Announced in 2019, Safran's carbon brake factory project still does not have a defined base. But the decision is imminent. “We will make our decision during the first half of 2025», said Olivier Andriès, the general director of Safran on Thursday December 5, on the occasion of the group's investor day.
At a time when industrial site closures are increasing in France, the public authorities are impatiently awaiting the outcome of the engine manufacturer's discussions, especially since this site represents an investment of 400 million euros and is expected to generate 200 jobs. . But the United States and Canada are in ambush, as the group announced in 2023.
Originally, the carbon brake factory site, a key element of the landing gear, was to land in Feyzin (Rhône). A location put into question after the explosion in gas and electricity prices. Because energy represents around 40% of the production costs of carbon brake discs, with gas also serving as a raw material. “Between 2019 and today, the price of electricity has increased fivefold in France, and that of gas too», recalled Olivier Andriès. Hence the extreme caution of the group which, while waiting to make a decision, has increased the capacities of its existing sites, in Villeurbanne (Rhône), Walton (Kentucky, United States) and Sendayan (Malaysia).
Unwelcome political uncertainties
The time to choose is now imminent for Safran regarding this fourth carbon brake factory. “Today there are three optionssummarized Olivier Andriès. Besides France, there is Quebec where the price of energy is very competitive thanks to hydraulics, but also Oregon, south of Seattle, where again the price is competitive thanks to hydraulics and where it is also regulated.» In any case, this site must be operational by 2030, to support the three existing sites and meet the strong demand for carbon brakes.
To underline the difficulty in deciding on the choice of the location of this factory, the boss of Safran recalled the three criteria taken into account: a competitive energy price, carbon-free and non-intermittent energy (therefore nuclear or hydraulic) , and finally strong price visibility for at least 10 years. “I also prefer to go to a place with some economic and political stability», added Olivier Andriès. Words which without a shadow of a doubt refer to the fall of the French government which occurred the day before and to the political uncertainties that this generates.
For Safran, this future factory will help maintain its position in this little-known but strategic segment. The engine and equipment manufacturer claims around 55% market share in the segment of commercial aircraft with more than 100 seats, notably ahead of the American Collins Aerospace (RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies). Safran introduced this technology from space into aeronautics during the 1980s. The manufacturer equips, among others, the Airbus A320, A330 and A350, but also the Boeing 787. While the group produces between 1,500 and 1,700 tonnes of carbon per year, the new factory must pass the milestone of 2000 tonnes per year against a backdrop of increasing aircraft production rates.
