LE HAVRE, France -- Safran invested nearly €10 million in a state-of-the-art 8,000 square meter plant, designed according to best practices based on Lean Manufacturing precepts. It already houses nearly 70 highly qualified employees, and will expand to about 100 employees by 2020. In particular, the plant is outfitted with tools and equipment designed to meet the challenge of high production rates. By 2020, it plans to assemble and integrate some 400 nacelles per year on CFM International's LEAP-1A engines powering the Airbus A320neo. All nacelle components - air inlet, engine cowl, thrust reverser and exhaust system - are assembled on site, then painted before being integrated on the engine. These propulsion systems are then acceptance tested by customer airlines before being delivered to the Airbus final assembly line in Hamburg.
The inauguration of this plant is concurrent with the delivery of the 200th LEAP-1A propulsion system to Airbus from Hamburg. It also marks the milestone of 600 propulsion systems delivered since the A320neo entry into service in August 2016.