EDITORIAL, BY Alexandre Ziegler
As this latest issue of ONE shows, Asia is a strategic region for Safran on more than one count. With business partnerships that reach back a century, production facilities first established 45 years ago and more than 4,500 employees and 48 sites in 9 countries, Safran’s extensive footprint in Asia is a springboard for our business development.
- Snapshots
- Introduction
- At a glance
ear Colleagues,
As this latest issue of ONE shows, Asia is a strategic region for Safran on more than one count. With business partnerships that reach back a century, production facilities first established 45 years ago and more than 4,500 employees and 48 sites in 9 countries, Safran’s extensive footprint in Asia is a springboard for our business development.
The region harbors a host of opportunities. Our Asian customer base continues to grow In both civil and defense markets, and we are logging sustained sales momentum. This is buoyed in particular by a strong surge in air transport in India, a flurry of contracts announced by Chinese airlines at the 2022 Zhuhai Air Show, the Rafale fighters ordered by Indonesia, and the many opportunities on new Indian and South Korean defense platforms.
This trend underpins our investments in the region and also spurs us to expand our presence. For instance, we opened three new plants in India last summer, and will soon open an MRO center for aircraft engines – Safran’s largest facility of this type in the world! Facilities such as these will support the dynamic growth of aviation in the region, as well as our own production ramp-up. We also chose India as the location for our new IT entity, DIGIT, allowing us to tap into the tremendous local talent pool for system development, digital applications and cybersecurity.
In closing, I wanted to let our Chinese colleagues know that they’re in our thoughts as they continue to deal with Covid-19 related difficulties. Let’s not forget that China is the world’s second largest aviation market and a major contributor to our supply chain. Furthermore, since this issue of ONE will be published the same month as the Chinese New Year, I would like to extend my best wishes to all our Chinese colleagues, their friends and families, and of course to everybody who works for Safran, for a very happy and healthy New Year.
Enjoy the magazine!
Alexandre Ziegler,
Senior Executive Vice President, International and Public Affairs.
