Safran Aircraft Engines is to build 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. The activities will be grouped together in a new entity called Safran Turbine Airfoils and located at the heart of the La Janais industrial cluster in Rennes. It will further extend the company’s global production network for advanced fan blades, initially employ around 200 people (with potential expansion in the future), and be operational in 2027.

Safran’s CEO Olivier Andriès said: “We are pleased to announce this new production facility in a dynamic and attractive region. The 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.”

Safran Aircraft Engines’ CEO Jean-Paul Alary said: “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, offer the highest energy performance standards, along with innovative processes and optimised logistics flows with the company’s other production sites in the Paris region.”

Industrial heartland
Loïg Chesnais-Girard, president of the Brittany Regional Council, said: “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.”

In service since 2016, the LEAP engine reduces fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by 15% on the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX families of latest-generation narrowbody airliners. In 2021, Safran launched the CFM RISE technology demonstrator programme, which will reduce the carbon footprint of next-generation aircraft engines by a further 20% by 2035.

CFM International is a 50/50 joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace. Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defence, and space markets; it has a global presence, 92,000 employees, and achieved sales of 23.2 billion euros in 2023.