The successful beginnings of a “made in Safran” start-up.

Do you know “We Love Intrapreneurs”? The program was introduced in 2018 to offer employees the chance to become entrepreneurs, while retaining the benefits of their employment at Safran...And to receive tailor-made support!

Hundreds of projects were proposed over the four previous seasons. Dozens of them were incubated - i.e. developed and integrated within the Group - and six are currently developing a new business for Safran. HAPSTER, the winning project in season 3, reached a significant milestone on January 1st, as its excubation now means it is a separate company. 

As part of the program, the team that created this young start-up was supported throughout its development: training in business creation, expert advice, simulations, allocation of a budget, and more. “The Safran intrapreneurship program offers applicants optimum working conditions to develop their ideas”, explains Valérie Manier, co-founder of HAPSTER.

HAPSTER has succeeded thanks to a simple principle on paper: creating a digital platform that aims to transmit and safeguard know-how. But HAPSTER is more than a simple online training tool, as it proposes a solution that is both universal and tailor-made, focused on the in-depth analysis of skills specific to each trade. “Everything started from the initial observation: when employees leave a company, they take precious skills and experience with them. The result is a loss of know-how for the business, with direct impacts on quality, productivity and costs,” explains Franck Vermet, co-founder of HAPSTER. “With HAPSTER, we provide businesses with a solution which over time, can be applied to all occupations, as the need to inventory, determine, and transmit skills is universal.”

The platform proposes training pathways that incorporate video capsules and will soon benefit from creation assistance thanks to artificial intelligence. All skills indispensable to learning an occupation are broken down step by step in the form of videos, written articles, and tests to assess the acquisition of knowledge. 

Moreover, HAPSTER proposes an inclusive solution: training courses are available in audio versions and can be translated into several languages. Immersive environments are also proposed, using virtual reality technology. And also: a significant reduction in training times: “On average, we have reduced the training time for new hires by a factor of four, from several months to a few weeks, or from several weeks to just a few days,” comments Valérie Manier. 

“Our solution contributes to training for new hires and to improve the skills of more senior employees, as we can precisely determine the skills required for a given position and those common to several positions. Similarly, in case of transfers, we can easily distinguish the skills acquired from those that need further development,” adds Franck Vermet.

“HAPSTER is based on the TWI method (“Training With Industry”), created in the USA during World War II. The objective was to train as many people as possible, swiftly and efficiently. This training method was adopted by industrial groups who applied it to their production activities,” explains Franck Vermet. In this way, HAPSTER draws benefit from this method and improves it through the incorporation of new technologies, but also through the experience of people in the field. “An alliance between human and digital,” Franck underlines. 

One particular feature of the methodology used by HAPSTER is the skills map that constitutes a crucial step for training course design. “We go directly to visit experts at their workstations to collect their input and build what we call a “knowledge tree”, namely an inventory of all skills used for a specific position. This can range from simple tasks like screwing or cutting a fabric, to much more complex actions. No steps must be left out” insists Franck, “because to effectively teach a skill, it is essential to fully understand each step necessary in its execution.”

On January 1st, 2024, HAPSTER became a simplified joint stock company (S.A.S), independent of Safran. The start-up already works with multiple partners such as Vinci, Orange, Hermès or France Travail. 

And yet, the Group will continue to support this fledgling company, through an initial Safran framework agreement governing support activities to group businesses and to its industrial school network. The aim of these schools is to deliver theoretical and above all practical training for operators active in production, repairs and customer support. It is therefore a perfect scope for HAPSTER! “We aim to assist teams in designing tailor-made training courses, suited to Group activities. The idea is to deliver solutions to Safran teams enabling them to create training content that will belong to them and will be hosted on secure servers,” concludes Franck Vermet.

You haven’t heard the last of HAPSTER! Plenty to encourage all the intrapreneurs who are currently taking part in the fifth season to continue their efforts.