Safran is opening a factory to manufacture electrical wiring interconnection systems in Hyderabad, and CFM International is expanding its nearby training facility.
During the official visit to India of French President Emmanuel Macron, Safran announced the opening of a factory to manufacture electrical wiring interconnection systems based in Hyderabad, in the Indian state of Telangana.
Over the next twelve months, Safran Electrical & Power, a subsidiary of Safran specializing in electrical systems, will deliver the first “made in India” LEAP electric harnesses destined for the narrow-body aircraft market.
The factory will also meet the needs of other Safran programmes in the region. The facility will be an integral part of the Group's strategy to establish itself in India in order to serve the local market as well as the existing European and U.S. markets.
The 4,000m2 factory, which will eventually employ 250 people, will feature the Group's latest industrial technology. It will incorporate elements of the “Factory of the Future”, e.g. digitalization and the standardization of operators' work stations.
In related news, CFM International — the JV between Safran and GE — has expanded the capability of the CFM Training Center in Hyderabad to include both the LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines as the fleet in India continues to grow. The facility will support customers throughout India, the Middle East, and Far East airlines. The Centre, which has the capacity to train 500 engineers annually, mirrors those in China, France, and the United States.
The LEAP-1A entered service in India in February 2017 with Air India, which now operates a fleet of 15 A320neo airplanes. Vistara followed in May 2017 and now operates five LEAP-1A-powered A320neos. Jet Airways will be the first airline in the country to introduce the LEAP-1B-powered Boeing 737 MAX later this year. There are currently a total of more than 600 CFM engines in service in India and Southern Asia.