Safran creates a new facility in Brittany

Safran Aircraft Engines has announced it will create a new foundry works in Rennes, Brittany, to manufacture turbine blades for its major engine programs: the M88 in the defence sector and the CFM International LEAP in commercial aviation.

These activities will be grouped in a new entity called Safran Turbine Airfoils, located at the heart of the La Janais industrial excellence cluster in Rennes, and will employ around 200 people, with potential expansion in the future. The new facility will be operational in 2027 and will further extend the company’s global production network for advanced fan blades.

“We’re pleased to announce this new production facility in a dynamic and attractive region,” said Olivier Andriès, CEO of Safran. “The strategic decision to locate Safran Turbine Airfoils here in France reflects our support for the country’s national sovereignty and industry renaissance. We want to make Safran Turbine Airfoils a showcase of our flair for innovation, industrial efficiency and energy performance.”

“I would like to thank the Brittany Regional Council and the Rennes Metropolitan Area for their decisive role in the choice of this site,” said Jean-Paul Alary, CEO of Safran Aircraft Engines. “Safran Turbine Airfoils will help us meet the challenges of ramping up production of the M88 combat aircraft engine — most parts for which are made in France — and strengthen the LEAP supply chain by making some of the more critical engine parts in France.”

The new facility will work closely with the company’s historic foundry in Gennevilliers, near Paris. It will boast the highest energy performance standards, with innovative processes and optimized logistics flows with the company’s other production sites in the Paris region.

In service since 2016, the LEAP engine has reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 15% on the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX families of the latest-generation narrowbody airliners. The LEAP reflects Safran’s total commitment to decarbonising aviation. In 2021, Safran launched the CFM RISE technology demonstrator program, which will reduce the carbon footprint of next-generation aircraft engines by a further 20% by 2035.

Nathalie Appéré, President of Rennes Metropolitan Area: “Safran’s new facility in the La Janais industrial excellence cluster, creating more industry jobs, is excellent news for the region. It’s the culmination of efforts by Rennes Metropolitan Area and our partners since 2013 to preserve and step up the site’s primary industrial purpose and activities. Thanks to the steadfast determination of the region’s elected representatives and other stakeholders, La Janais is now recognized as a showcase for the low-carbon, resilient and sovereign industry of the future.”

Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of the Brittany Regional Council: “Committed as we are to maintaining and developing the historic La Janais site as a major industry hub in Brittany, the Regional Council is proud to contribute to Safran’s development with a training plan tailored to its needs. Brittany is an industrial heartland, and this new facility is important not only for our country’s sovereignty and economic performance but also for the people who work in these job sectors.”