Safran, in partnership with Walloon and Belgian federal authorities, has inaugurated Safran Blades, a state-of-the-art production facility dedicated to manufacturing titanium compressor blades for aircraft engines. The plant, located in Marchin, Province of Liège, Belgium, represents a €108 million investment and marks a significant step in reinforcing Safran Aero Boosters’ industrial leadership in low-pressure compressors.
Spanning 10,000 square meters on a rehabilitated former steel industrial site, Safran Blades is designed as a fully digitalized, Industry 4.0 “Factory of the Future.” The facility integrates advanced automation, robotics, connected sensors, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics to optimize production precision, costs, and environmental impact. This cutting-edge approach earned it the “Factory of the Future” label from Agoria, Belgium’s leading technology industry federation, in 2025.
Ownership is shared among Safran Aero Boosters (56%), Wallonie Entreprendre (28%), and the Société Fédérale de Participations et d’Investissement (16%), underscoring a strong public-private collaboration.
Safran Blades aims to produce 700,000 titanium blades annually by 2026, serving flagship engines such as the LEAP and GEnx, used by Airbus and Boeing. This output equates to one blade every 20 seconds and will support approximately 150 highly skilled jobs.
Safran CEO Olivier Andriès emphasized the strategic and environmental significance of the plant: “With Safran Blades, we are leading technologically, industrially, and environmentally. We reaffirm our commitment to controlling our value chains and building a stronger, more innovative, and sustainable European aerospace industry alongside our Belgian partners.”
Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Jan Jambon highlighted the plant’s role in national reindustrialization and supply chain resilience amid global challenges: “Relocating compressor blade production to Belgium secures our technological expertise and aligns with federal efforts to revitalize European and Belgian industry.”
Adrien Dolimont, Minister-President of the Walloon Government, expressed regional pride and commitment: “Safran Blades confirms Wallonia’s ambition to remain at the forefront of innovative, sustainable, and sovereign aerospace. We are backing this with an additional €16.3 million subsidy, reaffirming our dedication to a decarbonized aeronautics future.”
Walloon Minister of Economy and Industry Pierre-Yves Jeholet added, “This plant embodies the industrial Wallonia we want—sovereign, sustainable, and innovative—supporting job creation and the energy transition in our region.”
François Lepot, CEO of Safran Aero Boosters, underscored the importance of regional support: “The financial backing from Wallonia and Belgium is crucial to foster high value-added projects that keep us competitive globally.”
Mathieu Deladrière, CEO of Safran Blades, concluded: “By partnering with Walloon and European leaders, Safran Blades has created a dynamic ecosystem where robotization enhances human value, creating jobs and strengthening local industrial development.”