| Type | Société Anonyme |
|---|---|
| Traded as | Euronext: SAF |
| Industry | Defence, aerospace |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Key people | Jean-Paul Herteman (CEO), Francis Mer (Chairman) |
| Products | Aircraft engines and equipment, defence electronics, biometric technologies, smart cards, identity management |
| Revenue | €11.23 billion (2010)[1] |
| Operating income | €938 million (2010)[1] |
| Profit | €207 million (2010)[1] |
| Total assets | €18.51 billion (end 2010)[1] |
| Total equity | €4.705 billion (end 2010)[1] |
| Employees | 53,410 (average, 2010)[1] |
| Website | www.safran-group.com |
Safran is a French conglomerate involved in defense, aerospace propulsion and equipment, and security. It is the result of a merger between the propulsion and aerospace equipment group SNECMA and the defense conglomerate SAGEM. Its headquarters are located in Paris.
The name Safran, literally meaning "rudder blade", was chosen from 4,250 suggestions. As a holding company for many subsidiaries the name was deemed suitable for the suggestion of direction, movement and strategy. Safran also translates as saffron, which the company highlights as one of the catalysts for early international trade.
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The Safran Group was created on May 11, 2005 with the merger of Snecma and Sagem SA.
In 1905 Louis Seguin created the company Gnome. Production of the first rotary engine for airplanes, the Gnome Omega, started in 1909. This company merged with the Le Rhône, a company created in 1912 by Louis Verdet, to form the Gnome et Rhône engine company. Gnome & Rhône was nationalized in 1945, creating Snecma. In 2000, this company gave its name to the “Snecma Group”, and carried out a number of acquisitions to form a larger group with an array of complementary businesses.
Sagem (Société d’Applications Générales de l’Electricité et de la Mécanique) was created in 1924 by Marcel Môme. In 1939, Sagem entered the telephone and transmissions market by taking control of Société d’Applications Téléphoniques (SAT). It acquired Société de Fabrication d’Instruments de Mesure (Sfim), a measurement instrument specialist, in 1999. However, by 2008 Sagem Mobile and Sagem Communications had been sold. Sagem Mobile became Sagem Wireless in January 2009.
The Safran group is divided into three main branches:[2]
The Aerospace Propulsion branch groups all operations concerning the propulsion of airplanes, helicopters, missiles and launchers, for the civil aviation, military aviation and space markets: design, production, marketing, testing, maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO).
The Aircraft Equipment branch groups all design, production, sales and support operations for systems and equipment used by civil and military airplanes and helicopters.
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The Defense Security branch operates in the civil, military and space markets, and covers the following areas: inertial guidance and navigation equipment (SIGMA INS based on Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) sensors), optronic systems and equipment, avionics systems, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems, air-land systems and equipment, biometric identification systems, secure transaction terminals and smart cards. On July 1, 2009, the European Union approved Safran's acquisition of 81 percent of the GE Security division which produces airport security systems and biometric identification systems.[3]
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| Year | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|
| Sales (M€) | 11,329 | 12,003 |
| Net income, Group share (M€) | 177 | 406 |
| Cash flow (M€) | 1,003 | 1,221 |
| Self-financed R&D (M€) | 334 | 401 |
At December 31, 2010: