Safaran defers plan to set up MRO in India

New Delhi: French conglomerate Safran, a global company in the defence and aviation sectors, has deferred plans to set up a maintain, repair and overhaul facility (MRO) for aviation engines in India, its chief executive said, blaming global downturn for the company's decision.
Last year, Safran had announced plans for an MRO for CFM56 turbofan engines used in Boeing and Airbus and said the 'fleet of CFM56 (in India) was large and called for heavy investments. The company had also said it would identify an Indian partner for this facility.
However, Safran's plans for an aircraft training centre in India is on track. "This will be for mechanics and engineers and our target is to train 500 people every year,'' the company CEO Jean-Paul Herteman said.
This will be located in Hyderabad and will start operations in early 2010 with an investment of $20 million,'' he said. Safran is Europe's largest engine manufacturer.
Asked on the large contracts the company has won in India, Mr Herteman said Safran has co-developed the 'Shakthi' engine for the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Dhruv, the technology showpiece of HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd).
Safran employs 1,500 people in India. The company has a smart chips and smart card manufacturing plant in Noida. It also runs an engineering center in Bangalore in addition to having a manufacturing JV with HAL.
16/02/09 Joji Thomas Philip/Economic Times

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2009