Safran Create: co-designing the ideal custom seat
In 2020 Safran Seats launched Safran Create, an innovative co-creation service for airlines. Its purpose is to more accurately identify end-customers’ needs that they haven’t formally defined so that the seats we design better suit their requirements, thus minimizing the risks of developing something that misses the target.
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o a large extent, today’s high-tech airplane seats define the passenger’s in-flight experience – and the airline’s image. Encapsulating the customer’s brand image in the specifications of these complex products is therefore a crucial aspect of development. And when it comes to defining specs, airlines often need support, as Quentin Munier, Vice President, Strategy and Innovation at Safran Seats, illustrates: “A Japanese customer recently asked us what we thought they should offer their passengers.”
In the past, requirements that were only fully understood at a late stage, or changes by the customer received too late in the development process, had resulted in significant program delivery delays. Co-creation allows us to overcome these issues.
INVOLVING THE CUSTOMER FROM THE OUTSET
With Safran Create, Safran Seats and its customer can now put their heads together to co-define seat specifications by working in short iterative loops, from six weeks to six months, depending on the number of new features required. This allows enough time to fully customize the product, and significantly reduces the risk of development contingencies. Co-creation comes into play either before or after the contract is signed. When it’s before, it gives us a sharp competitive advantage, resulting in a powerful sales driver.
The seat mock-ups are shared with project stakeholders via an online platform, allowing them to fine-tune design details, validate hypotheses and remove any uncertainties. Designers adjust the style and functions. The product architect works with the project team to determine where functions should be integrated, and assess the feasibility and impact of requested upgrades, suggesting trade-offs where necessary. Customers express their needs, approve modules and request modifications, if necessary.
As the widebody market is starting to pick up again, Safran Create provides a valuable addition to the company’s arsenal of tools to ensure on-time delivery of products that precisely fit customers’ needs.
Christophe Accolas
“Co-creation allows us to build intimate, trust-based relations with our customers. It has directly contributed to us winning significant contracts with several airlines in the last two years.”
