The new Safran Aircraft Engines Poland plant has been inaugurated on July 4. The new facility will make low-pressure turbine blades for the LEAP turbofan engine from CFM International, the 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines.
Safran has invested some €48 million in this new 8,000 m² (86,400 ft²) plant, outfitted with machinery and equipment to keep pace with the very high production rate targets. The plant is located in Sędziszów Małopolski, southeast Poland, in the heart of Aviation Valley, the country’s center of aeronautical expertise. It already has more than 200 employees, with almost 150 operators fully trained in precision mechanics. The new plant delivered its first parts in July 2017 and has set an objective of turning out 180,000 low-pressure turbine blades this year, rising to 350,000 in 2019 and 800,000 a year towards 2022.
Safran’s investment in this new plant once again reflects its determination to develop top-flight industrial capabilities to support the unprecedented ramp-up of the LEAP engine. CFM International plans to deliver some 1,100 engines this year, then reach an annual rate of 2,000 starting in about 2020.
