's reporting. For a company like Royal, adding dozens of jobs in a city the size of Minden, that statewide growth story and the local one are closely intertwined.
