Thomas Pellat, quality above all!

Can you tell us a bit about your career before working at Safran Engineering Services?

T.P.: I obtained a degree in economics and management, then a master’s degree in organizational and project management with a specialization in “quality” at the Faculté des sciences économiques et de gestion de Strasbourg. When I was studying, I did an initial internship with Lapp Group, who offer wiring solutions, industrial connectors and electrical accessories. It was a very interesting experience; I dealt with complaints from clients and analyzed non-conformities on defective cables, identifying root causes, formulating action plans and re-delivering to the client. During the second year of my Masters, I completed an apprenticeship with Safran Landing Systems in Molsheim. Here, I also dealt with quality issues: complaints from clients, non-conformities analysis, part traceability, securing potentially impacted batches, internal audits, and so on. I also set up a new information exchange system between product engineers and client quality support to improve the processing time for complaints. This first step into the world of Safran was crucial.

How did you come to work for Safran Engineering Services?

T.P.: During my apprenticeship, I loved working for a large company, particularly one in the prestigious aeronautical sector. I particularly enjoy working in an industrial field and getting to know the factories and workshops. So it made sense to apply for a job with Safran. A Safran Engineering Service’s advert interested me. The position was in line with my training and the experiences I had acquired in the past. It was also about managing supplier quality on behalf of another company in the group: Safran Aircraft Engines. I was recruited.

Tell us about your day-to-day duties.

T.P.: I manage a team of seven people responsible for supplier turbine blade quality. We handle non-quality events in the phase preceding the manufacturing process, parts help up at reception, assembly and machining. We analyze the different events and then we choose the appropriate process and establish an associated action plan to help suppliers advance. It is my first high-level position, and a highly motivating one at that. My workload will soon expand to include invoicing and order tracking, and I'm also about to become project head of supplier quality assurance. I will also be managing the supplier quality service for turbine blades, located in Morocco. I will devote at least three years to this position. Looking further ahead, I also hope to have the opportunity to achieve a Green Belt then Black Belt, and lead improvement projects on a larger scale within the Safran group.