Safran and Albany International have opened a carbon-composite components facility in eastern France.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by French President François Hollande.
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Covering 10ha, the facility will produce components for the LEAP aircraft engine, including fan blades and cases.
The plant currently has a workforce of 90, and the head count will be increased to 400 by 2018, Safran said.
Safran chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Herteman said: "I think that the 400 jobs to be created in this region are definitely a sign of our confidence.
"It also clearly illustrates our strong commitment to R&D and innovation, with the aim of developing products that offer ever-higher performance, capable of meeting our customers’ economic imperatives while also satisfying increasingly stringent environmental requirements."
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By GlobalDataThe companies have also inaugurated a plant in New Hampshire, US, which produces 3D woven composite parts for the LEAP engine.
Safran and Albany have invested a total of $200m in these projects.
The companies plans to produce 32,000 composite fan blades each year by 2019. Each blade will replace titanium with carbon fibre woven to reduce the engine’s weight, reported Reuters.
The LEAP engine is produced by CFM International, a joint venture between Safran and General Electric.
Designed to power Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 737 MAX, the engine incorporates advanced technologies in aerodynamic design, materials and environmental protection measures. It is said to offer 15% in fuel efficiency and has so far logged more than 7,800 orders.
Image: The inauguration ceremony is attended by French President François Hollande. Photo: courtesy of Safran.
