On 7 and 8 July
2022, Safran inaugurated three new production sites in India and announced
construction of a major new facility in 2025, bolstering its strategic
partnership with the country. Safran has operated in India for 65 years and now
counts 10 facilities and 750 employees in the country. These announcements,
which represent more than $200 million of investment between 2018 and 2025,
clearly reflect the Group’s commitment to long-term development in the country.
“With these new sites, we’re opening a new chapter in
Safran’s long history with the Indian aerospace and defence industries, and we
are reaffirming our commitment to the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy and
sovereignty strategy,” stated Olivier Andriès, Chief Executive Officer of
Safran. “To support the country’s dynamic aviation market, with passenger
traffic set to more than double in the next twenty years, we are accelerating
our investments and industrial development in India. Through the creation of
our largest maintenance and repair centre for commercial engines we are also paving
the way to expand our MRO activities in India to military engines. With our
three new production facilities and our major in-house IT centre we will triple
the number of employees in India over the next four years, building on the
excellent local talent base. ”
Two new
neighboring plants were inaugurated on 7 July in Hyderabad, for Safran Aircraft
Engines and Safran Electrical & Power. The Safran Aircraft Engines plant,
spanning 15,000 square meters (162,000 sq ft), will make rotating parts for the
LEAP engine from CFM International. It will provide the additional capacity
needed to meet the requirements of a production ramp-up for the best-selling
commercial airplane engine of its generation. Eventually employing 275 people,
this plant applies Safran’s highest standards in terms of industrial processes,
machinery and equipment and sustainability, with one-third of electrical power
to be provided by solar panels.
During the
inauguration, Jean-Paul Alary, Chief Executive Officer of Safran Aircraft
Engines, announced the creation of a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
facility for CFM LEAP engines, to be built near this plant. The largest MRO
centre in the network, it will start operations in 2025 and will eventually
offer annual capacity of 250 to 300 engine shop visits. The LEAP and its
predecessor, the CFM56, now power over 330 Airbus A320/A320neo and Boeing
737/737 MAX airplanes deployed by airlines in the Indian sub-continent. More
than 1,500 LEAP engines are currently on order in the region.
“Our new MRO 4.0 centre in Hyderabad will strengthen
our global network and enable us to meet the needs of our CFM customers against
a backdrop of booming air traffic in India and the region,” noted Jean-Paul
Alary. “We benefit from the fast growing aviation ecosystem and oustanding
competences in the State of Telengana.”
Safran
Electrical & Power’s plant, located in the same airport zone as the Safran
Aircraft Engines plant and sharing all support functions, makes wiring for LEAP
engines and the Rafale fighter. Opened in November 2018, the plant has 150
employees today, growing to 200 when it reaches full capacity.
The third
plant inaugurated on 8 July 2022 in Bangalore, for Safran HAL Aircraft Engines,
a 50/50 joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited. This new site replaces the initial plant that dates from 2005, more
than doubling the surface area and featuring state-of-the-art installations.
It’s located in a Special Economic Zone near the Bangalore airport. Spanning
11,000 square meters (118,800 sq ft), the plant makes complex piping, mostly
for the LEAP engine, and has about 150 employees.
During his visit to India, Olivier Andriès announced
the creation of Digit, an in-house entity tasked with development of digital
systems for Safran. The entity’s two main facilities, in Hyderabad and Mumbai,
start operations in the summer of 2022. Digit plans to recruit 1,000 people
over the next five years by calling on India’s vast talent pool for the
development of digital applications and systems, as well as cybersecurity.
HAL and Safran to develop new helicopter engines in
joint venture
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran
Helicopter Engines have signed an agreement on 8 July 2022 to create a new
joint venture intended to develop helicopter engines. Through a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU), signed by Mr. R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL and Mr. Franck Saudo,
CEO Safran Helicopter Engines in the presence of Mr. Olivier Andriès, Safran
CEO, both partners will extend their long-lasting partnership by establishing a
new aero-engine company in India. It will be dedicated to the development, production,
sales and support of helicopter engines and one of its main objectives will be
to meet the requirements of HAL and Ministry of Defence's future helicopters,
including the 13-ton IMRH (Indian Multi-Role Helicopter).
This MoU demonstrates once again the commitment of
both Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL to the Indian Government's vision of
"Aatmanirbhar Bharat" or achieving self-reliance – particularly in
defence technologies.
Mr. Madhavan stated, "Safran Helicopter Engines
has been our valued partner for several decades. We now look forward to utilize
this opportunity to leverage HAL's experience in manufacturing of more than 15
types of aircraft and helicopter engines to jointly co-develop and manufacture
engine with immediate focus on IMRH and its naval variant the Deck Based Multi
Role Helicopter (DBMRH). This partnership will involve and utilize the Indian
Defence manufacturing ecosystem within India".
Mr. Franck Saudo said: "The creation of this new
joint venture marks a turning point in our relationship with HAL and the Indian
MoD with the development and production of a new generation of helicopter
engine. We are proud to further expand our structuring partnership with HAL,
which began more than 50 years ago, and which was recently illustrated with the
development and production of the Shakti engine and the inauguration of our
joint venture Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO). With a fleet of over
1,000 engines, India's Armed Forces are one of the largest operators of
Safran-designed helicopter engines".
HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines have already
multiple partnerships, including the Shakti engine, which powers HAL-produced
helicopters, including the Dhruv, Rudra and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
The Ardiden 1U variant also powers the new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). More
than 500 Shakti engines have already been produced.
Through HE-MRO joint venture in Goa, HAL and Safran
Helicopter Engines will also provide MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul)
services for TM333 and Shakti engines in service with Indian Armed Forces. It
will be operational by the end of 2023.
L-R- Mr. R. Madhavan and Mr. Franck Saudo
