Employees & suppliers help Safran in path to innovation

The prizewinners for 2013 were unveiled during the annual awards ceremony at the Safran Aerospace Museum in Villaroche, near Paris. The awards this year included:

Safran Grand Prize and Product & Technology Innovation Award to Aircelle, for its O-duct thrust reverser demonstrator, dubbed "Panache". This innovative design helps reduce fuel consumption and improve the overall performance of the propulsion system. Its single-piece composite structure in the form of an "O" (as opposed to the traditional "D duct") improves airflows within the engine and facilitates maintenance. The simplified design and elimination of multiple interfaces generates significant weight savings.

Special Jury Prize, awarded in partnership with the magazine L’Usine Nouvelle, recognized the FADEC bracket made of composite materials based on HexMC™ technology, developed by Safran Composites and supplier Hexcel. Comprising an array of carbon-fiber strips, it reduces the bracket weight by 75% compared with the metal equivalent. HexMC™ technology can be used to make composite parts with complex shapes and also produce them in volume. This innovation could be used on many other applications within the Group, especially on nacelles and landing gear.

Customer Satisfaction Innovation Award to Aircelle, in partnership with Rolls-Royce, for their innovative service approach. For the first time, the nacelle and engine manufacturer teamed up to offer a comprehensive 24/7 support contract to the customer British Airways for a period of 25 years. The contract encompasses dedicated assistance services, preventive maintenance, real-time servicing, and the availability of major nacelle parts directly at Heathrow airport in London.

Patented Innovation Award to Turbomeca, for a concept that involves fitting a helicopter with two engines of different power ratings (a larger one used during cruise, and a smaller one during search phases), rather than the traditional layout of two of the same engines operating simultaneously. The two engines are capable of being restarted in flight in less than five seconds. This innovation offers a significant reduction in fuel consumption, of 10% to 15%.

The Lean-Sigma Innovation Award was a tie between two projects that both increased productivity and quality:

Turbomeca and supplier Alcoa Fastening Systems: a project to significantly improve quality, cost and lead-time performance on a helicopter turbine bracket. Their project allowed them to identify the root factors leading to abnormally high scrap rates and frequent machine breakages.