#AmazingJobsAtSafranNacelles – Benjamin – “It’s all about teamwork"

When one door closes, another often opens to new opportunities! This is in the philosophy that guided Benjamin’s early career. When his eyesight did not allow him to join the air force, he chose another way to stay close to aircraft: the aeronautical industry. “After my engineering studies and a specialisation in aircraft design, I wanted to join a large group to work on cutting-edge technologies. I responded to a job advert from Safran Nacelles in Le Havre… and the rest is history!” he recalls. 

Scaling up

Following three years as a structural stress engineer on large nacelles nozzles, he took the lead of the team and managed the development of the activity. Safran Nacelles won two major contracts at that time: the nacelle for the Airbus A330neo and the exhaust system for the Boeing 777X. Benjamin was actually one of our first employees to fly to Seattle to work with Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer. “My manager put me forward for this first management position.” he remembers. “At the time, I thought I would evolve toward a technical expert role. So, you must stay open to opportunities, because you just never know what is coming your way! I enjoyed this experience and, subsequently, I sought positions with managerial responsibilities."

At the heart of the workshop

After a further three years on the nozzles, Benjamin wanted to discover a different domain. He started managing the Metallic Materials and Processes team. He especially appreciated the overall picture the role gave him, and the interactions with all the sectors of the company, from R&T to the Design Office, Production and After-Sales. But after COVID, he wanted to further evolve. This time, he started to manage the workshop! He became Front-Line Manager on the A330neo assembly line, then Manager of an assembly unit grouping three product lines: the A320neo nacelle rear part, the thrust reversers for the CF34 nacelle as well as the Comac C919 nacelle, the Chinese single-aisle aircraft. 

This is where a new challenge appears: six months after taking up his latest position, Benjamin hears about a reindustrialisation project for the C919 assembly line. What did it entail? Starting from a blank sheet, commissioning a new assembly line using automation and digitalisation to become a benchmark for industrial performance and competitiveness. “Such a project only happens every 10 or 15 years, I couldn’t miss out on this opportunity,” he explains. “I put myself forward, even if at the time the project was not yet validated at Group level.” A successful bet, since he was retained for the position. 

A new standard 

In March 2024, Benjamin became the Industrial Transformation Project Manager. His role: to coordinate the different facets of the project, such as the investment plan, the building renovation, the selection of robotisation and digitalisation solutions, the organisation of the training… “Of course, I do not do this alone: the team is composed of around thirty members whose issues and constraints must be factored in… there are a lot of discussions, interactions, I like this because it very much unifies us as a team. Not to mention the support of the Group Experts, who bring their expertise in all the areas we work on."

Being entirely focussed on his role does not prevent Benjamin from taking a step back to reflect on his job: “Automation is not an end in itself.” he says. “This project aims to sustain activities at a national level, and this gives meaning to my work. In fact, we are a kind of incubator for Safran Nacelles: the new assembly line standard that will emerge will be used for all future 4.0 industrialisations."