Safran officially opens new electronics Research & Development center in Valence

Valence, France, October 20, 2021

Martin Sion, CEO of Safran Electronics & Defense, today officially opened the company’s new Research & Development (R&D) center at the Rovaltain business park in Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southwest France. Several honored guests attended the inauguration ceremony, including local and regional officials.

Built in accordance with the latest environmental standards and spanning 4,580 square meters, the new facility houses Safran Electronics & Defense’s R&D activities focused on developing high-integration electronics technologies. More than 120 people are employed at the site, almost three-quarters of whom are engineers, along with 11 Experts. The teams have at their disposal more than 580 square meters of state-of-the-art clean rooms, while laboratories account for one-third of the facility’s total surface area. These engineers and research teams are developing next-generation electrical actuation systems and electronics integration and assembly technologies for severe environments, all of which are considered strategic.

With this new facility, Safran Electronics & Defense now has the resources required to prepare for the future in microelectronics, focusing on the main families of high-integration electronics: smart sensors, advanced chips and SiP (System-in-Package) solutions for more electric aircraft and space and defense markets. Safran Electronics & Defense is a key stakeholder in the CORAIL SiP project to develop industrial capabilities in this emerging area in order to meet demand for SiP in Europe. The CORAIL SiP project has received support as part of the French government’s “France Relance” economy stimulus package to boost the competitiveness of the electronics industry.

Martin Sion, CEO of Safran Electronics & Defense, commented: “The inauguration of this new electronics centre of excellence marks a major step forward for Safran. Thanks to this purpose-built R&D facility, we will be able to develop innovative solutions and meet demand for microchips and increasingly smarter embedded solutions and systems, thus guaranteeing a high level of satisfaction for our aircraft manufacturer and defense customers.”