LONDON – Safran will be expanding its portfolio and an industrial footprint in India after it has recently inaugurated new facilities in the cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore.
The establishment of a large in-house IT centre which is set to create 1,000 jobs, with the further announcement of an MRO (maintenance and repair & overhaul) centre for CFM1 LEAP engines.
Safran announced on the 7th and 8th of this month that there will be an opening of three new factories in the country, with another new facility being constructed in 2025. The French aerospace firm has been present in India for 65 years with 10 facilities and employs 750 throughout the country.
$200 million worth of investments is tapped between 2018 and 2025, which shows the level of commitment of the company to the country.
Olivier Andriès, Chief Executive Officer of Safran, said: “With these new sites, we’re opening a new chapter in Safran’s long history with the Indian aerospace and defense industries, and we are reaffirming our commitment to the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy and sovereignty strategy.”
“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 center 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 center we will triple the number of employees in India over the next four years, building on the excellent local talent base. ”
The two new plans that were inaugurated on 7 July were in Hyderabad for Safran’s engine facility and Safran Electrical & Power. The new Safran Aircraft Engine plant will have at least 162,000 sq.ft, or 15,000 square metres, and will accommodate the production of rotating parts for the LEAP engine from CFM international.
This will aid CFM international in meeting demand for such engines used for narrow-body aircraft, which is relevant here in Asia. This facility is expected to employ 275 talented people.
Apart from the opening of this new facility in Hyderabad, the company CEO Jean-Paul Alary, Chief Executive Officer of Safran Aircraft Engines, said that there will also be a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for CFM Leap engines, which will be the largest MRO centre under Safran’s portfolio, which is slated for 2025 opening.
This upcoming new facility can accommodate 250 to 300 engines per annum. The CFM engines are being used on two of the most flown aircraft, the 737 of Boeing and the A320s of Airbus. 1,500 LEAP engines are currently on order in Asia, and this is set to be huge for the French company.
Alary also added: “Our new MRO 4.0 center 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. We benefit from the fast growing aviation ecosystem and outstanding competences in the State of Telengana.”
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