The customer view with Safran Helicopter Engines

It is part of the Safran Group and specialises in the manufacture of helicopter engines. It is located in Tarnos, produces new parts and houses the repair centre. It is composed of operators and managers who support and promote the emergence of new solutions to reduce tedious tasks and preserve human value. This “It” is the Safran Helicopter Engines project team, of which Jean-Luc Adoue and Éric Alcalde* are the spokespersons, to our great delight!

 

When we had to weld 250 spots per plate on a large quantity of plates, the project team was informed of the tedious nature of these manual operations and also of the risks that this highly repetitive work could cause in terms of quality. We needed to find a solution to this health and ergonomic problem and an alternative for this type of operation, which requires great care and precision, continuous stable physical strength and a very high capacity for repetition over several hours.

Safran has been working with Soudax for 40 years, so we chose them to carry out this specific work with the support of an automation subcontractor, Specigone Industries, and gave them carte blanche to come up with a solution that would lighten the physical and mental load of the operators.

We took the time needed to find the approach best suited to our requirements, combining results, health, safety and environmental objectives and ergonomics. This period of time was essential to define in detail the needs and deliverables with the HSE team, present from the start of the project, and to formalise a complete set of specifications.

The result genuinely fulfils all the needs that were expressed. The operator is relieved of a task that is of no value to them, they acquire new skills by being trained to operate a plant and the welding produced meets our quality requirements.

This project ran just as we would like them all to: with totally transparent and constructive exchanges and discussions. Soudax was the link between the automation specialist and our teams. This high quality technical relationship, the real skills and know-how of each person, allowed us to better understand our needs and expectations.

 

* Jean-Luc is an investment officer and manages the investment budgets. Eric is in charge of the technical unit for special processes and is specialised in brazing and assembly for brazing. They support the teams in the field, in particular through the drafting of regulatory documentation, specifications, operator training and quality management.

French manufacturing
Precision and high-level technical functionality
International presence
EQUIPMENT WITH A LONG LIFE-CYCLE