Safran chooses France for next carbon brake production facility

Source | Safran

Following a decision by its board of directors, Safran (Paris, France) has announced the location of its new aircraft carbon brake production facility at the Plaine de l’Ain Industrial Park (PIPA) near Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The facility will operate alongside Safran Landing Systems’ existing production plants worldwide in Villeurbanne (France), Walton (U.S.) and Sendayan (Malaysia). Scheduled to begin operations in 2030, the site will enable Safran to achieve gradually an increase in volumes of 25% by 2037.

This 30,000-square-meter facility represents an investment of more than €450 million once fully completed. Equipped with technology and industrial systems specifically developed for this project, the facility will be highly automated and will offer employees a working environment of the highest standards. It will have around 100 highly qualified employees when it opens and will double its workforce at full capacity.

This announcement follows other carbon brake developments made earlier this year.

In June, Safran inaugurated new industrial facilities for landing and braking systems in Molsheim, France, an investment that modernized and increased the Alsace site’s production and maintenance capacities for landing and braking systems, to keep pace with the increasing production rates of aircraft manufacturers and the growing MRO needs of airlines.

In April, Spirit Airlines renewed its partnership with Safran for the supply and MRO of its Airbus A320 wheels and carbon brakes, a contract that covers both the Airbus A320ceo and A320neo in service and more to be delivered in the future.

Safran Landing Systems currently equips 55% of commercial airliners with over 100 seats and supports more than 500 airlines worldwide on a daily basis. Safran carbon brakes are made from carbon-based materials, specifically carbon composites for the disks and pads, which are a blend of carbon fibers and ceramic materials like silicon carbide. Carbon brakes are lighter, more efficient and three times more durable than steel brakes and help operators reduce fuel consumption.

Since energy can account for up to 30% of the cost of manufacturing a carbon brake, the choice of location was dependent on a guarantee of secure access to low-carbon electricity at a stable and competitive price over the long term. The facility, says Olivier Andriès, CEO of Safran, “ensuring our ability to support our customers, against a backdrop of strong air traffic growth.”

These new technologies will also enable the plant to achieve zero emissions in support of Safran’s environmental commitments. It will use biomethane and low-carbon electricity. As a result, its electricity and gas consumption will be reduced by nearly 30% and water consumption by 80%. In addition, all the heat generated by the carbon production process will be recovered to supply a heating network. Some of the production technologies developed for the plant will also be rolled out at other carbon brake facilities to further enhance competitiveness and sustainability.