OTHER NEWS FROM THE SAFRAN COMMUNITY

Each year, Safran Electronics & Defense plays a real ace card in its quest to hire the best and brightest. The Black-Out Challenge is an innovation contest that tests the creative potential of future graduates in all disciplines using a global disaster scenario linked to humanity’s dependence on technology. The third contest, which finished in April, drew 325 entrants from 68 schools and universities.

For the company, it’s a chance to promote jobs in R&D, identify top young talent and build a pool of graduates from a broad range of backgrounds. A first recruitment “speed dating” event in December with participants from previous contests resulted in a dozen new hires!

A real score in the talent war driven by the ramp-up!

To support Rafale’s sales momentum in export markets, M88 production will now increase. By 2025–26, Safran Aircraft Engines will be delivering more than 100 M88 engines a year. This ramp-up involves a number of Safran companies.

M88 program director Cyril Volte: “By 2026, we’ll have increased M88 engine production three-fold, then maintain this rate to the end of the decade. Production planning is a crucially important part of this program — and it involves the entire value chain. As a result, we’ll be ready to supply Dassault as needed within two years, when the demand for M88 engines will rise significantly. To support this production plan and ensure a smooth ramp-up, we’re acting on three key levers: we’re making huge industrial investments, improving production engineering, and securing our supply chain. It’s a challenge shared by all our teams, who are fully mobilized to ensure the success of this program.”

How do you raise operational excellence across the supply chain and improve on-time delivery (OTD)? It’s a key objective of the Opex Class A transformation plan at Safran Transmission Systems. The supply chain is crucially important during a ramp-up, and many functions need to work in synch to ensure its success, from procurement and buyers to production engineering and supplier quality managers. Such an ambitious transformation plan of course includes hiring and upskilling to support these functions, where there’s a high degree of turnover. Several actions are being pursued this year: meet/recruit days with managers, HR and candidates, partnerships with engineering schools, mentoring by former students and training programs for all new arrivals.

A great way for Safran Transmission Systems to hire the best from a broad range of backgrounds!