The 10,000-square-meter centre of excellence will be built on a former ArcelorMittal site in Marchin and will incorporate Safran’s best industrial technologies.
Safran Aero Boosters has recently announced to build a new compressor blades and vanes production plant for aircraft engines in the Walloon region of Belgium, in the province of Liège. François Lepot, CEO of Safran Aero Boosters, made the announcement in front of Willy Borsus, Vice-President of Wallonia, Adrien Dolimont, Walloon Minister of Finance, and Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State for Recovery and Strategic Investments.
François Lepot, CEO of Safran Aero Boosters said “There are hundreds of blades in the compressor. They are a key component in our supply chain. Managing their production in both technical and logistical terms will guarantee our performance”.
The new plant, which will cost €50 million, will produce titanium compressor blades, including those for the LEAP engine, and will strengthen Safran Aero Boosters’ industrial expertise in its flagship product, the low-pressure compressor. It will be known as Safran Blades and will be established in collaboration with the Belgian and Walloon federal governments, the Société Régionale d’Investissement de Wallonie (S.R.I.W) and the Société Fédérale de Participations et d’Investissement (S.F.P.I.M). Safran Aero Boosters owns 56% of the company, with the other two partners each owning 22%.
“We are very proud to announce the construction of this plant today. I’d like to thank the Belgian and Walloon governments for their ongoing support for Safran’s industrial and research projects, and for consolidating the autonomy of our supply chain through this investment,” said Olivier Andriès, CEO of Safran.
The 10,000-square-meter centre of excellence will be built on a former ArcelorMittal site in Marchin and will incorporate Safran’s best industrial technologies to meet the highest global standards. Plant 4.0 will feature automation, highly qualified personnel, and cutting-edge digital technologies to produce more than 2,000 blades and vanes per day, with innovative, autonomous real-time quality control at every critical stage of production. It will open in 2025 and employ approximately 100 people.
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Furthermore, the site is intended to meet the highest standards of sustainable development, with significant reductions in energy and water consumption, as well as the use of renewable energy (solar panels, hydraulic turbines, etc.).
