SAFRAN Inaugurates Three New Facilities in the United States

On September 24, 25 and 26, Jean-Paul Herteman, Chief Executive Officer of SAFRAN, successively inaugurated three new facilities in the Unites States: Sagem Avionics in Grand Prairie, Texas, Turbomeca Manufacturing in Monroe, North Carolina, and Messier-Bugatti USA in Walton, Kentucky. All three inauguration ceremonies were attended by a number of government officials.>> Sagem Avionics, which mainly produces parts for the autopilot system on U.S. Army helicopters, has just created a new production unit to meet the requirements of the Lakota UH-72A program.>> Turbomeca Manufacturing is the first Turbomeca production site for turbine engine parts outside of France. It will make parts for the Arriel 1E2 that powers the U.S. Armys Eurocopter UH-72A helicopters.>> Messier-Bugatti USA has built a new facility at its plant in Walton, Kentucky for the production and assembly of wheels and carbon brakes, primarily intended for U.S. clients: airlines that deploy the Boeing 737 Next-Generation twinjets and the 777-200LR/300ER longer-range widebody twins; and the U.S. Air Forces C-17 and KC-135. This facility will also produce electric brakes for the 787 Dreamliner.>> SAFRAN has some 7,500 employees in North America among which 3,500 in the USA, noted Jean-Paul Herteman, CEO of SAFRAN. Our aim is to continue to extend our industrial network in the country and to contribute to the development of the aerospace and security markets as an American company, to ensure optimum service for our civil and military customers in the United States, but also, obviously, to reduce our costs and exposure to the US dollar.