Safran lays cornerstone for new research lab near Paris

Ross McInnes, Chairman of the Board of Safran, and Jean-Paul Alary, Chief Executive Officer of Safran Landing Systems, today welcomed Valérie Pécresse, President of the Ile de France region (greater Paris area), to lay the cornerstone for Safran Landing Systems’ new test laboratory, “ExceLAB” (Laboratory of Excellence). Located in Vélizy, south of Paris, the lab will develop landing and braking systems for tomorrow’s aircraft. 

The new lab offers some 2,000 square meters (21,600 sq ft) of floorspace, and groups Safran Landing Systems' test capabilities for new systems, from prototypes to finished products, subjected to a wide range of stimulated operating conditions. It also reflects Safran's strategy to support the gradual electrification of aircraft functions ("more electric" aircraft), and is fully outfitted to carry out all required hydraulic and electrical tests.

"This new lab is a critical competitiveness and innovation driver for Safran Landing Systems," said Jean-Paul Alary at the ceremony. "It will enable us to far exceed our current testing capabilities, while also accelerating the development and market entry of new systems, especially more-electric solutions. Today, we must rise to the challenge of developing increasingly light, reliable and eco-responsible systems, which also combine lower operating costs with higher performance. And that's exactly what we expect ExceLAB to do, by helping us test new concepts that deliver higher performance across the board."

Representing a total investment of nearly 4 million euros, including support from the Ile de France region, the lab should be up and running by October 2020. It will incorporate a wide spectrum of digital technologies, including augmented reality, 3D capabilities, the Internet of Things, cobotics (collaborative robotics) and much more. Safran Landing Systems will add over 60 new employees for ExceLAB, and about 20 suppliers from the region are also involved in this project.