OUR PEOPLE IN ACTION

“I’m in charge of plasma propulsion programs for civil and military communication satellites. Since I started my job in 2015, I’ve been tracking developments in this rapidly expanding market. After qualification of the PPS^®5000 thruster and its successful first flight in 2021 on the Syracuse 4A satellite for the French defense procurement agency (DGA), the production phase is now underway. And we’re ready to ramp up production thanks to new export contracts and the economic sanctions on Russia, which are driving up demand from European customers. Last year, our market share was 45%. This year, it’s 80%. By 2024, we plan to double our production of PPS^®5000s from 25 to 50 a year.”

“I’d been an operator at Safran Electrical & Power’s Vichy facility since 1989. Then in January 2022 I became a trainer for the manufacture and assembly of wiring harnesses. The function is highly diversified, whether upskilling our current staff or bringing new hires up to speed. When I started the job, I was given a special assignment to train two members of the Greek military for five weeks at the request of Dassault Aviation. The aim was to provide classroom and hands-on instruction so they could independently perform maintenance and repairs on Rafale wiring. My role is rewarding. It’s helping build my confidence and lets me pass on the knowledge I gained over more than 30 years in my previous job.”

“In the defense sector, purchasing is a bit different, with an even greater emphasis on trust, rigorous standards and forward planning. The biggest challenge is the sheer breadth of technologies and products we purchase from optics and onboard computers to inertial sensors, lasers, parachute equipment, magnets and batteries for thermal imagers. All this calls for the highest standards of quality. We buy about 3,000 different products from 200 suppliers. The reason there’s such a vast array of purchases is the diversity and technical nature of Safran Electronics & Defense’s products. To protect the supply chain so it can always respond, it’s important to plan ahead and give our suppliers the visibility they need as well as the necessary assurances by securing our arrangements by contracts.”