Safran is to establish a new aircraft carbon-brakes production facility in France, sited near Lyon, which will represent a €450 million ($515 million) investment.
The facility, which will open in 2030, will complement another Safran Landing Systems plant in France – at Villeurbanne – as well as its US site at Walton and Malaysian site at Sendayan.
Safran says the decision on location depended on a “guarantee of secure access to low-carbon electricity at a stable and competitive price over the long term”, given the high energy cost of carbon-brake manufacture.
The company says the new plant, with around 100 employees initially, will enable a 25% rise in volumes by 2037.
Chief executive Olivier Andries says the location choice resulted from a “collaborative effort” by electricity suppliers, the French government, and regional authorities in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes.
Safran says the plan will be able to achieve zero emissions through the use of biomethane and low-carbon electricity.
“All the heat generated by the carbon production process will be recovered to supply a heating network,” it adds.
Production technologies developed for the new plant will also be rolled out at other carbon-brake facilities.
